Regarding the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Autocephalous Churches
On 4-6 January 2016, in anticipation of the Holy and Great Council of
the Orthodox Autocephalous Churches later this year, on the Feast of
Pentecost, 30 theologians were invited by the Ecumenical Patriarch
Bartholomew to the headquarters of the Patriarchate in Istanbul.
The
majority of the invited were lay people teaching Orthodox Theology
either in seminaries or in universities, publishing journals and books,
serving the church in various capacities through ecumenical, political
or diplomatic service. It was a group composed of persons from many
parts of the world.
I was one of the invitees. This is my personal report on the meeting.
Main discussions took place on the 5th. In the beginning the Patriarch
addressed the theologians (see his address below), then he listened to
participants who were divided in five groups, according to their present
occupation, and prepared summaries of their preliminary discussions.
Those summaries presented diverse concerns and suggestions and meant to
inspire the Ecumenical Patriarch together with Metropolitan John of
Pergamon, the most senior hierarch of the jurisdiction, before the
meeting of the primates of the local Orthodox churches later in January
as well as for the upcoming synod itself.
After the session with
the His All Holiness, the group continued discussions with Metropolitan
John. The meeting lasted up to four hours. Metropolitan gave a very
interesting introduction on the necessity of the synod, answered
questions, listened to comments. It was amazing to be engaged for hours
in conversation with this ‘giant theologian’ of our times.
What
Metropolitan John says about the council can be summarized in the
following way: there is an urgent need to convoke a council, in spite of
existing difficulties. A great deal of these difficulties is due to the
fact that the bottom fell out of practicing synodality among the
Autocephalous Churches. The latter resonated strongly among the
participants, many of us referred to this concern.
The Orthodox
Church suffers from not exercising synodality since the 8th century.
Exercising synodality in its fullness results in making conciliar
decisions that bear primary authority for the Autocephalous Churches. In
other words, authority of the synod itself endorses the reception of
those decisions. The Orthodox Autocephalous Churches urgently need to
agree on a number of issues in order to witness to the world with much
more integrated spirit.
It was sad to hear again that at the
preparatory meetings (2014-2015) the Autocephalous Churches showed
intention of using the Holy and Great Council to foster their own
particular interests instead of working towards common resolution of
problems. Stakes are very high if the Autocephalous Churches follow any
other goal but solving the common problems.
In spite of
discrepancy regarding the understanding of the nature and purpose of the
Holy and Great Council, Metropolitan John tried to convince the group
in the urgency of convoking it. So, one of the straightforward arguments
for the urgency of the synod was related to the significance of
deepening the spirit of synodality among the local orthodox churches.
The Orthodox Autocephalous Churches are facing too many questions with
regard the Church and the Christian life in today’s world therefore it
will be impossible to find solutions right away. The Holy and Great
Council shall be beginning of a process of heartfelt and conscious
search for authoritative decisions. All particular, nationalistic,
parochial interests must be set aside for the sake of the unity of the
Orthodox.
This brings us to the point shared by all, the
advocates and the adversaries of the upcoming synod, the proposed agenda
items for discussion selected by participants of the pre-Conciliar
meetings (four of such meetings took place between 2014-2015). Everybody
feels unsatisfied by finding on the list items such as fasting or
dyptichs. However, it seems that by bringing onto table more profound
and urgent problems such as all issues related to church and society or
church and culture or church and other Christian churches, will
jeopardize authority of the synod because some local churches will not
be able to receive regulations on those issues while the other local
churches will find themselves at home with a process of receiving new
regulations. Today the 14 Autocephalous Churches find themselves in very
different cultural and geopolitical contexts therefore they show
different levels of urgency as well as fitness for adjustment, while
some lack the culture of reaching consensus through public discussions.
One of the ‘demands’ of Metropolitan John was to glean inspiration and
wisdom from the scholarly world of the orthodox theology. This was seen
in direct contact with the desire to make the synod interesting for the
whole world, yes, he said ‘interesting’. The latter, most probably, was
interpreted by participants in different ways. In my view,
Metropolitan’s concern for having an ‘interesting’ synod can be
understood as a wish to have a council proposing authoritative decisions
that will lead the Orthodox Church towards further unity among
themselves and with other Christians as well as will engage it in a
meaningful dialogue with the entire world.
One of the most
controversial claims by the Metropolitan was to claim necessity of
convoking the synod under any circumstances. For me, his argument in
favor of recreating the spirit of synodality for the sake of the
orthodox unity sounded convincing enough to go for it.
In
general, viewing the Holy and Great Council as a new process in the life
of the Autocephalous Orthodox Churches seems an honorable task in
itself.
ADDRESS
By
His All-Holiness
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew
To the Scholars’ Meeting at the Phanar
(January 5, 2016)
To the Scholars’ Meeting at the Phanar
(January 5, 2016)
Beloved and distinguished scholars,
We warmly welcome you all to the Ecumenical Patriarchate, to the Church
of Constantinople, the Church of St. Andrew “the first-called of the
Apostles” and his disciple, St. Stachys of “the Seventy Apostles,” an
institution with a history spanning seventeen centuries, during which it
has retained its administrative offices in this very city through times
of majesty and times of martyrdom.
As you all know very well and
appreciate through your studies, this extraordinary region is filled
with significance for our Church. It is here that St. John (the Apostle
of love) wrote his Gospel; it is here that St. Paul (the Apostle to the
nations) addressed the earliest Apostolic communities; it is here – in
Asia Minor, not in Greece or Italy – that all of the earliest councils
of the Church that defined and shaped the Christian doctrine were
convened; and it is here that the spiritual treasures of Byzantium – its
profound theological, spiritual and cultural legacy – have been
faithfully maintained to this day.
Nevertheless, as you are also
aware and as you surely understand, Orthodoxy is a faith at once rooted
in the past, yet at the same time a Church looking toward the future. It
is characterized by a profound sense of continuity with the times and
teachings of the Apostolic Church and the Church of the Fathers; but it
is also a Church that draws from its rich heritage in order to respond
to modern challenges and dilemmas. It is precisely this dual nature that
permits Orthodoxy to speak boldly about critical contemporary issues –
precisely because it is a “living tradition.”
Dear friends, you
are here at a critical time, a complex time, a challenging time – both
for our Orthodox Church but also for the entire world. We have invited
you for this personal encounter and exchange at the Phanar because we
consider you as a small representative group of a much larger segment of
our Church, a symbol of our loving concern for all those ministering to
the Word of God in manifold ways throughout the world. You comprise
theologians and historians, scholars and teachers, women and men from
the United States and Europe, as well as from Asia and Australia. You
educate and work with a wide range of people – Orthodox and
non-Orthodox, Christian and non-Christian, academic and ecumenical –
translating the fundamental principles of our faith in response to the
vital challenges of our time.
Permit us, therefore, to suggest to
you that open and honest dialogue is the way of the Church and of
theology. God spoke in dialogue when the world was created, when Adam
and Eve were fashioned. God spoke in dialogue through the law and the
prophets. God spoke in dialogue when the divine Word assumed flesh and
dwelt among us. God always spoke in dialogue through the martyrs and
saints through the centuries and in our own day. Indeed, God is only
comprehended and apprehended in dialogue – in the interpretation of
scripture as in the Church councils. In the pithy, yet profound
statement of St. John: “In the beginning was the Word . . . and the Word
was God.” (John 1.1)
This is why we invited you here: so that we
may talk and listen to one another – “look at each other in the eyes,”
as the late Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras liked to say. You are
undoubtedly informed about the dialogues with which our Ecumenical
Patriarchate is engaged:
• with our sister Orthodox Churches, in an effort to coordinate greater unity and cooperation;
• with other Christian confessions and other faith communities, in our desire to promote reconciliation and understanding;
• and with the scientific community, for an informed response to environmental degradation and bioethical questions
• with other Christian confessions and other faith communities, in our desire to promote reconciliation and understanding;
• and with the scientific community, for an informed response to environmental degradation and bioethical questions
However, there is another dialogue that is of paramount importance in
the life and ministry of the Church, namely our dialogue with the world.
We are called to hear and discern God’s voice – sometimes “like the
rush of a mighty wind” (Acts 2.2), at other times “like a gentle breeze”
(Isaiah 55.12) – in every circumstance and in every corner of our
planet. We are to hear and speak God’s voice:
• in the persecution of Christian minorities all over the world, particularly in the Middle East, where Christianity emerged;
• in the humanitarian crisis of our brothers and sisters forced to leave their homes and seek refuge throughout the world;
• in the injustices inflicted on the vulnerable and marginalized members of contemporary societies;
• but also in the use and abuse of religion for political interests and other secular purposes.
• in the humanitarian crisis of our brothers and sisters forced to leave their homes and seek refuge throughout the world;
• in the injustices inflicted on the vulnerable and marginalized members of contemporary societies;
• but also in the use and abuse of religion for political interests and other secular purposes.
This is precisely why – with the grace of God, the prayers of our
faithful, and the support of theologians and scholars such as you – we
will convene the Holy and Great Council this year on the Feast of
Pentecost, bringing together all of the Orthodox Autocephalous Churches
in order to meet in the same place (in the Church of Haghia Irene, where
the Second Ecumenical Council was held in 381) and to deliberate with
one mind on issues that the Church has confronted in more recent times.
We will address internal issues on the unity and administration of the
Church, but also matters such as relations with other churches and
faiths, in order to present a unified voice and credible witness for the
life of the world.
In this regard, we invite the support of
pious Orthodox scholars, who are concerned about the unity of our Church
and its role in the public square, where there are so many competing
opinions and where the word of Orthodoxy can contribute positively and
constructively through dialogue. Our faith should not be regarded as
stagnant or even obsolete. It must not be conveyed as verbose or perhaps
artificial. And it cannot be dismissed as merely cerebral or
uninspired. Our word must express the hope and joy, the light and life
of the risen Lord. It must be renewed and renewing, reviving and
refreshing.
That is how the Holy and Great Council must speak to
the whole world. That is how we are all called to minister, each of us
from his or her own position in the Church and in society, even after
the Great Council takes place. And this is how the Church would like to
support and advance your own work in seminaries, universities, as well
as in ecumenical and other circles. In this way, we can strengthen the
bonds between hierarchal ministry and lay diakonia for the benefit of
the Body of Christ and the glory of our living God.
With these
few paternal reflections, we welcome you once again and look forward to
hearing your response and reaction. We hope that your brief stay in this
remarkable city is enjoyable and rewarding.