Showing posts with label Patriarch John X. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Patriarch John X. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 20, 2024
Monday, November 18, 2024
Sunday, November 17, 2024
Tuesday, October 25, 2022
Σε κρίσιμη κατάσταση ο Αρχιεπίσκοπος – Η νεότερη ενημέρωση για την υγεία...
His Beatitude Patriarch John X of Antioch and All the East arrived in Cyprus to visit his close friend,His Beatitude Archbshop Chrysostomos II of New Justianiana and All Cyprus,who is ailing.He was accompanied by the Cypriot Health Minister,Mr.Michelis Hadjipantelas.Archbishop Chrysostomos was described as being strong yet saying little,and glad to see Patriarch John.He has had cancer for several years.
Sunday, February 20, 2022
Patriarchal Gathering Planned to Discuss Moscow's Intrusion Into Alexandria
On 12 February 2022,His Eminence Elder Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon was received by His Beatitude Patriarch John X of Antioch and All the East at Patriarchal House in Balamand,Lebanon.In the cordial meeting,they discussed the current situation of Christians in the Middle East and inter-Orthodox relations in general,particularly the uncanonical intrusion by the Patriarchate of Moscow into the territory of the Patriarchate of Alexandria by establishing a Russian Orthodox Exarchate of Africa.
The prelates agreed,based on the long-standing fraternal relations between their respective Patriarchates,to contribute jointly to the consolidation of Orthodox unity through another gathering of the four Apostolic Patriarchates of Constantinople,Antioch,Jerusalem and Alexandria.The session is to be held at Constantinople before the beginning of Great Lent.*
For its part,the Patriarchate of Antioch is to discuss Moscow's behaviour at an upcoming meeting of its Holy Synod in the near future.At that time,an appropriate policy regarding the issue will be formulated.*
Tuesday, July 14, 2020
Patriarch of Antioch Defends Constantinople
In a letter characterised by sincere fraternity and solidarity in Christ,His Beatitude Patriarch John X of Antioch and All the East has rushed to the side of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew over the recent decision by the Turkish Council of State and President Recep Tayip Erdogan concerning the ancient Hagia Sofia cathedral.His words, deeply touching at this time of manifold crises throughout the world, including the Christian East, will resound in the hearts of all the Orthodox:
Damascus, July 13,2020
Your All-Holiness and Brother,
It is with much regret that we received the news of the Turkish government's decision to convert the Church of Hagia Sofia to a mosque.
We are dismayed by this decision.We strongly denounce and condemn any act that could counterfeit the historical identity of our homeland.
The recent decision aims at marginalising the Christian presence in the East, not to say that it attempts to eradicate the remaining pioneering role and Christian presence in peaceful coexistence with the rest of the religious groups
... This decision comes to undermine all the efforts deployed by the countries of this East to build states of citizenship that respect religious diversity and promote the positive values of secularisation.Yet, here is a decision that opens the wounds and thus, alas,reinforces extremism and eliminating the other.
We stand by you,dear Brother, joining our prayers for your Holy Church and this wounded East.We support every effort of yours to enhance your presence in your own land, the land of your ancestors, the Church of Constantinople, the new Rome to which we are all bonded by brotherhood and unity of faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.
Greeting your holiness with an embrace in Christ, we convey to you the solidarity of our faithful of the Church of Antioch and All the East, asking the Lord our Saviour to grant you many years of ministry in this holy parish, providing them with the wellsprings of salvation.*
Damascus, July 13,2020
Your All-Holiness and Brother,
It is with much regret that we received the news of the Turkish government's decision to convert the Church of Hagia Sofia to a mosque.
We are dismayed by this decision.We strongly denounce and condemn any act that could counterfeit the historical identity of our homeland.
The recent decision aims at marginalising the Christian presence in the East, not to say that it attempts to eradicate the remaining pioneering role and Christian presence in peaceful coexistence with the rest of the religious groups
... This decision comes to undermine all the efforts deployed by the countries of this East to build states of citizenship that respect religious diversity and promote the positive values of secularisation.Yet, here is a decision that opens the wounds and thus, alas,reinforces extremism and eliminating the other.
We stand by you,dear Brother, joining our prayers for your Holy Church and this wounded East.We support every effort of yours to enhance your presence in your own land, the land of your ancestors, the Church of Constantinople, the new Rome to which we are all bonded by brotherhood and unity of faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.
Greeting your holiness with an embrace in Christ, we convey to you the solidarity of our faithful of the Church of Antioch and All the East, asking the Lord our Saviour to grant you many years of ministry in this holy parish, providing them with the wellsprings of salvation.*
Thursday, June 14, 2018
Patriarch Bartholomew Makes Statement on Ukraine and Macedonia Issues - delegation consults Antioch and Serbia
On 11 June 2018,His All- Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople made remarks in the Patriarchal Church of St.George in Constantinople concerning the Patriarchate's responsibilities toward the uncanonical Orthodox Churches in Ukraine and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM):
The existence of a schism is not an argument in favour of leaving a whole nation outside the bounds of the Church's truth and canonicity with a pure conscience,denying our responsibility before God and history;but is rather an incentive for finding salvific and unifying solutions.When the Mother Church explores the paths of salvation for our brothers from Ukraine and Skopje (FYROM),it fulfills the apostolic duty.Our duty and responsibility is to bring these nations back to the truth and canonicity of the Church.Therefore what the Ecumenical Patriarchate has,it has for the benefit of the whole world,and offers it to all peoples without exception.Within this framework,inter-Christian dialogue is established,which carries out its work "in love and truth."*
Having visited the Church of Greece,as recounted in an earlier post by this blog,a delegation from the Ecumenical Patriarchate continued its consultations with other autocephalous (independent) Orthodox Churches on the state of affairs in Ukraine and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM).On 5 June 2018,the delegation consisting of His Eminence Metropolitan Emmanuel of France and His Eminence Metropolitan Bartholomew of Smyrna (Izmir,Turkey) were received by His Holiness Patriarch Irinej of Serbia in Belgrade.According to the Serbian Orthodox Church,His Eminence Metropolitan Emmanuel thanked the Patriarch for the cordial audience,during which a conversation about the current relations of the Local Orthodox Churches was held.
For his part,Patriarch Irinej expressed his gratitude to Metropolitan Emmanuel for the visit and his efforts to establish close ties between the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Serbian Orthodox Patriarchate.*
Also attending the audience from the Serbian Orthodox Church were His Grace Bishop Irinej of Backa and Father Deacon Aleksandar Prascevic,Head of the Office of the Patriarch.*
On 14 June 2018,His Beatitude Patriarch John X of Antioch and All the East received Metropolitans Emmanuel and Bartholomew at the Patriarchate's Lebanon headquarters.Also attending the audience were His Eminence Metropolitan Basilios (Mansour) of Akkar and Dependencies and His Eminence Metropolitan Ephraim (Kyriakos) of Tripoli,al-Koura and Dependencies.
The audience addressed General Orthodox affairs and the Ukraine case,the Patriarchate of Antioch said.
The existence of a schism is not an argument in favour of leaving a whole nation outside the bounds of the Church's truth and canonicity with a pure conscience,denying our responsibility before God and history;but is rather an incentive for finding salvific and unifying solutions.When the Mother Church explores the paths of salvation for our brothers from Ukraine and Skopje (FYROM),it fulfills the apostolic duty.Our duty and responsibility is to bring these nations back to the truth and canonicity of the Church.Therefore what the Ecumenical Patriarchate has,it has for the benefit of the whole world,and offers it to all peoples without exception.Within this framework,inter-Christian dialogue is established,which carries out its work "in love and truth."*
Having visited the Church of Greece,as recounted in an earlier post by this blog,a delegation from the Ecumenical Patriarchate continued its consultations with other autocephalous (independent) Orthodox Churches on the state of affairs in Ukraine and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM).On 5 June 2018,the delegation consisting of His Eminence Metropolitan Emmanuel of France and His Eminence Metropolitan Bartholomew of Smyrna (Izmir,Turkey) were received by His Holiness Patriarch Irinej of Serbia in Belgrade.According to the Serbian Orthodox Church,His Eminence Metropolitan Emmanuel thanked the Patriarch for the cordial audience,during which a conversation about the current relations of the Local Orthodox Churches was held.
For his part,Patriarch Irinej expressed his gratitude to Metropolitan Emmanuel for the visit and his efforts to establish close ties between the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Serbian Orthodox Patriarchate.*
Also attending the audience from the Serbian Orthodox Church were His Grace Bishop Irinej of Backa and Father Deacon Aleksandar Prascevic,Head of the Office of the Patriarch.*
On 14 June 2018,His Beatitude Patriarch John X of Antioch and All the East received Metropolitans Emmanuel and Bartholomew at the Patriarchate's Lebanon headquarters.Also attending the audience were His Eminence Metropolitan Basilios (Mansour) of Akkar and Dependencies and His Eminence Metropolitan Ephraim (Kyriakos) of Tripoli,al-Koura and Dependencies.
The audience addressed General Orthodox affairs and the Ukraine case,the Patriarchate of Antioch said.
Wednesday, December 20, 2017
Patriarch John X Sends Message Born of the East
Once again,Patriarch John X of Antioch and All the East has sent out a Christmas encyclical with his customary eloquence and paternal regard for his worldwide flock,who,wherever they may have wandered,are spiritually rooted in the Middle East.Here are some excerpts that speak so powerfully in their language of prayer and sacred memory:
By God's Grace,His Beatitude John X
Patriarch of Antioch and of All the East
It is about time that darkness may be scattered from the East and for the people of the East to live in peace on earth in their birthplace.It is about time for wars to cease in the land where Christ was born and from which heavenly religions were launched.The message of our East is one of freedom,peace,and of open hearts to the entire world.Neither is there any trace of Takfirism and violence,abandonment and terrorism,in our past and present time.We pray that the light of the cave will cast away the darkness of wars to instill in the minds of all people that our region is not an open market to sell arms,and that the destiny of our people should not end dead on the shores of other nations.*
We offer prayers today for the peace in Syria,for the stability of Lebanon,for the safety of Palestine,and for the welfare of the bleeding Iraq;for every spot and all peoples.We offer our prayers for Jerusalem and for its sacred shrines and institutions so Jerusalem may continue to be the city of prayers.We offer our prayers for all those who are captives;especially for the two hierarchs:Metropolitan Paul Yazigy and Archbishop Youhanna Ibrahim.We pray for the kidnapped,homeless,and those who live in travail.*
And we remember the East during these difficult days,we shall never ignore the active Antiochian presence throughout the world.We pray that Christ the Child will bestow His mercies on the entire world and on all our spiritual children of the Antiochian See,in the Middle East and the entire world.*
From the heart of the church of Antioch to the hearts of all people,we extend to you the best greetings in the name of Christ who is born in Bethlehem.We can indeed recall that Christianity was born in the East,and lived together fraternally with the others,and that the Christian Church of Antioch stretches her hands and embraces all her children,and is proud of them,wherever they are,for through them and by their active presence,the Antiochian Church carries the gospel of Christ and its message of the good news to the entire world.
Issued from our Patriarchal Headquarters
Damascus,Syria
December 20,2017
By God's Grace,His Beatitude John X
Patriarch of Antioch and of All the East
It is about time that darkness may be scattered from the East and for the people of the East to live in peace on earth in their birthplace.It is about time for wars to cease in the land where Christ was born and from which heavenly religions were launched.The message of our East is one of freedom,peace,and of open hearts to the entire world.Neither is there any trace of Takfirism and violence,abandonment and terrorism,in our past and present time.We pray that the light of the cave will cast away the darkness of wars to instill in the minds of all people that our region is not an open market to sell arms,and that the destiny of our people should not end dead on the shores of other nations.*
We offer prayers today for the peace in Syria,for the stability of Lebanon,for the safety of Palestine,and for the welfare of the bleeding Iraq;for every spot and all peoples.We offer our prayers for Jerusalem and for its sacred shrines and institutions so Jerusalem may continue to be the city of prayers.We offer our prayers for all those who are captives;especially for the two hierarchs:Metropolitan Paul Yazigy and Archbishop Youhanna Ibrahim.We pray for the kidnapped,homeless,and those who live in travail.*
And we remember the East during these difficult days,we shall never ignore the active Antiochian presence throughout the world.We pray that Christ the Child will bestow His mercies on the entire world and on all our spiritual children of the Antiochian See,in the Middle East and the entire world.*
From the heart of the church of Antioch to the hearts of all people,we extend to you the best greetings in the name of Christ who is born in Bethlehem.We can indeed recall that Christianity was born in the East,and lived together fraternally with the others,and that the Christian Church of Antioch stretches her hands and embraces all her children,and is proud of them,wherever they are,for through them and by their active presence,the Antiochian Church carries the gospel of Christ and its message of the good news to the entire world.
Issued from our Patriarchal Headquarters
Damascus,Syria
December 20,2017
Wednesday, April 19, 2017
Joint Paschal Encyclical Issued by Syriac Orthodox,Greek Orthodox Patriarchs of Antioch
A joint paschal encyclical letter has been issued by two Patriarchs of Antioch,His Holiness Mor Ignatius Aphrem II;and His Beatitude John X,the Syriac Orthodox and Greek Orthodox Patriarchs of Antioch and All the East,respectively.This was done in light of the grave crisis of war and terrorism enveloping the region,the Holy Land of Christ's birth,life,death and resurrection,which therefore has a place in the hearts of all Christians.Here are some memorable excerpts from this extraordinary missive:
Beloved spiritual brethren and children:
Christ is risen,truly He is risen.
Christ is risen and the East is bleeding.Christ is risen and our people of all faiths pay with their own lives the cost exacted by selfish interest.Christ is risen and the destiny of our brothers-archbishops Paul and John-is still unclear.Pascha falls this year close to the day of their abduction,the twenty-second of April.This fourth anniversary is perhaps the most appropriate time for us to raise our voice once more,and to put in the ears of our believers and of all the world the voice of our pain in the Church of Antioch,and the voice of all those who are afflicted in this East.*
We are being crucified in this East,suffering this great ordeal.The world looks at the cross of our agony,and is satisfied merely by expressing grief over us.Nevertheless,the power of this world will not drive us out of our land,because we are the sons of the cross and the resurrection.We have been displaced throughout history,and we are still being displaced to this day;but each of us is called to remember that the land of Christ will not be emptied of His beloved ones;and of those who were named after Him two thousand years ago.*
We are deeply rooted in the womb of this East.We are determined not to leave our land;furthermore,we will defend it with our own blood and lives.*
There is a war,unfortunately,imposed upon us as Syrians;and there are consequences that burden us as Lebanese.And there is a price which we pay as Easterners all over the Middle East stemming from the results of all wars,as though bets are being wagered on our land.Our summons today reflects upon events,as we cry enough!into the face of those who feed our land with terrorism,takfirism and blind extremism.Our summons today is a cry enough!in the face of those who finance the terrorist;but feign blindness to his existence,and later rush to fight him,or to make a claim to fight him.
In this Holy Paschal season,we supplicate the risen Lord to remove the stone from our hearts and to break with His spear the war of this world.In these holy days,we pray again for our abducted archbishops,repeating our call for their release.*
On this occasion,we call on everyone,here and abroad,to work hard toward the liberation of the Archbishops of Aleppo and toward closing of this case,which has been suspended by international amnesia.However,this issue is always present in our souls and in the souls of all our children,Christian and Muslim,as well as all those of good will.*
We are in the days of remembering the resurrection of Christ,even though mingled with a heartache that has not been healed for four years.We pray today to the risen Lord to instill His hope in our hearts,granting to them His Holy Spirit;and bestowing upon us the gift of the release of all the kidnapped,so that we may always cry:
Christ is risen and the angels are exultant.
Jesus is risen and the bars of Hades are destroyed.
Christ is risen and life is renewed;to whom is due all glory and dominion unto ages of ages.Amen.
Christ is risen,truly He is risen.
Damascus,April 14,2017.
Beloved spiritual brethren and children:
Christ is risen,truly He is risen.
Christ is risen and the East is bleeding.Christ is risen and our people of all faiths pay with their own lives the cost exacted by selfish interest.Christ is risen and the destiny of our brothers-archbishops Paul and John-is still unclear.Pascha falls this year close to the day of their abduction,the twenty-second of April.This fourth anniversary is perhaps the most appropriate time for us to raise our voice once more,and to put in the ears of our believers and of all the world the voice of our pain in the Church of Antioch,and the voice of all those who are afflicted in this East.*
We are being crucified in this East,suffering this great ordeal.The world looks at the cross of our agony,and is satisfied merely by expressing grief over us.Nevertheless,the power of this world will not drive us out of our land,because we are the sons of the cross and the resurrection.We have been displaced throughout history,and we are still being displaced to this day;but each of us is called to remember that the land of Christ will not be emptied of His beloved ones;and of those who were named after Him two thousand years ago.*
We are deeply rooted in the womb of this East.We are determined not to leave our land;furthermore,we will defend it with our own blood and lives.*
There is a war,unfortunately,imposed upon us as Syrians;and there are consequences that burden us as Lebanese.And there is a price which we pay as Easterners all over the Middle East stemming from the results of all wars,as though bets are being wagered on our land.Our summons today reflects upon events,as we cry enough!into the face of those who feed our land with terrorism,takfirism and blind extremism.Our summons today is a cry enough!in the face of those who finance the terrorist;but feign blindness to his existence,and later rush to fight him,or to make a claim to fight him.
In this Holy Paschal season,we supplicate the risen Lord to remove the stone from our hearts and to break with His spear the war of this world.In these holy days,we pray again for our abducted archbishops,repeating our call for their release.*
On this occasion,we call on everyone,here and abroad,to work hard toward the liberation of the Archbishops of Aleppo and toward closing of this case,which has been suspended by international amnesia.However,this issue is always present in our souls and in the souls of all our children,Christian and Muslim,as well as all those of good will.*
We are in the days of remembering the resurrection of Christ,even though mingled with a heartache that has not been healed for four years.We pray today to the risen Lord to instill His hope in our hearts,granting to them His Holy Spirit;and bestowing upon us the gift of the release of all the kidnapped,so that we may always cry:
Christ is risen and the angels are exultant.
Jesus is risen and the bars of Hades are destroyed.
Christ is risen and life is renewed;to whom is due all glory and dominion unto ages of ages.Amen.
Christ is risen,truly He is risen.
Damascus,April 14,2017.
Thursday, December 29, 2016
Patriarch of Antioch John X Stirs Patriotism,Hope
His Beatitude John X,Patriarch of Antioch and All the East,has once more written a powerful Christmas message for his flock and indeed the whole Orthodox world looking on with interest.In it,the Patriarch firmly roots their faith in their homeland of the Levant,which is today defined as the Eastern Mediterranean and its countries and islands Israel;Palestine;Cyprus;Syria;Lebanon;part of Southern Turkey;and Jordan.His Beatitude also promises redemption from the horrendous suffering which they have felt there because of this faith.Here are some memorable excerpts:
With the mercy of God John X
The Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and all the East
To my brethren the pastors of the holy Antiochian Church
To my sons wherever they may be in this Apostolic See*
He came to lay His seal on our hearts so as to cling and adhere to Him and defend our homeland and get deeply rooted in it;to be rooted in our cities,villages and mountains,in the first land,the land of the church of Antioch that then spread the word "Christians" to the whole world.*
We are called to know that the hardest circumstances would not take out from our hearts and our ancestors' a confession other than we received and preserved.We are written down for the sake of Christ.And we received our baptism 2,000 years ago,so we do not need anybody to convert us to Christianity.*
The peace of Christ is first of all a consolation that cures our hardships;it is not a magical substance that takes away the yoke of suffering from us.
Our prayer on this blessed day is for peace in Syria,for settlement in Lebanon and for prosperity in the East.
Our prayer on this blessed day is for Palestine,for Iraq,and for every spot where people have undergone pain and suffering.For more than five years,the Christian Antiochian Church has been crucified by means of pain and suffering that have come out of barbarism,terror,violence and a stifling economic siege.For more than three years the world has been watching the Golgotha of this East,by that I mean bishops to be abducted,priests to be killed,and many other people to be displaced.But this pain and agony shall be broken by the dawn of the resurrection,and by the big stone of the empty tomb being rolled away no matter how long the Golgotha may last.*
With the mercy of God John X
The Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and all the East
To my brethren the pastors of the holy Antiochian Church
To my sons wherever they may be in this Apostolic See*
He came to lay His seal on our hearts so as to cling and adhere to Him and defend our homeland and get deeply rooted in it;to be rooted in our cities,villages and mountains,in the first land,the land of the church of Antioch that then spread the word "Christians" to the whole world.*
We are called to know that the hardest circumstances would not take out from our hearts and our ancestors' a confession other than we received and preserved.We are written down for the sake of Christ.And we received our baptism 2,000 years ago,so we do not need anybody to convert us to Christianity.*
The peace of Christ is first of all a consolation that cures our hardships;it is not a magical substance that takes away the yoke of suffering from us.
Our prayer on this blessed day is for peace in Syria,for settlement in Lebanon and for prosperity in the East.
Our prayer on this blessed day is for Palestine,for Iraq,and for every spot where people have undergone pain and suffering.For more than five years,the Christian Antiochian Church has been crucified by means of pain and suffering that have come out of barbarism,terror,violence and a stifling economic siege.For more than three years the world has been watching the Golgotha of this East,by that I mean bishops to be abducted,priests to be killed,and many other people to be displaced.But this pain and agony shall be broken by the dawn of the resurrection,and by the big stone of the empty tomb being rolled away no matter how long the Golgotha may last.*
Saturday, September 10, 2016
Patriarch John X of Antioch to the Middle East Council of Churches-excerpts from his address
On 6 September 2016,His Beatitude Patriarch John X of Antioch and All the East spoke to the general assembly of the Middle East Council of Churches in Amman,Jordan.The MECC is,in turn,a member of the World Council of Churches.At the general assembly,Patriarch John was elected President of the Orthodox Churches which belong to the Council.There are others who serve as Presidents of the Oriental Orthodox;Catholics;and Evangelicals in the Council.For example,His Holiness Patriarch Aphrem II of the Syriac Orthodox Church is President of the Oriental Orthodox.Patriarch John spoke eloquently of their deeply troubled region and of the Middle East Council of Churches' role within it:
We are here to raise our voices against everything done against Christians-and against others,too-in every spot of the East.We are fully aware of what happened to them in Iraq.And we understand the situation in Syria.
We are here to make our cry reach far of our people in Aleppo,Mhardeh and others.What is going on will not make us neglect our land;but it will rather urge us to defend it.We are here to address the whole world in regard to the existence of Christians in the East.We say:we do not appeal to protection;we demand peace.*
The Council is a pattern of open minds through which Eastern Christianity confronts every endeavour to close minds with the protection and sustenance of the Church-civilised heritage of each of its components.We are called to activate the voice of the Council and strengthen it to be continuously the voice for Eastern Christianity at the present time.*
May the Lord bless this East and its countries and give it with the rest of the world a flow of His light and fill the hearts of the participants in this meeting with His abundant and divine mercy,Patriarch John prayed.
We are here to raise our voices against everything done against Christians-and against others,too-in every spot of the East.We are fully aware of what happened to them in Iraq.And we understand the situation in Syria.
We are here to make our cry reach far of our people in Aleppo,Mhardeh and others.What is going on will not make us neglect our land;but it will rather urge us to defend it.We are here to address the whole world in regard to the existence of Christians in the East.We say:we do not appeal to protection;we demand peace.*
The Council is a pattern of open minds through which Eastern Christianity confronts every endeavour to close minds with the protection and sustenance of the Church-civilised heritage of each of its components.We are called to activate the voice of the Council and strengthen it to be continuously the voice for Eastern Christianity at the present time.*
May the Lord bless this East and its countries and give it with the rest of the world a flow of His light and fill the hearts of the participants in this meeting with His abundant and divine mercy,Patriarch John prayed.
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
Preparatory Meeting for Pan-Orthodox Council Called (Revised and Updated)
His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew will chair a meeting of delegations from the 14 autocephalous Orthodox Churches at the Orthodox Centre of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Chambesy,Switzerland from 21-28 January.The meeting is to make final preparations for the Great and Holy Council of the Orthodox Church,which is scheduled to begin on Orthodox Pentecost Sunday,19 June 2016,at Haghia Irene,the ancient Church of St.Irene,in Constantinople (Istanbul).The rules of the Council must be finalised and any other remaining issues resolved.The meeting will evaluate and validate the texts to be proposed for approval at the Council.
Among those in attendance at Chambesy are Archbishop Demetrios of America;Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia;and Patriarch Daniel of Romania.Metropolitan Sawa of Poland and Patriarch John X of Antioch and All the East could not attend for health reasons;while Archbishop Ieronymos II of Athens and All Greece could not come for personal reasons.All Churches have sent authorised delegations,however.The primates will concelebrate the Sunday Divine Liturgy.
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is being advised by theologians Metropolitan John of Pergamon and Metropolitan Emmanuel of France.He proposed that the length of the Great and Holy Council be two weeks and that a range of people,including representatives of the Orthodox clergy and laity,as well as media and non-Orthodox ecumenical observers,be invited to the Council.*
The Council has been many decades in the making.It will seek to convey the Orthodox Church's message to the modern world at large,as well as work to normalise her internal affairs and guide her external relations with other Christian churches and other religions.
Among those in attendance at Chambesy are Archbishop Demetrios of America;Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia;and Patriarch Daniel of Romania.Metropolitan Sawa of Poland and Patriarch John X of Antioch and All the East could not attend for health reasons;while Archbishop Ieronymos II of Athens and All Greece could not come for personal reasons.All Churches have sent authorised delegations,however.The primates will concelebrate the Sunday Divine Liturgy.
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is being advised by theologians Metropolitan John of Pergamon and Metropolitan Emmanuel of France.He proposed that the length of the Great and Holy Council be two weeks and that a range of people,including representatives of the Orthodox clergy and laity,as well as media and non-Orthodox ecumenical observers,be invited to the Council.*
The Council has been many decades in the making.It will seek to convey the Orthodox Church's message to the modern world at large,as well as work to normalise her internal affairs and guide her external relations with other Christian churches and other religions.
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