SELECTED PUBLICATIONS ON THE HOLY AND GREAT COUNCIL

 Ecumenical Patriarchate Press Office

J. Chryssavgis, Toward the Holy and Great Council: Retrieving a Culture of Conciliarity and Communion, Faith Matters Series, no.

Ecumenical Patriarchate Press Office

Glossary of Terms

Church of Albania

One of the fourteen autocephalous Orthodox churches that comprise the Holy and Great Council. While Christianized during the Apostolic times, the Church of Albania is one of the more recent autocephalous churches, receiving autocephaly from the Church of Constantinople in 1937.

TOWARD THE GREAT AND HOLY COUNCIL: RETRIEVING A CULTURE OF CONCILIARITY AND COMMUNION

February 1, 2016 Length: 47:29
Archdeacon John Chryssavgis delivers the 33rd Annual Schmemann Lecture at St. Vladimir's Orthodox Seminary. He is introduced by Fr. Alexander Rentel.

ANCIENT RADIO

Fr. Alexander Rentel: Theologian and teacher, scholar and interpreter, servant of the Ecumenical Throne, and defender of God’s creation.

HOW TO COVER THE LITURGY

 Ecumenical Patriarchate Press Office

The Divine Liturgy is the most solemn and important service in the Orthodox Church. As the holy work of the people of God, the Divine Liturgy provides the faithful the opportunity to receive the Holy Eucharist and enter into communion with each other and with God.

PATRIARCHS PREPARE FOR THE GREAT AND HOLY COUNCIL IN CRETE

 Oikosnet Europe

The Orthodox Academy of Crete will have a busy time this spring preparing for the historical meeting in June when The Holy and Great Synod of the Orthodox Church will take place. The last time a Pan -Orthodox council of this scale was convened was in Constantinopel well over a thousand years ago in 879 – 880, where they had a representation of over 380 bishops from the Eastern Christian Churches.

HOLY AND GREAT COUNCIL LOGOS

Ecumenical Patriarchate Press Office

These logos have been approved for use with the 2016 Holy and Great Council in Crete. Please follow the guidelines below for usage, permissions and copyrights. The logo is available in the following three formats:

ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE HOLY AND THE GREAT COUNCIL PRESS OFFICE- IΣΤΟΣΕΛΙΔΑ ΤΟΥ ΟΙΚΟΥΜΕΝΙΚΟΥ ΠΑΤΡΙΑΡΧΕΙΟΥ ΓΙΑ ΤΗΝ ΑΓΙΑ ΚΑΙ ΜΕΓΑΛΗ ΣΥΝΟΔΟ

ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE HOLY AND THE GREAT COUNCIL PRESS OFFICE- IΣΤΟΣΕΛΙΔΑ ΤΟΥ ΟΙΚΟΥΜΕΝΙΚΟΥ ΠΑΤΡΙΑΡΧΕΙΟΥ ΓΙΑ ΤΗΝ ΑΓΙΑ ΚΑΙ ΜΕΓΑΛΗ ΣΥΝΟΔΟ

1977 ORTHODOX-CATHOLIC THEOLOGICAL CONSULTATION'S REACTION TO THE AGENDA OF THE GREAT AND HOLY COUNCIL OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCH

North American Orthodox-Catholic Theological Consultation
September 29, 1977

 Ecumenical Patriarchate Press Office

Introduction

RELATIONS OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCH WITH OTHER CHRISTIANS AND THEIR COMMUNITIES

by Edith M. Humphrey, V. Rev. Maxym Lysack, Bradley Nassif, Rev. Anthony Roeber, and V. Rev. Theodore Stylianopoulos

 Ecumenical Patriarchate Press Office

As recognized in the Chambésy pre-conciliar document, relations between the Orthodox Church and other Christians are challenging and complex.

ON ECUMENOCLASM: WHO CAN BE SAVED?

Paul Ladouceur
Ecumenical Patriarchate Press Office

Orthodox ecumenists and anti-ecumenists both start from the same fundamental ecclesiological principle, succinctly expressed in an anti-ecumenical statement of the Sacred Community of Mount Athos in April 1980

IN THE HOPE OF RESTORATION OF COMMUNION BETWEEN THE ORTHODOX AND ORIENTAL ORTHODOX CHURCHES

by Carrie Frederick Frost, Vigen Guroian*, Jennifer Haddad Mosher, and Valerie Zahirsky

  Ecumenical Patriarchate Press Office

We wish to bring attention to one of the items not specifically included on the Great and Holy Council’s agenda or in its preconciliar documents: the restoration of communion between the Orthodox Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches.

A PETITION TO CREATE A SPECIAL DELEGATION OF WOMEN AS CONSULTANTS AT THE PAN-ORTHODOX COUNCIL

Ecumenical Patriarchate Press Office

To view or sign the petition, click HERE.

Source:  Patricia Bouteneff on change.org

The Pan-Orthodox Council will meet in Crete at Pentecost. Its voting members will consist of hierarchs from each of the fourteen autocephalous churches. Those delegates will be accompanied by non-voting consultants that may include clergy, monastic, and/or lay participants, with no guarantee that any of them will be female.

UTLINES OF AN ECUMENICAL ECCLESIOLOGY

A. Edward Siecienski

  Ecumenical Patriarchate Press Office

Before Orthodoxy can properly address the question of the ecclesial nature of other Christian bodies, it is perhaps necessary to deal with the question of whether the True Church of Christ is found exclusively in Orthodox Church or whether elements of it exist outside of her. 

CONCILIARITY ON THE LIGHT OF DAY - INTERVIEW WITH BISHOP MAXIM (VASILJEVIC) FOR THE SERBIAN NEWSPAPER "POLITIKA"

  Ecumenical Patriarchate Press Office

Question: Why is a Pan-Orthodox Council being called at this time, after so long, and what thematics will the Orthodox Churches convey to the world?

ON CONSENSUS: A CANONICAL APPRAISAL

V. Rev. Alexander Rentel

  Ecumenical Patriarchate Press Office

A key component of the document Organization and Working Procedure is the requirement for unanimity for the approval of any texts or amendments. The primates of the Churches can adopt procedures for the running of the council; nothing in the canonical tradition forbids the adoption of such rules, and consensus as a rule for decision making has a long history in the Church.

ΠΤΥΧΕΣ ΤΗΣ ΙΣΤΟΡΙΑΣ ΚΑΙ ΤΗΣ ΘΕΟΛΟΓΙΑΣ ΤΟΥ ΚΕΙΜΕΝΟΥ ΤΗΣ ΗΜΕΡΗΣΙΑΣ ΔΙΑΤΑΞΕΩΣ ΤΗΣ ΑΓΙΑΣ ΚΑΙ ΜΕΓΑΛΗΣ ΣΥΝΟΔΟΥ ΤΗΣ ΟΡΘΟΔΟΞΟΥ ΕΚΚΛΗΣΙΑΣ «Η ΑΠΟΣΤΟΛΗ ΤΗΣ ΟΡΘΟΔΟΞΟΥ ΕΚΚΛΗΣΙΑΣ ΕΝ ΤΩ ΣΥΓΧΡΟΝΩ ΚΟΣΜΩ»

Κωνσταντίνος Δεληκωσταντής
Ομότιμος Καθηγητής του Πανεπιστημίου Αθηνών

 Ecumenical Patriarchate Press Office

Εισαγωγή

Είχα την τύχη να συμμετάσχω με την ιδιότητα του συνεργάτου της Γραμματείας επί της Προπαρασκευής της Αγίας και Μεγάλης Συνόδου της Ορθοδόξου Εκκλησίας στις τρεις συνελεύσεις της Ειδικής Διορθοδόξου Επιτροπής (Οκτώβριος 2014 και Φεβρουάριος και Απρίλιος 2015), στην Πέμπτη Προσυνοδική Πανορθόδοξο Διάσκεψη (Οκτώβριος 2015), καθώς και στη Σύναξη των Προκαθημένων του Ιανουαρίου 2016 εν Chambésy Γενεύης.

Η ΑΓΙΑ ΚΑΙ ΜΕΓΑΛΗ ΣΥΝΟΔΟΣ ΔΕΝ ΕΝΔΙΑΦΕΡΕΙ ΜΟΝΟΝ ΤΟΥΣ ΟΡΘΟΔΟΞΟΥΣ

Αλέξ. Κ. Παπαδερός 
Φως Φαναριου 

Από τις πολλές ενδείξεις που λαμβάνουμε και φανερώνουν ένα παγκόσμιο ενδιαφέρον για την προσεχή Σύνοδο, σημειώνουμε εδώ τα λόγια του Καθηγητή Konrad Raiser, επί πολλά χρόνια Γενικού Γραμματέα του Παγκοσμίου Συμβουλίου Εκκλησιών. 
Γράφοντας από το Βερολίνο (11.5.2016) και ευχαριστώντας για το νέο Λεύκωμά μου At a glance. Orthodox Academy of Crete, προσθέτει: 

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.