The day after his consent, the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate met and, following the proposal of Patriarch Demetrios, unanimously decided on the entry of John Zizioulas into the holy clergy and after a few days his election as acting Metropolitan. Indeed, during the rare act of “athroon” ordination (athroon = receiving successive ordinations from the status of layman), within a week, he was ordained as a deacon, as an elder, and as Metropolitan of Pergamum, in the Patriarchal Church of Saint George, in the presence of Patriarch Demetrios. This particular honor to John Zizioulas, and the “athroon” ordination as his promotion, was justified by Patriarch Demetrios with the following phrases during the official announcement of the election to John Zizioulas:
“After your anxious entry into the ranks of the holy clergy... glorify the Holy Mother of Christ, the Great Church, as she promotes you and her high priest, and today, due to the canonical votes cast for this purpose in our honorable Patriarchal Chruch, you are elected Metropolitan of the Holy Metropolis of Pergamon.”
“Announcing this to you with joy, we express the deep conviction we have that you are coming to honor this high and enviable position, for which you received a throne before the Church... For this reason, the decorations are guaranteed in many qualifications and supplies, for a series of years conscientiously and very effectively as a lay theologian you served as a deacon from various positions and in charge of missions, and thanks to which you gained a reputation as a distinguished contemporary theologian giving valuable testimony of the spiritual treasures of Orthodoxy from high places and university chairs and through your writings...”
The venerable Patriarch Demetrios used similar expressions in his written address during the ordination of Zizioulas as Metropolitan, on Pentecost Sunday 1986:
“The Holy Mother, the Great Church of Christ, saw his works (cf. Revelation 2:13), appreciated his valuable contribution and ministry from high places and university seats and as Her emissary to various orthodox and inter-Christian conferences and bilateral and multilateral theological dialogues, and decided, that his entry into the ranks of the holy clergy would elevate him to the office of high priest...”
“With these thoughts and feelings, the Mother Church sends you forward as her accomplished High Priest, in continuation of your honorable offering, which you treat with honor to her, and praising your priestly dignity... she wishes you abundant fruition, etc.”
His election and ordination as Metropolitan of Pergamon had an extremely positive impact in Greece and internationally. The prestigious newspaper “Kathimerini” in Athens, in addition to the repeated complimentary comments of its columnist about the ecclesiastical matters Spyros Alexiou, announced his ordination in its page of June 22, 1986, the day of the ordination, as “a milestone in the annals of the Patriarchate,” adding in a long text that “the elevation of John Zizioulas to the active hierarch of the Ecumenical Throne is a milestone in the annals of the evolution of the Phanar and the clergy of Constantinople during the last years. Because the new Metropolitan of Pergamum is recognized as one of the leading—if not the leading—theologian in the world, in the field of Orthodoxy.”
