Patriarch presses for Istanbul Council

The Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch has called on theologians to back plans for a Pan-Orthodox Council in June, and insisted it should take place in Istanbul rather than an alternative venue, writes Jonathan Luxmoore.

“The aim must be an open and honest dialogue on theology and the way of the Church, and a common, credible witness,” said Patriarch Bartholomew I.

“To find answers to these questions, the Council should convene at Pentecost in the Hagia Irena church, where the Second Ecumenical Council was staged in 381, covering internal issues of church unity and management, and relations with other Churches and religious communities.”

The Patriarch was speaking at a preparatory session of 30 Orthodox theologians, and said the Orthodox faith should not be regarded as “unmoving”. Disputes over authority and jurisdiction between the Moscow and Ecumenical Patriarchates, both of which claim the loyalty of Orthodox communities worldwide, have worsened in recent months.

In his address, Patriarch Bartholomew said the current persecution of Christians in the Middle East, the global refugee crisis and “injustice inflicted on vulnerable and marginalised members of society” underlined the importance of using the Council to achieve a “common voice among the world's 300 million Orthodox Christians”.