THE APOSTOLIC COUNCIL OF JERUSALEM: THE DECISIVE PARADIGM FOR THE CHURCH'S SYNODICAL MODE OF EXISTENCE: A TIMELY REMINDER FOR TODAY

  by (Dr) Philip Kariatlis
Academic Director, Senior Lecturer in Theology
St Andrew’s Greek Orthodox Theological College, Sydney, Australia
Ecumenical Patriarchate Press Office

Introductory Remarks

In the Eastern Orthodox tradition, the bishop of each local Church[1] is the authoritative organ charged with the responsibility to maintain the Church's identity and continuity with that of the apostolic Church. Accordingly, the bishop is not only the authorized teacher but also the guarantor and witness to the apostolic faith held by all within the worshipping community. Indeed, by virtue of that special gift of the Holy Spirit – specifically known as the charisma veritatis [the gift of truth][2] – bestowed upon him at his ordination, the bishop acts as the discernible link to the authentic faith of the apostles thereby safeguarding the continuity of the entire Church's life with that of the apostolic Ekklesia.

SYNODALITY AND CHURCH: AN INDISSOLUBLE RELATIONSHIP A REFLECTION ON THE FORTHCOMING HOLY AND GREAT COUNCIL

by (Dr) Philip Kariatlis

Academic Director, Senior Lecturer in Theology

St Andrew’s Greek Orthodox Theological College, Sydney, Australia

Ecumenical Patriarchate Press Office

In Orthodox ecclesiology, the nature and mission of the church is almost always presented from within the framework of koinonia.

THE SYNODAL STRUCTURE OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCH

Lewis J. Patsavos

 Ecumenical Patriarchate Press Office

Theological Basis[1]

Basic to the ecclesiology of the Orthodox Church is the concept of conciliarity. The Church is, in fact, at her core always synod, the literal meaning of the word "Ekklesia." The concept of conciliarity, i.e., the conciliar or synodal approach to managing the Church's affairs, is not confined solely to convening various types of synods, but also includes every expression of ecclesiastical life.

PREPARATION OF THE HOLY AND GREAT COUNCIL: A COMPREHENSIVE TIMELINE

Ecumenical Patriarchate Press Office

For a selected bibliography, click HERE.

  Source:  Faith Matters, TOWARD THE HOLY AND GREAT COUNCIL: Retrieving a Culture of Conciliarity and Communion

Rev. Dr. John Chryssavgis

Introduction: primacy and conciliarity in context

COUNCIL TO ADDRESS SIX MAJOR THEMES IN ORTHODOXY-WITH GENERAL SUMMARY

Ecumenical Patriarchate Press Office

For a selected bibliography, click HERE.

OFFICIAL ADVANCE DOCUMENTS

THE PREPARATION OF THE HOLY AND GREAT COUNCIL: A SUMMARY

Ecumenical Patriarchate Press Office

For a selected bibliography, click HERE.

Under the leadership of His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the Orthodox Church worldwide is preparing to hold a Great and Holy Council on the Island of Crete June 16 -27, 2016.

WEDSITES OF ORTHODOX CHURCHES

Ecumenical Patriarchate Press Office

Council Participants

On the Feast of Pentecost, when the Church celebrates the descent of the Holy Spirit, more than 500 men and women -- bishops, priests, monastics, and laity -- will participate in the Holy and Great Council, to be convened in Crete.

HISTORY OF THE HOLY AND GREAT COUNCIL - ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE PRESS OFFICE

Ecumenical Patriarchate Press Office
What is a Holy and Great Council? When was the last one? Why is it important? Rev. Dr. John Chryssavgis, Archdeacon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, explains the process that has brought us to this unique and important event. The Holy and Great Council is the first time in 1200 years that 14 autocephalous Orthodox churches are meeting.

MESSAGE FROM HIS ALL-HOLINESS ON THE HOLY AND GREAT COUNCIL - ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE PRESS OFFICE

Ecumenical Patriarchate Press Office
His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew offers his dreams and prayers for the Holy and Great Council, meeting in Crete in late June 2016. The Holy and Great Council is the first time in 1200 years that 14 autocephalous Orthodox churches are meeting, with a common desire for strengthened relations and to be a sign of “unity in a world afflicted by conflict and division.”

WHAT IS ON THE AGENDA FOR THE HOLY AND GREAT COUNCIL? - ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE PRESS OFFICE

 Ecumenical Patriarchate Press Office

The Holy and Great Council will address important issues of concern to Orthodox Christians and all people. This includes the mission of the Orthodox Church in the modern world, the Orthodox diaspora, autonomy, marriage, fasting and relations with other Christians. Rev. Dr. John Chryssavgis tells why these are matters important not only to the Orthodox, but to the entire world.

VOTING AND CONSENSUS AT THE HOLY AND GREAT COUNCIL - ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE PRESS OFFICE

Ecumenical Patriarchate Press Office

The deliberations by the delegates at the Holy and Great Council honor a long tradition in the Church, and are guided by the Holy Spirit. Rev. Dr. John Chryssavgis explains the process, which was itself determined by a deliberative body.

WHO WILL ATTEND THE HOLY AND GREAT COUNCIL? - ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE PRESS OFFICE

Ecumenical Patriarchate Press Office
Rev. Dr. John Chryssavgis, Archdeacon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, talks about who will be participating in the Holy and Great Council and the 14 autocephalous (independent) churches they will represent.

YouTube

Who will attend the Holy and Great Council? - Ecumenical Patriarchate Press Office

HOW WILL THE HOLY AND GREAT COUNCIL AFFECT MY PARISH? - ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE PRESS OFFICE

 Ecumenical Patriarchate Press Office
Rev. Dr. Nicholas G. Louh, himself a parish priest, explains how the Holy and Great Council impacts the everyday lives of Orthodox Christians, and how Orthodox Christians can support the Holy and Great Council.

ON THE GREAT AND HOLY COUNCIL, THE OCA, AND THE FUTURE

 Mark Stokoe
Thirty-one years ago this summer, the World Fellowship of Orthodox Youth, SYNDESMOS, invited scores of young people from around the globe to the Orthodox Academy of Crete, located in a small village in western Crete, named Kolymbari, for the inaugural World Festival of Orthodox Youth.

ΟΙΚΟΥΜΕΝΙΚΟΥ ΠΑΤΡΙΑΡΧΟΥ: ΠΡΟΣΠΑΘΕΙΑΙ ΣΥΓΚΡΟΤΗΣΕΩΣ ΟΙΚΟΥΜΕΝΙΚΗΣ ΣΥΝΟΔΟΥ ΠΡΟ ΠΕΝΤΗΚΟΝΤΑΕΤΙΑΣ (1980)

 

Πηγή Εκκλησία της Ελλάδος

ΟΙΚΟΥΜΕΝΙΚΟΥ ΠΑΤΡΙΑΡΧΟΥ ΠΡΟΣΠΑΘΕΙΑΙ ΣΥΓΚΡΟΤΗΣΕΩΣ ΟΙΚΟΥΜΕΝΙΚΗΣ ΣΥΝΟΔΟΥ ΠΡΟ ΠΕΝΤΗΚΟΝΤΑΕΤΙΑΣ (1980)
Τιμητικόν Αφιέρωμα εις τον Μητροπολίτην Κίτρους Βαρνάβαν, Αθήναι 1980, σ. 83-92.

METROPOLITAN PAVEL, ARCHBISHOP GURYI TO ATTEND HOLY AND GREAT COUNCIL OF ORTHODOX CHURCH

BELARUS NEWS

MINSK, 5 May (BelTA) - Metropolitan Pavel of Minsk and Zaslavl, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus and Archbishop Guryi of Novogrudok and Slonim will attend the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church as part of the Russian Orthodox Church delegation, BelTA informs with reference to the official website of the Belarusian Orthodox Church.

ΟΙΚΟΥΜΕΝΙΚΉ ή ΟΙΚΟΥΜΕΝΙΣΤΙΚΗ ΘΕΟΛΟΓΙΑ;

 του θεολόγου-φιλολόγου Κωνσταντίνου Νούση

ΑΜΕΝ

Η απάντηση είναι αυτονόητη. Ωστόσο στις δύσκολες μέρες μας καλό είναι να επαναλαμβάνουμε τα αυτονόητα, προκειμένου να τα εμπεδώνουμε, να τα νιώθουμε πιο λαγαρά, πιο βαθιά, πιο ξάστερα.

THE HOLY AND GREAT COUNCIL: SEPARATING THE WHEAT FROM THE CHAFF

Evagelos Sotiropoulos,  

HUFFPOST RELIGION

CHRIST IS RISEN!

With the journey to Pascha having reached its ultimate destination at the glorious Resurrection of the Lord, the Orthodox Church has now embarked on the Pentecostarion period.

ΙL RUOLO DEL LAICO NELLA CHIESA

 Dott.sa Elisabeta Fimiani Calampouka,

 Arcidiocesi Ortodossa d'Italia e Malta

Nell'iniziare questo breve intervento, desidero porgere un vivo ringraziamento a Sua Eminenza Gennadios per l'affettuosa insistenza a portarmi qui come rappresentante laica e a parlare del ruolo del laico nella Chiesa.

SOME NOTES ON THE BYZANTINE PRACTICE OF (RE)BAPTIZING LATINS

Nicolas Kamas, 

Public Orthodoxy,

The impending Great and Holy Council has provoked a number of reactions, from joy to hostility, on many of the topics it has promised to address. Among these has been the relationship of the Orthodox Church to other forms of Christianity, which highlights the long-standing problem of the reception of converts who have already received some form of Trinitarian baptism

ΑΝΑΦΟΡΑ ΓΙΑ ΤΗΝ ΑΝΑΓΚΑΙΟΤΗΤΑ ΤΗΣ ΠΑΝΟΡΘΟΔΟΞΟΥ ΤΗΣ ΕΚΚΛΗΣΙΑΣ ΤΗΣ ΚΡΗΤΗΣ

H Ιερά Επαρχιακή Σύνοδος της Εκκλησίας Κρήτης, συνήλθε σήμερα 12 Μαΐου 2016 στο Ηράκλειο, σέ Συνεδρία, και εκτός από τα τρέχοντα υπηρεσιακά θέματα, ασχολήθηκε, σε τομείς που άπτονται της αρμοδιότητάς της, και με το θέμα της προετοιμασίας της Αγίας και Μεγάλης Συνόδου της Ορθοδόξου Εκκλησίας, η οποία θα συγκληθεί στην Κρήτη, τον προσεχή Ιούνιο.

Η ΠΑΝΟΡΘΟΔΟΞΗ, Ο ΠΑΠΑΣ ΚΑΙ ΤΟ ΖΗΤΗΜΑ ΤΗΣ ΧΕΙΡΟΤΟΝΕΙΑΣ ΤΩΝ ΓΥΝΑΙΚΩΝ

Ο πάπας Φραγκίσκος άφησε σήμερα ανοιχτό το ενδεχόμενο να επιτραπεί για πρώτη φορά στις γυναίκες να γίνονται διακόνισσες της Καθολικής Εκκλησίας και να τελούν ορισμένα μυστήρια, όπως αυτό της βάπτισης, μετέδωσαν τα ιταλικά ειδησεογραφικά πρακτορεία.

ΕΠΙΣΤΟΛΕΣ ΤΟΥ ΣΕΒΑΣΜΙΩΤΑΤΟΥ ΜΗΤΡΟΠΟΛΙΤΟΥ ΠΕΙΡΑΙΩΣ Κ. ΣΕΡΑΦΕΙΜ

                                                   Ιερά  Μητρόπολη Πειραιώς

Μπορείτε να βρείτε παρακάτω τις επιστολές του Σεβασμιωτάτου Μητροπολίτου Πειραιώς κ. Σεραφείμ, προς τους Μακαριωτάτους Πατριάρχες Γεωργίας κ. Ηλία Β΄ και Βουλγαρίας κ. Νεόφυτο και τον Σεβασμιώτατο Μητροπολίτη Ουκρανίας κ. Ονούφριο.

ΑΠΟΦΑΣΗ ΤΗΣ ΔΙΑΡΚΟΥΣ ΙΕΡΑΣ ΣΥΝΟΔΟΥ ΓΙΑ ΤΗΝ MH ΣΥΜΜΕΤΟΧΗ ΤΟΥ ΜΗΤΡΟΠΟΛΙΤΗ ΕΔΕΣΣΗΣ ΣΤΗΝ ΑΝΤΙΠΡΟΣΩΠΕΙΑ ΤΟΥ ΟΙΚΟΥΜΕΝΙΚΟΥ ΠΑΤΡΙΑΡΧΕΙΟΥ

Δελτίο Τύπου Δ.Ι.Σ. της 12ης Μαΐου 2016
(12/5/2016).

Συνήλθε σήμερα Πέμπτη, 12 Μαΐου 2016, στη δεύτερη Συνεδρία Της για τον μήνα Μάιο, η Διαρκής Ιερά Σύνοδος της Εκκλησίας της Ελλάδος, υπό την Προεδρία του Μακαριωτάτου Αρχιεπισκόπου Αθηνών και πάσης Ελλάδος κ. Ιερωνύμου.

STEADFAST UNITY IN DIVISIVE TIMES: HOLY AND GREAT COUNCIL OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCH

Conference of European Churches (CEC) 

Steadfast Unity in Divisive Times:
Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church

  The Conference of European Churches and the
World Association for Christian Communication Europe invite all to an online video presentation and discussion about the upcoming Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church. 

EASTER MESSAGE SERBIAN PATRIARCH IRINEJ WITH REFERENCE FOR PANORTHODOX SYNODO

The Serbian Orthodox Church to her spiritual children at Pascha, 2016

+IRINEJ

By the Grace of God

Orthodox Archbishop of Pec, Metropolitan of Belgrade Karlovci and Serbian Patriarch, with all the Hierarchs of the Serbian Orthodox Church to all the clergy, monastics, and all the sons and daughters of our Holy Church: grace, mercy and peace from God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, with the joyous Paschal greeting:

Christ is Risen!

“Christ is risen, trampling down death and raising the dead. Rejoice, all you people!”

(Paschal Canon, Ode 9)

ΤΟ ΕΡΩΤΗΜΑ ΠΕΡΙ ΕΚΚΛΗΣΙΑΣ ΣΤΗΝ ΔΗΛΩΣΗ ΤΟΥ ΤΟΡΟΝΤΟ ΓΙΑ ΤΗΝ ΚΑΤΑΝΟΗΣΗ ΤΟΥ ΣΧΕΔΙΟΥ-ΚΕΙΜΕΝΟΥ ΠΡΟΣ ΕΓΚΡΙΣΗΝ ΤΗΣ ΠΑΝΟΡΘΟΔΟΞΟΥ

Ιωάννης Λότσιος

Τμήμα απο την Ανέκδοτη Μεταπτυχιακή Εργασία με τίτλο,Η Διαμόρφωση τῆς «Κοινωνίας» τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν στὸ Παγκόσμιο Συμβούλιο τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν Μὲ βάση τὰ κείμενα τῆς Γ’ Γενικῆς Συνέλευσης στὸ Νέο Δελχὶ τῶν Ἰνδιῶν , Θεσσαλονίκη 2006.

Η‘‘Δήλωση του Τορόντο[1]’’ αποτελεί ένα κείμενο μεγάλης σημασίας για το ΠΣΕ. Αρχικά επικυρώθηκε το 1950 αποκτώντας οικουμενικό χαρακτήρα, αποτελώντας δηλαδή την είσοδο κάθε εκκλησίας σε αυτό. Το κείμενο περιλαμβάνει πέντε παραγράφους στις οποίες τονίζεται τι δεν είναι το ΠΣΕ και άλλες οκτώ στις οποίες διατυπώνεται ο ρόλος του ΠΣΕ και των εκκλησιών.

ANALYZING THE HOLY AND GREAT COUNCIL

  Evagelos Sotiropoulos

 huffingtonpost.com/religion/

The Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church to be held in Crete during Pentecost has prompted a great deal of discussion. The affirmation at the January Synaxis of Primates in Chambésy to proceed with the Council was historic and almost one hundred years in the making. With the stage set, this essay will examine three points

ΣΤΗΝ ΑΓΙΑ ΚΑΙ ΜΕΓΑΛΗ ΣΥΝΟΔΟ ΕΚΛΗΘΗ ΑΠΟ ΤΟΝ ΟΙΚΟΥΜΕΝΙΚΟ ΘΡΟΝΟ Ο ΜΗΤΡΟΠΟΛΙΤΗΣ ΕΔΕΣΣΗΣ

 Αντώνη Τριανταφύλλου
 Δημοσιεύτηκε στο ΑΜΕΝ

Στην επίσημη 24μελή Αντιπροσωπεία του Οικουμενικού Θρόνου για την Αγία και Μεγάλη Σύνοδο συμπεριελήφθη, σύμφωνα με πληροφορίες, με απόφαση του Οικουμενικού Πατριάρχη Βαρθολομαίου και ο σεβάσμιος Μητροπολίτης Εδέσσης, Πέλλης και Αλμωπίας Ιωήλ, ως εκπρόσωπος των Ιεραρχών των Μητροπόλεων των λεγομένων «Νέων
Χωρών».

THE 2016 GREAT AND HOLY COUNCIL OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCH: IMPLICATIONS FOR UNITY

 Fr. George Morelli
SSJC-WR President's Message Spring 2016^{1
The Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America} 

There are many serious challenges to the unity of the Churches, ecclesial communities and confessions and religious groups in today's world. Among these are: secularization, religious pluralism, fundamentalism and ethnophyletism.

ERWARTUNGEN UND ANFRAGEN AN DIE HEILIGE UND GRO?E SYNODE DER ORTHODOXEN KIRCHE

Fr.Ioan Moga
Erwartungen und Anfragen an die Heilige und Große Synode der Orthodoxen Kirche, in: CATHOLICA. Vierteljarhesschrift für Ökumenische Theologie, 99. Jhg, (3/2015)197-207.

Erwartungen und Anfragen an die Heilige und Große Synode der Orthodoxen Kirche, in: CATHOLICA. Vierteljarhesschrift für Ökumenische Theologie, 99. Jhg, (3/2015)197-207. 

EUCHARIST, COUNCILS AND PRIMACY

Aristotle Papanikolaou, 
 RELIGION AND CHURCH IN RUSSIA AND WORLDWIDE

 EUCHARIST, COUNCILS AND PRIMACY

 Papanikolaou, Aristotle (2016) “Eucharist, Councils and Primacy”, Gosudarstvo, religiia, tserkov' v Rossii i za rubezhom 34(1): 358-378.

ORTHODOX VISION OF THE MODERN WORLD. CONTEXT, HISTORY AND MEANING OF THE SYNODAL DOCUMENT ON CHURCH MISSION

Alexander Agadjanian, 
  RELIGION AND CHURCH IN RUSSIA AND WORLDWIDE
ORTHODOX VISION OF THE MODERN WORLD. CONTEXT, ?ISTORY AND MEANING OF THE SYNODAL DOCUMENT ON CHURCH MISSION
(2016) “Orthodox Vision of the Modern World. Context, Нistory and Meaning of the Synodal Document on Church Mission”, Gosudarstvo, religiia, tserkov' v Rossii i za rubezhom 34(1): 255-279.

THE AGENDA OF VATICAN II COUNCIL AND OF PAN-ORTHODOX COUNCIL IT THE PREPARATORY PERIOD: PARALLELS AND DIFFERENCES

Alexei Yudin,
 RELIGION AND CHURCH IN RUSSIA AND WORLDWIDE
The Agenda of Vatican II Council and of Pan-Orthodox Council it the Preparatory Period: Parallels and Differences 

Yudin, Alexey (2016) “The Agenda of Vatican II Council and of Pan-Orthodox Council in the Preparatory Period: Parallels and Differences”, Gosudarstvo, religiia, tserkov' v Rossii i za rubezhom 34(1): 165-181.

THE PAN–ORTHODOX COUNCIL: SHAPING NEW ORTHODOX GEOPOLITICS

Kazarian, Nicolas
 RELIGION AND CHURCH IN RUSSIA AND WORLDWIDE

The Pan–Orthodox Council: Shaping New Orthodox Geopolitics 

 (2016) “The Pan-Orthodox Council: Shaping New Orthodox Geopolitics”, Gosudarstvo, religiia, tserkov' v Rossii i za rubezhom 34(1): 102-126.

ALL-RUSSIAN CHURCH COUNCIL OF 1917–1918 AS A PHENOMENON OF THE CONCILIAR PRACTICE OF THE CHURCH

 Aleksey Beglov, 

 RELIGION AND CHURCH IN RUSSIA AND WORLDWIDE

All-Russian Church Council of 1917–1918 as a Phenomenon of the Conciliar Practice of the Church

Beglov, Alexey (2016) “All-Russian Church Council of 1917–1918 as the Phenomenon of the Conciliar Practice of the Church”, Gosudarstvo, religiia, tserkov' v Rossii i za rubezhom 34(1): 51-73.

ORTHODOX COMMONWEALTH: A TYPOLOGY OF AUTOCEPHALOUS CHURCHES

 Alexander Kyrlezhev,

 RELIGION AND CHURCH IN RUSSIA AND WORLDWIDE

ORTHODOX COMMONWEALTH: A TYPOLOGY OF AUTOCEPHALOUS CHURCHES 

 Kyrlezhev, Alexander (2016) “Orthodox Commonwealth: A Typology of Autocephalous Churches”, Gosudarstvo, religiia, tserkov' v Rossii i za rubezhom 34(1): 74-101.

COUNCILS AS A MANIFESTATION OF THE CHURCH

 Paul Valliere, 
 RELIGION AND CHURCH IN RUSSIA AND WORLDWIDE

Councils as a Manifestation of the Church

Valliere, Paul (2016) “Councils as a Manifestation of the Church”, Gosudarstvo, religiia, tserkov' v Rossii i za rubezhom 34(1): 10-50.

DOSSIER ORTODOSSI SINODO SELFIE O PROFETICO? MISSIONE OGGI | APRILE-MAGGIO 2016 19

DOSSIER ORTODOSSI SINODO SELFIE O PROFETICO?

ΠΑΝΟΡΘΟΔΟΞΗ ΣΥΝΟΔΟΣ ΜΕ ΑΝΟΡΘΟΔΟΞΕΣ, ΥΠΟΓΕΙΕΣ ΔΙΑΜΑΧΕΣ

Συντάκτης: Μάριος Διονέλλης

 Efsyn. gr

Σε πεδίο αντιπαραθέσεων με πλούσιο παρασκήνιο εξελίσσεται η διοργάνωση της Αγίας και Μεγάλης Συνόδου της Ορθοδοξίας που θα πραγματοποιηθεί στα Χανιά από τις 16 έως τις 27 Ιουνίου.