We cite here the history of the canonical succession of the bishops who consecrated him, namely, the first consecrating bishop was the late Archbishop of Dosifey Ivanchenko (Bishop Dositheo Ivanchenko) who came from the married clergy and after being widowed was elected and consecrated as Bishop by the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Moscow and All Russia during the Second World War. He was appointed in Western Europe, then emigrated to the United States, where he was initially appointed Bishop of California and Western America and later as Patriarchal Exarch in New York for the Patriarchate of Moscow and All Russia (1969-1970) when Archimandrite f. Pankratios was recommended to him, and after having evaluated the Archimandrite's work in his local Russian-speaking Greek (Greek-Russians) congregation, and evaluating it, he accepted the recommendation of fellow Russian Orthodox Alexander Protoiereus Tsougklevich to elect Archimandrite f. Pankratios as Bishop of the Greek-Russian Orthodox Christians.
The second bishop who elected and consecrated the Archimandrite f. Pankratios as Archbishop of Tsargrad, was His Grace the Bishop of Paris and Western Europe Theophilus Ionescu, who was consecrated by the Holy Synod of the Russian Church Abroad, that is, Saint John Maximovitch (Bishop of Shanghai, Berlin and Saint Francis) together with other holy Hierarchs. He initially served for many years at his monastery in Detroit, Michigan, also pastoring many Romanian Patristic Calendar parishes. By order of the H. Synod of the Russian Church Abroad, Bishop Theophilos Ionescu with the Archpriest consecrated the first G.O.C. Archbishop Akakios Pappas. He then took Archimandrite Pankratios under his Omoforio and recommended him to the Archdiocese of Tsargrad to which many Greek-Romanians from the region also belonged (and still do).
The third bishop to participate in the consecration of Archimandrite Pankratios was Greek-Albanian Archbishop Christophoros Radou, who was consecrated bishop by the late Bishop Theophan Noli (Brooklyn, NY), who was consecrated bishop by Albanian Archbishop Chrysostomos Kissis, the Metropolitan Christophoros then Patr. of Alexandria and Metropolitan Ieroteos (Andon-Yaho), Bishop of Miletopolis and Exarch of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Constantinople, at the Cathedral of Saint George in Korcha, Albania. Meanwhile, Bishop Theophan Noli was elected and served as the President of Albania (before the Hoxha regime). He joined the consecration of Christophoros Radou along with Archbishop Christophoros Kontogiorgos, who took the title of Saint Nectarius when he was of the Pentapolis for the Patriarchate of Alexandria and was Exarch for many years in America (he adhered to the patristic calendar). This was the canonical succession of Archbishop Christophoros Radou of the Albanian Greeks in the USA, who resides in Brooklyn, N.Y.
The position of the Archbishop, of the New Calendar in America, Athenagoras Spyrou (later Patriarch) is mentioned here, for conducting a fierce war against Christophoros Kontogiorgos and arbitrarily creating a dossier, proceeded against his demotion, which he published in the media in time. On the basis of this unfair and completely anti-canonical act, Archbishop Christophoros Kontogiorgos appeared in court and sued the Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras and won the case. Among other things, the Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras published a letter revoking the demotion by the Ecumenical Patriarchate from the day it was written, restoring Christophoros Kontogiorgos as Canonical Bishop of the Orthodox Church and his achievements as canonical. This letter is kept in our archives which evidence through Christophoros Kontogiorgos and Christophoros Radou, the canonicity of the ordination of Metropolitan Pankratios and the clergy under him.
So, this is the Canonical Apostolic Succession of the Metropolitan Eminence of him and Archbishop of Tsargrad and America Pankratios on February 27, 1970.
Following this, Archbishop Pankratios proceeded to the election and consecration to Bishop of Archimandrite Sergios (Theodore) Irtel Elder Padre de Optina (being the missionary to the poor, indigenous Mexican orphans in the city of Juarez, El Paso, Texas, Mexico) , acting together with the Greek-Albanian Christophoros Radou and the elderly Bishop of Platea Evangelos Stefas (consecrated in Boston by the metropolitans: Vasileios of Sparta and Christophoros Kontogiorgos of Pentapolis and Bishop Arsenios Salta).
Then, after many years, the elected bishop of Koronaia Stephanos (Di Giovanni) was recommended and consecrated as an auxiliary bishop (for the Greek-Italian Orthodox community P.C.) by Archbishop Pankratios along with Evangelos of Plataea and Archbishop Christophoros. They in turn consecrated Archimandrite Joseph Langdon (being very old) as Auxiliary Bishop of New Bethany, and Archimandrite Elias as Bishop of Apollonia and Archimandrite Theophilos Saulniere as Bishop of Sylivria, then Bishop of Palation Georgios and finally Metropolitan from Brazil Leontios.
All were consecrated under the leadership of Archbishop Pankratios.