Absence of Three Churches Raises Doubt on Pan-Orthodox Council Status

© AFP 2023 / JOEL SAGETA picture taken in Moscow on May 6, 2016 shows the Russian Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation dedicated to the Annunciation of the Theotokos.
A picture taken in Moscow on May 6, 2016 shows the Russian Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation dedicated to the Annunciation of the Theotokos. - Sputnik International
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The absence of three churches at the upcoming Pan-Orthodox Council in Crete raises questions regarding its status, as all the decisions should be taken as a result of consensus, Vladimir Legoyda, the head of Synodal Information Department of the Russian Orthodox Church, said Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church, also known as the Pan-Orthodox Council, is a planned synod of the bishops of all autocephalous local churches of Eastern Orthodox Christianity. The Council is set be held on the Greek island of Crete on June 16-27, after more than 50 years of preparations. The Bulgarian Orthodox Church, the Antiochian Orthodox Church, and the Serbian Orthodox Church refused to participate in the Council.

Pilgrims of the Greek Orthodox Church stand in front of an image of Jesus crucified during the ceremony marking the Apokathelosis - Sputnik International
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"This raises questions over its status. If a certain church — and we currently have three churches, which suggested to postpone the council — does not attend it, it is difficult to speak about pan-orthodox status of the council," Legoyda told the Rossiya 24 television channel.

Earlier this week, the Russian Orthodox Church proposed to the Patriarchate of Constantinople to hold an extraordinary meeting no later than June 10 in the light of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church’s refusal to participate in the Pan-Orthodox Council. The proposal was denied, with the Patriarchate of Constantinople saying that the Council would be held despite the Bulgarian Church’s move, as no institutional structure could revise the conciliar process once it began.

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