Orthodox See Council as Antidote to 'Heresies and Ruses of Reason'

Crux ^ | 7/9/16 | Filipe Domingues

[marshmallow]

Despite the fact that four of the fourteen independent Eastern Orthodox churches of the world opted not to show up, an expert on Orthodoxy insists that the "Holy and Great Council" in Crete in late June was significant, arguing that meeting together to hash out issues is part of the DNA of Orthodoxy.

From June 19-26, leaders of ten of the fourteen “autocephalous,” or independent, Eastern Orthodox churches of the world met together on the island of Crete, marking the first time such a representative summit of Orthodox churches had assembled in a millennium.

Originally the idea was for the “Holy and Great Council” to be even more inclusive, bringing together leaders of all 14 churches, but at the last minute four of them backed out - including the all-important Russian Orthodox, who claim two-thirds of the roughly 275 million Orthodox Christians in the world.

Nevertheless, under the leadership of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, traditionally regarded as “first among equals” in the Orthodox world, the council pressed on.

Bartholomew said it’s critically important for the Orthodox to gather in such a setting, saying that without “synodality,” meaning the practice of getting together, “the apostolic message falls prey to various heresies and ruses of human reason.”

Recently, a Brazilian-born journalist based in Rome named Filipe Domingues spoke to Nikos-Giorgos Papachristou, a Greek expert on Orthodoxy who’s currently in Rome at the invitation of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, about the significance of the council.

The interview originally appeared in the Brazilian news outlet O São Paulo; what follows is an English version of their conversation.

Domingues: What is the Orthodox Synod and why is it important?

Papachristou: The Holy and Great Synod (Council) of the Orthodox Church was an historic event in the life of Orthodox Christianity. It.......

[NRx]

First the good news. Nothing really horrible came out of the meeting. In fact very little of note came out of it at all. That’s a success in my book. There was some problematic language in the document on the relationship between the Church and the non-Orthodox. But since the document has already been rejected by the Holy Synods of some of the local churches, it’s effectively a dead letter. On balance, the final encyclical was pretty decent. It restated a lot of things that needed to be said without even hinting at any changes in church doctrine or ecclesiology. And it also specifically affirmed recognition of the VIII (879-880), IX (1341, 1351, 1368), X (1484) and XI (1638, 1642, 1672 and 1691) Great & Holy Councils as well as the decree of the Pan-Orthodox Synod of 1872.

And now the not so good news. Conservatively three quarters of the world’s Orthodox population were not represented at the Synod. The claim being advanced by certain parties that the Synod is nonetheless binding on the entire Church is risible. It is true that not everyone attended all of the previous Councils. But it is also important to note that universal reception of some of those Councils was not immediately apparent. Time will tell to what degree this Synod and its documents are received.

[Kolokotronis]

Risible? And you, Nrx, would know this exactly how? I can assure you that if the Putin ecclesial assembly and it’s fellow travelers want to wander off into some Third Rome police state, the rest of us will be more than happy to hold the door open for them. Wouldn’t be the first time....

[NRx]

You believe that a meeting of bishops representing less than a quarter of the world’s Orthodox population has automatic authority over the rest? On what basis?

[Kolokotronis]

On the basis that the synod was duly and canonically called by the patriarchs and heads of the autocephalous churches. The fact that Putin and his version of the Pre 1917 Holy Synod and their running dog Kirill panicked that Ukraine’s declaration of autocephally might be recognized and so stayed home doesn’t change any of that. As for it being binding on everyone, that’s likely the intention and expectation of the independent hierarchs. The decisions are binding on all hierarchs until such time, if ever, that the People withhold their Great Axios. Those hierarchs who refuse to agree are schismatics.