Ecumenical Patriarchate Press Office
5 June 2016
The Orthodox Fellowship in Western
Europe was created in 1971 and organizes since then one of the most
important international Orthodox Conferences in Western Europe.
It takes
place every three years. The Fellowship is composed of clerics and
laity from various Orthodox jurisdictions in Western Europe. The French
Orthodox Theologian Olivier Clément was one of its founders. It sees
itself as a “facilitator” of orthodox unity in the diaspora.
In its statement, prepared after its
meeting on June 5, 2016, the Orthodox Fellowship in Western Europe call
on unity in the perspective of the Holy and Great Council. Members of
the Fellowship have been involved in the preparation of the HGC as
experts in their respective churches. The statement underlines the
importance of the preconciliar document on inter-Christian dialogue and
expresses a deep concern regarding the statements of some Orthodox
Churches opposing the ecclesial status of non-Orthodox Churches.
Quotation of the last sentence: “We
especially hope that the President of the Council, His All-Holiness
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, will encourage his Brothers in the way
that he has always followed since the beginning of his episcopate”, the
way toward unity.
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