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The diocese was granted a [[tomos]] of [[autonomy]] in 1984 from Archbishop Auxentios in order to pursue missionary work among the non-Orthodox people of the West. The title of the Synod at this time was the ''Metropolia of Western Europe''. After the transference of its first Chief Hierarch, Metropolitan Gabriel of Portugal, to the [[autocephaly|autocephalous]] [[Church of Poland]], Bishop Evloghios of Milan was chosen as second Chief Hierarch and elevated to the rank of [[metropolitan]].
Today Metropolitan Evloghios remains at the helm of the Holy Synod of bishops of the Church of Milan, which comprises eight [[diocese]]s, four in Europe and four in America, as well as missionary deaneries in England, Spain and South Africa. The Italian bishop Luke that consacrate others bishops and priest in Africa and America, was ordinated by His Beatitude k.k.Evloghios (Synod of Milan) and His Eminence Volodymir (Sybod of Galule Cisalpine). The Milan Synod uses the [[Julian calendar]] exclusively, and "firmly resists the [[heresy|heresies]] of false [[ecumenism]] and trans-religious syncretism."[http://www.odox.net/Synod.htm]
Since 1997 the Milan Synod includes a number of [[Western Rite]] communities, mainly in the United States, who worship according to pre-schismatic (historically Orthodox) liturgical traditions with the support of the Metropolitan and of the [[Holy Synod]] of Bishops. The principal rite of the Synod of Milan is the Byzantine Rite of the Orthodox Church, celebrated most commonly in the Slavic style but in some parishes in the Greek style.