.png "English"){kind=small}
The landmark meeting of the heads of all Orthodox Christian
churches could be postponed as five out of 14 churches have pulled out.
The head of external relations at the Russian Orthodox Church,
Metropolitan Hilarion, explains the situation to RT.
After decades of
preparation, the historic Pan-Orthodox Council was scheduled for June
16-25 in Crete, but several churches have either refused to attend, or
called for the event to be postponed, including the Antiochian,
Bulgarian, Georgian and finally Russian.
“There are many
problems among various Orthodox Churches… These disagreements might seem
small but, for historical churches, these are important issues,”
the chairman of the department of the external church relations and the
permanent member of the Holy Synod of the Moscow Patriarchy, Hilarion,
told RT’s Maria Finoshina.
Hilarion said he does not see current political tension in the world
directly affecting the churches’ relations, which more often than not
depend on ecclesial issues, although adding that it might affect some
decision-making.
“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,” Hilarion said.
He explained that the preparations for the event, which started in 1961, have focused on consensus, but with some of the 14 churches still remaining at odds over a number of issues, some “mistakes” still need to be fixed, and some of the churches’ concerns properly addressed.
“Unity is not something that can be imposed upon churches,” Hilarion said, adding that “conciliation is one of the essential marks of the church but it cannot be simply imposed by any kind of administrative decision.”
The Russian Orthodox Church remains committed to holding the Pan-Orthodox Council, he stressed.
He explained that the preparations for the event, which started in 1961, have focused on consensus, but with some of the 14 churches still remaining at odds over a number of issues, some “mistakes” still need to be fixed, and some of the churches’ concerns properly addressed.
“Unity is not something that can be imposed upon churches,” Hilarion said, adding that “conciliation is one of the essential marks of the church but it cannot be simply imposed by any kind of administrative decision.”
The Russian Orthodox Church remains committed to holding the Pan-Orthodox Council, he stressed.
