First conciliar document unanimously approved

June 21, 2016

According to Metropolitan Ignatius of Demetrias and Almyros, the first of six texts up for discussion, “The Mission of the Orthodox Church in Today's World” was unanimously approved at the afternoon session on Monday, June 20 of the council on Crete, reports panorthodoxcemes.blogspot.ru.

The text is the result of the fifth pan-Orthodox pre-conciliar conference held in Chambesy, Switzerland in October 2015 and was signed by the primates of all Local Churches, except for that of Antioch, at the meeting in January 2016.

The text, largely bearing the stamp of Met. John (Zizioulas) of Pergamon, was passed unanimously with minor changes. The amendments proposed by Met. Hierotheos (Vlachos) in a letter to the Church of Greece on March 5, 2016 were rejected.

6/21/2016

See also

Great and Holy Council: Summary of Day One press briefing

Great and Holy Council: Summary of Day One press briefing
A few general questions are answered, especially concerning the four absent Churches and the Ukraine issue

Council Message could codify four new Ecumenical Councils

Council Message could codify four new Ecumenical Councils
A draft of the council's official Message styles the current council a prepatory one towards future gatherings, and proposes granting ecumenical status to the Photian, Palamite,Iași, and Jerusalem Councils.

Pentecost Homily of His All-Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew on Crete
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew

Pentecost Homily of His All-Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew on Crete
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew
A joyful day has now dawned, in which we celebrate the historic manifestation of the institution of the Church, which is constituted by the Holy Spirit, and we Orthodox brothers, who represent all the local Orthodox Autocephalous Churches, have gathered together in a liturgical assembly, so that we may carry out the duty and responsibility of the one Orthodox Church to the people and to the world today, by convening our Holy and Great Council.

Comments

Michel6/22/2016 12:04 am

"We have had councils that were not attended by all the churches. An Ecumenical Council gathered without the presence of the Church of Antioch. Nevertheless, the council was later received as the Third Ecumenical Council. In 1872, a pan-orthodox council gathered in Constantinople with the absence of the churches of Russia and Bulgaria at this council. We hope that this Holy and Great Council will initiate a new process of the Orthodox Church. We need it on an internal level and on a worldwide level." - ARCHBISHOP JOB OF TELMESSOS

http://www.wheeljournal.com/council/2016/6/20/summary-of-press-briefing-6-20

Ian Buckmaster6/21/2016 10:42 pm

The word "unanimous" is being thrown around this council without any real definition. It was considered "unanimous" by them because they have created a system in which the advocates of the documents just need one vote to throw out any proposed amendment (because the proposals for amendments are actually required to be totally unanimous amongst those present). Even if all but one church votes for an amendment, one church (pretty much the EP) is all it takes to counter it. But they still then consider the document "unanimously" agreed upon because they claim the signatures obtained back in January grants validity to it. What is ridiculous about this view it that it means this "council" is not the council as much as a review meeting because the only real decisions were made in Chambesy back in January.

George6/21/2016 3:08 pm

Given that four of the fourteen churches are absent, and one of the fourteen did not sign this document, how can it be considered unanimous?

Adam6/21/2016 1:20 pm

It's not unanimous if Antioch didn't sign it. This false and misleading wording keeps being used in texts that are going out about the council. This article briefly mentions Antioch's stance, but then goes directly stating a unanimous vote.

First conciliar document unanimously approved

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