13 June 2016 г.
On June 13, 2016, at its extraordinary
session, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church considered the
situation, which has arisen because of the refusal of a number of Local
Orthodox Churches to participate in the Holy and Great Council of the
Orthodox Church. The Council was planned to be held from June 18 to 26,
2016, on the Island of Crete.
As a result of the
discussion, the Holy Synod adopted a statement on this problem to be
sent to the Primates of Local Orthodox Churches (Minutes No. 40).
Considering
the position taken by the Patriarchates of Antioch, Georgia, Serbia and
Bulgaria and taking into account the ground necessary for convening the
Holy and Great Council, namely, the existence of ‘the consent of their
Beatitudes the Primates of the universally recognized Local
autocephalous Churches’ (Organizational and Working Procedure of the
Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church, Article 1), the Holy
Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church noted that such consent is
obviously absent.
According to the Synod members, the
only possible way out in this case lies in the continuation of
preparations for the Holy and Great Council and subsequent achievement
of pan-Orthodox agreement on its holding at a different date.
In
connection with the above, the Holy Synod
, in keeping with the Russian
Orthodox Church Bishops’ Council’s Decision of February 2-3, 2016
(Resolutions, Par. 6), resolved:
1) that support be
given to the proposals of the Orthodox Churches of Antioch, Georgia,
Serbia and Bulgaria to postpone the convocation of the Pan-Orthodox
Council for a time which will need to be established as a result of a
pan-Orthodox discussion and under the indispensable condition that the
Primates of all the generally recognized Local autocephalous Orthodox
Church agree to it;
2) that an appropriate proposal
be immediately sent to His Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew of
Constantinople and all the Primates of Local Orthodox Churches;
3)
that in case of this proposal is not accepted by the Most Holy Church
of Constantinople while the Council on Crete is still convened despite
the absence of the consent of several Local Orthodox Churches, the
participation of the delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church in it,
with profound regret, be considered impossible;
4)
that effort to consolidate pan-Orthodox cooperation in preparing the
future Holy and Great Council be continued by all possible means, as it
is called to become a true witness to the unity of the Holy Universal
and Apostolic Church;
5) that the opinion be
expressed once again that a successful accomplishment of the Council’s
preparation could be promoted by the more intensive work of the
Pan-Orthodox Secretariat as a body which makes it possible to examine
proposals for the resolution of problematic issues, to settle the
existing differences, to finalize the necessary documents and to remove
all the obstacles for the convocation and God-pleasing completion of the
Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church;
6) to
consider it desirable that, taking into account the proposals expressed
in many Local Orthodox Churches, the future Council could be attended
by all the hierarchs of the Holy Churches of God without restrictions,
since it will certainly enhance the authority of the decisions made by
the Council.
Patriarchal Press Service