After the
discussions carried during the working session of the Holy Synod of the
Romanian Orthodox Church, chaired Saturday, 29 October 2016, by His
Beatitude Patriarch Daniel, the Synodal Fathers formulated and expressed
the following conclusions related to the proceedings and the decisions
of the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church (Crete, 16-26 June
2016):
It was appreciated the participation and the substantial contribution of the Patriarch of Romania and of other members of the delegation of the Romanian Orthodox Church at the proceedings of the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church.
The
Holy Synod acknowledged the contents of the documents approved during
the proceedings of the Holy and Great Council in Crete, namely: The Mission of the Orthodox Church in today’s World, The Orthodox Diaspora, Autonomy and the Means by Which it is Proclaimed, The Importance of Fasting and its Observance Today, Relations of the Orthodox Church with the Rest of the Christian World, the Encyclical and the Message
of the Holy and Great Council. The Holy and Great Council of the
Orthodox Church did not formulate new dogmas, new canons or liturgical
changes, but rather it has professed that the Orthodox Church is the
One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church of Christ.
Furthermore, the Holy Synod took note that the documents can be explained, nuanced or developed by
a future Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church. Their
explanation and the drafting of new synodal documents on different
subjects should not, however, be done under the pressure of time, but in
the absence of pan-Orthodox consensus, they should be postponed and
perfected until consensus is reached.
Press Office of the Romanian Patriarchate