Greek Churchman Strongly Defends Great and Holy Council,Ecumenical Patriarchate

A new book by His Eminence Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Messinia,Greece has just been published in Greek," 'Significant' For the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church-the suppression and support in the preparation and the aftermath."His Eminence is a professor in the Theological Faculty of the University of Athens and well-known for his deeply theological and patristic style.For example,he concludes that:
Therefore,we should behave in a way that honours the Conciliar institution,and not contribute to its destruction,which is ultimately the destruction of the Church's own unity;recognising and accepting the work of the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church as a project of unity,freedom,society,respect,solidarity,fairness,peace and ministry between peoples and nations.*
Among many other related points covered in his work are these,which may suggest the flavour of his book:
1.The Pan-Orthodox Synod seems to be a requirement of the times,and the course towards it was inexorable,as well as the closer communication of the Orthodox Churches then isolated from each other because of the various socio-political situations.
2.It should be admitted that in Crete (June 2016) an undisputed and essential step was taken to overcome the "autoimmune introspection" of some local Orthodox Churches,which for many centuries afflicted the Churches;while,at the same time,redefining the course towards a new operation of Synodality with timid but decisive steps.
3.Eventually,the case of the Holy and Great Council was critiqued by so-called fundamentalist circles,who do not make a constructive,legitimate critique,but try to break its collegial character by characterising it as a robbery or defeat,thus weakening the unity of the ecclesiastical body and devaluing the Conciliar institution,with the primary aim of challenging the important,coordinating and essential role of the Ecumenical Patriarchate as first in the ministry of unity of the Orthodox Church.All of this leads to the development of a blatant scandal and unwarranted argumentation,while unity is disturbed.
4.The counterpoint to such a divisive tendency cannot be the diametrically opposed "ecclesiastical or religious" construct,but the collaboration of the Orthodox Christian Churches with the other Christian Churches,even with other religions,in order to cultivate a spirit of cohesion,solidarity and unity.
5.It seems that this,which we initially characterised as the "Cold War" of East and West in reference to the Holy and Great Council,is not far from the reality we face today.The political leader with theocratic concepts of a Christian ideal,medieval type,with the collaboration of ecclesiastical leadership and the "flag" of anti-Westernism,creates an ideological and spiritual counterpart to corresponding forms of theocratic leadership,for example,the theocratic Islamist regimes,which are not far from its method,exclusivity,pursuits and redundancies.

Archbishop Anastasios of Albania Honoured in Holy Metropolis of Messinia

On Tuesday evening,13 December 2016,His Eminence Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Messinia,Greece (Kalamata),welcomed His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana,Durres and All Albania.The official reception was in front of the Cathedral of the Presentation of Our Lord to the Temple (Ypapanti) in Kalamata and attended by many clergy of the Holy Metropolis;civil authorities;and the faithful.Among the ecclesiastical dignitaries were His Eminence Metropolitan Gabriel of Leontopolis,Patriarchate of Alexandria;and Archimandrite Chrysostomos Papathanasiou,Director of the Office of the Archbishop of Athens.*
In his welcome,Metropolitan Chrysostomos praised the Archbishop on the key role he played in the reconstruction of the Church of Albania and his contribution to Inter-Orthodox,Inter-Christian and Inter-Faith Dialogue.For his part,Arhbishop Anastasios lauded Metropolitan Chrysostomos for his significant contributions in preparing and carrying out last summer's Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church.*
In a special City Hall ceremony,Kalamata Mayor Panagiotis Nikos and the City Council proclaimed His Beatitude an honourary citizen of Kalamata and presented him with the "Foteas" prize for his writings.*
Wednesday night at the University of the Peloponesse,Archbishop Anastasios will be given an honourary Doctorate of Humanities degree by the Faculty of Philology and Cultural Resources Management,University of the Peloponesse.