Metropolitan Nikitas, first bishop of Hong Kong, has been released by the Patriarchate of Constantinople from his duties as Metropolitan Bishop of Hong Kong and South-East Asia, effective 1st June 2007.

Metropolitan Nikitas has been appointed to the position of Director of the Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute at Berkeley California.

Metropolitan Nikitas served as the representative of the Patriarch of Constantinople in Hong Kong for ten years.

The metropolitanate of Hong Kong and South East Asia is huge in size, and it seems likely that the metropolitanate will be split into two with the new sees being centred in India and Singapore.

The Patriarchate of Constantinople has never had a cathedral in Hong Kong and had to borrow the Russian Orthodox church in that city, until the activities of the Patriarch in Turkey caused too much friction with the Russian Orthodox Church for that brotherly generosity on the part of the Russians to continue.

No announcement has yet been made by the Patriarchate of Constantinople in Turkey as to the future of the territory or the person(s) to replace Metropolitan Nikitas.