Romanian Orthodox look for unity after Crete meeting

November 02, 2016

The Romanian Orthodox Church has taken a stand in favor of preserving unity among the world’s Orthodox churches in the wake of the Pan-Orthodox Council that was held in Crete in June.

The Pan-Orthodox Council was intended as an expression of unity in the Orthodox world, but because some of the autocephalous churches did not participate in the meeting in Crete, critics have argued that the statements approved at that meeting cannot be considered definitive. The Patriarchate of Moscow has downplayed the importance of the Crete meeting, while the Patriarchate of Constantinople has supported the authority of the meeting’s statements. That disagreement threatens to fuel the rivalry between Moscow and Constantinople.

The Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church, taking a stand that might serve as a compromise, said that the Crete meeting did not define any new doctrines or canonical norms for the Orthodox world. However, the Romanian Synod went on to say that the statement from Crete could be further developed by a future “Holy and Great Council”—provided that all of the Orthodox churches were included in the deliberations.

 

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Further information:

• Conclusions of the Holy Synod regarding the proceedings and the decisions of the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church (Basilica)
• Russian Orthodox Church: recent council in Crete was ‘important’ but ‘not pan-Orthodox’ (CWN, 7/19)