The Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church in Crete or “Meeting in Crete”? Current Ecclesiological Dilemmas of the Orthodox World
Abstract
An important event for the Orthodoxy: The Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church took place in Crete (June, 18–26.2016). It was attended by official delegations from ten local Orthodox Churches. Four local Orthodox Churches, namely: Patriarchate of Antioch, Moscow Patriarchate, the Patriarchate of Georgia, and the Bulgarian Patriarchate withdrew from the participation in the Council. The incomplete representation of the Orthodox Churches at the Council is an evidence of unsolved problems and differences in the approach to canonical and theological issues. The article synthetically presents the history of activities aimed at convening Pan-Orthodox Council and ecclesiological problems, which caused the withdrawal of four local Orthodox Churches from the Council in Crete. Presented arguments may be helpful in understanding of existing theological differences and tensions in mutual relations of local Orthodox Churches.
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