Borghetto Santo Sporito 24 December 2022,

Your Eminence the Vicar General, Your Eminence the Chancellor of the church, Your Excellencies the titular holders of the Episcopate and all of you members of the clergy and faithful, I have the regret to announce to you that I officially renounce the munus because at my venerable age I no longer feel able to exercise my function of spiritual guide of the church also due to my precarious health conditions that do not tend to improve.

I entrust the leadership of the church to my faithful Vicar General, His Most Reverend Eminence Metropolitan Archbishop Giovanni Luca, invoking the Holy Spirit so that he may always guide his heart and mind, according to the principles of the ancient canons of the Orthodox churches.

I invite the Holy Synod to elect a new Primate, invoking again the Holy Spirit that he may bless the newly elected Primate.

I thank all the faithful for praying with me together with the clergy of the church, remembering me at every celebration and whenever it was pleasing to them.

I remain at the disposal of the clergy in my capacity as Episcopal Dean of the Church.

I entrust my humble existence to the Blessed Virgin Mary on Christmas Eve.

May the blessing of Our Lord Jesus Christ descend upon you and your families

++ Theodore, Metropolitan Archbishop Primate Emeritus of the Church