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7 June 2016, Natallia Vasilevich, The Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church,
Once Pan-Orthodox Synod, convened for 19th of June, at Pentecost failed. Will it happen again?
In 1930 Meeting of the Preparatory Commission of the Holy Orthodox Churches
was convened by the Ecumenical Patriarch Photios at the Sacred Great
Monastery of Vatopedi at the Holy Mountain, 8-23 June. Delegations of
the following local churches took part in the meeting:
- Ecumenical Patriarchate
- Alexandria
- Antioch
- Jeruslaem
- Serbian Church
- Romanian Church
- Church of Greece
- Church of Poland
- Church of Cyprus delegated to be represented by the Ecumenical Patriarchate (letter of Archbishop Cyril of Cyprus to the Ecumenical Patriarch Photios from 20 May 1930).
According to some testimonies, there was also unofficial representation from the Bulgarian Church (Hieromoine David, Irenikon #8, 1931, p. 72-73).
As the result of the works of the Comission the following 17 topics of agenda were defined:
1. The issue of the Russian Church. The
preparatory inter-Orthodox meeting inscribes this issue the first of the
catalogue of topics of the pro-Synod, and ask his all-Holiness that he
makes possible before the convocation of the pro-Synod the
representation in which-ever way of the Russian Sister-Church by
delegates either from inside, either from outside of Russia.
2. Closer relationship and contact of
the Orthodox churches between each other and measures in this sense,
between them exchange of students between the Orthodox churches and
reciprocal visit of delegations of clergymen, theology professors and
preachers in order of fuller contact; better cooperation of the Orthodox
churches in spiritual, moral and social matters for the well-being of the Orthodox peoples(nations).
3. Education of clergy theological and
pastoral and necessity of its organisation under immediate supervision
of the church and deleting all tendencies which are against Church.
4. Examination of the present situation of the Orthodox Church in America and of the ways of its therapy and improvement.
5. Finding of ways of reestablishing
Orthodox Eastern monasticism in its ancient beauty and shining by
insisting in traditions and monastic rules by renewing the old activity:
scientifical, philanthropic, cultural and specially by cultivating the
holy arts.
6. Finding ways of cooperation of the
Orthodox Churches in order to reject Atheism, and mistaken ideologies:
Masonism, Theosophy and Spiritism, etc.
7. Relations of the Orthodox churches to heterodox churches on the East and on the West:
a. Relations in spirit of love, which
following the Apostle is hoping everything with the heterodox churches
(Armenians, Copts, Abyssinians, Chaldeans, Jacobites, Old-Catholic,
Anglicans), which are trying to come closer to the Orthodox Church, and
don’t make proselytism among the Orthodox.
b. Relations of precaution and defence
agains heterodox, who are practicing proselytism and try in any way to
damage the Orthodox Church, it means: Roman-Catolicism – Uniatism,
Protestantism – Methodism, Baptists, Chiliasm, and so on.
8. Examinations of the issue which
heretics and schismatics will be received in the Orthodox church by the
baptism, which are received by Chrismation, and which by simple
confession of faith.
9. Definition of conditions of
proclamation and recognition of of Autocephalous Church, and definition
of the number of the generally recognised today Autocephalous Churches
in order of better canonical reciprocal (mutual) communion and full
(aproskopton) participation in pan-Orthodox gathering and Synod. And in
the same way definition of conditions of recognition of the church as
autonomous.
10. Codification of the holy canons and canonical decisions to be submitted in time to the Ecumenical Synod.
11. Examination of the actual practice
of the local Churches about impediments of wedding, about reasons for
divorce, and about legal procedure of them. Also examinations of the way
by which if it’s possible should be reached similar procedure in the
whole Orthodox Church
12. Organisation of spiritual courts as
possible in similar way in all Orthodox church, establishment of
ecclesiastical system of justice.
13. Examination of the way of election
of bishops, and specially of Primates of Autocephalous Orthodox Churches
more corresponding to the holy canons.
14. Examination of the issue of calendar
in connection with the decision of the 1st Ecumenical Synod about the
Easter date and finding way to re-establish concordance of the churches
about this issue.
15. Uniform if it’s possible formulation of Typicon according to holy Tradition.
16. Examinations and finding of ways by
which the Orthodox Christian culture can be strengthen among the
Orthodox nations in all its dimensions.
17. Examination of ways of sustaining
and promoting traditional byzantine art in its different forms, it
means: church music, iconography, architecture and the art of holy
vestments and utensil.
(Translation of the Catalogue from Greek according to decisions of the 14th session including amendment of 15th session, Πρακτικά
της προκαταρκτικής επιτροπής των αγίων ορθοδόξων εκκλησιών της
συνελθούσης εν τη εν Αγίω Όρει Ιερά Μονή Μεγίστη, Μόνη Βατοπεδίου :
(8-23 Ιουνίου 1930), pp. 143-146).
At the Meeting was decided to hold pro-Synod in 1932, which was convened by the Ecumenical Patriarch Photios (letter to the Orthodox Churches 7 February 1931 #226 and 3rd September #226) for 19th of June, during the Pentecostal period, at the Sacred Great Monastery of Vatopedi at the Holy Mountain.
But on 2 of June Holy Synod of the
Ecumenical Patriarchate, due to inability of several churches to take
part in the pro-Synod, decided to cancel it and sent to the Sister
Churches the following telegram:
“Some of the most
Holy Churches, in spite of their strong desire, are unable to take part
in the pre-Synod, because of the circumstances. We think that as a
result of this, it [pre-Synod] needs to be postponed” .
Once decided to be convened for 19th of
June, pan-Orthodox pro-Synod failed, being postponed just two weeks
before. It took several decades to restart pre-conciliar process, and
again just two weeks before we are at risk, that the Holy and Great
Council could be postponed. However, this time the Synod of those in the
City of the Ecumenical Patriarchate insisted that Council takes place
as decided. Will the history repeat?
