Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I arrived in Crete on Wednesday saying he hoped the primates of all 14 Eastern Orthodox churches would be there by Friday to attend the Holy and Great Council, the first such summit of Orthodox leaders in over 1,200 years.
Uncertainty has hung over the Council in recent days after the large Russian Orthodox Church, following last-minute objections from four smaller churches, announced on Monday it wanted the meeting to be postponed to allow more work on the documents prepared for approval there.
The absence of the Russians, who make up about two-thirds of the 250-300 million Orthodox around the world, led to questions whether this summit could still be held or, if it was held, be considered a pan-Orthodox council and its decisions be authoritative for all member churches.
Council spokesman Fr. John Chryssavgis made clear the Council would go ahead even if some churches were absent.
He said the Ecumenical Patriarch commented on arrival that “it is his hope and prayer and invitation that all Orthodox churches will be here on on Friday with their primates and on Sunday with all their delegations”.
The primates are scheduled to hold a final review on Friday of preparations for the Council and attend a divine liturgy on Sunday before the actual proceedings begin on Monday at the Orthodox Academy in Kolymvari in western Crete.
After centuries of relative isolation from each other, Fr Chryssavgis said, some churches were afraid to take this “a unique and unprecedented step” that could bring “the reaffirmation of the conciliar nature and identity of our Church”.
The Bulgarian church began the wave of withdrawals from the Council on 1 June, saying it could not attend because of differences on arrangements for the meeting. The Patriarchate of Antioch, based in Damascus, followed up saying it would stay away because of a dispute with the Jerusalem Patriarchate about jurisdiction in Qatar.
Then the Georgian church pulled out in disagreement over several of the planned documents and the Serbian church recommended postponing the Council. The Serbs, however, have sent a representative to the final preparatory session still in progress.
The Moscow Patriarchate, which has been ambivalent about the Council but insistent during the preparations that its point of view is reflected in the documents, cited these objections as its reason for urging a delay.
“One church after another declares that it is not participating, which means there will be no consensus, which means it is no longer a Pan-Orthodox Council. And we believe that the only way out of this difficult situation is to postpone the council,” Metropolitan Hilarion, head of its foreign relations section, told Russia Today television.
Fr Chryssavgis said the Ecumenical Patriarch could not call off the summit because all the churches had agreed at a meeting in January of this year to hold it. “It would be autocratic and papal for him to change that,” he said.
Decisions taken at the Council would be binding on member churches, even those that are absent, he said, although in Orthodox practice the results of a council must also be “received” within the member churches before finally become authoritative.
Earlier on Wednesday, the spokesman told The Tablet that Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew saw the revival of the Orthodox conciliar process as the main point of the Council.
“The Patriarch said the documents are secondary,” he said. This Council should lead to many others, he said, so the Orthodox can go back to the conciliar system in the early Church.
“Conciliarity is messy,” he said. “It could be easier if we weren’t a conciliar church … the first steps look really awkward, like when you see a child making his first steps …But at the same time, you can be really proud that this is also a huge step.”
PICTURE - Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I arrives at Chania airport in Crete accompanied by members of the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and Archbishop Demetrios, Geron of America, before the Holy and Great Council next week (Photo courtesy of Ecumenical Patriarchate)
Loading ...
