HOLY AND GREAT COUNCIL DOCUMENT

Draft Synodical Document

Πέμπτη 2 Μαρτίου 2017

DISCERNING THE MYSTERY OF THE CHURCH: REFLECTIONS ON A DOCUMENT OF THE COUNCIL OF CRETE


Dragoş Andrei Giulea, Journal The Wheel
In  the  aftermath  of  the  recent  council  held in Crete, the waters of the Orthodox world are still troubled by several disputes   concerning   both   administrative  and  theological  issues. 
Here  I  would like to tackle one of the theological matters: the distinction between the  Orthodox  Church  and  non-Orthodox  Churches  made  in  the  document  “Relations   of   the   Orthodox   Church   with the Rest of the Christian World.”
The   topic   ignited   some   discussions   before the council, when the draft did not include this distinction but simply applied  the  term  church to  Christian  communities  other  than  the  Orthodox 
Church. For this reason, among others, the  Patriarchate  of  Georgia  refused  to  attend the synod, while voices such as those of the Greek bishops Hierotheos Vlachos  and  Athanasios  of  Limassol,  two  synodal  fathers  who  did  not  sign  the   document,   continue   to   oppose   the  new  formula.
  Against  the  background of this troubled setting, I will argue here that the distinction between “Orthodox”     and   “non-Orthodox”    churches proposed in Crete is actually one of the most elegant ecclesiological expressions  to  date,  and  might  be  a  starting  point  for  future  Orthodox  ecclesiological elaboratin. ......