Four years ago, on June 16, began the writing of ‘a new chapter in the history of the Church’ as Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew called the meeting of the Local Orthodox Churches that took place on the island of Crete.
The Council took place from June
16 to June 26, 2016, at the Orthodox Academy of Crete under the
chairmanship of His Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.
The hierarchs of the Romanian
Orthodox Church participated in the works of the Council under the
guidance of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel.
The Holy and Great Council of
Crete did not formulate new dogmas or canons, nor did it bring about
changes in the liturgical life. The hierarchs who participated in the
Council addressed some of the topical issues and sought solutions to the
problems that the contemporary man faces.
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One year after the Council, His
Beatitude Patriarch Daniel noted: ‘Despite the surprising and
unfortunate absence of four Autocephalous Orthodox Churches, the Holy
and Great Council of Crete was a major spiritual event of Orthodoxy,
which, after decades of fluctuation between preparations and delays,
enthusiasm and hesitation, debated, amended and approved significant
documents for the life and mission of the Orthodox Church in the complex
context of the world today.’
‘Thus, the Encyclical, the Message
and the six documents approved by all the Primates of the present
Churches and the overwhelming majority of the hierarchs present at the
works of the Holy and Great Council of Crete describe the major problems
affecting the life and mission of the Orthodox Church today as well as
its relations with the entire Christian world, the followers of other
religions and an increasingly secularized society,’ Patriarch Daniel
noted in his message to
the participants at a Seminary held in Bucharest in June 2017 regarding
the reception of the decisions of the Council of Crete.
The Romanian Patriarchate has stressed several
times the fact that “the Council in Crete did not formulate new dogmas,
but rather professed that the Orthodox Church is the One, Holy,
Catholic and Apostolic Church of Christ”, and has constantly urged that peace and unity of the Church be retained with all responsibility.
Since 2016, some rebellious people
in Romania misled certain clerics and faithful stating falsely and
denigrating that the Council of Crete has proclaimed ecumenism as a
dogma of faith, while some clergy uncanonically interrupted the
liturgical remembrance of their bishop, thus disturbing the peace and
unity of the Church by their divisive attitude.
The Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church stressed that nor the Council in Crete neither some other Orthodox Synod has declared ecumenism as a dogma of faith, in the same way as no canonical Orthodox Synod has ever declared ecumenism as being “pan-heresy”. Therefore, the accusations brought by opponents of the Council in Crete are unjust, irresponsible, and harmful for the unity of the Church.
Photography courtesy of Basilica.roCheck out our photo gallery from the Inaugural Session of the Holy and Great Council!
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