RELATIONS OF THE ORTHODOX
CHURCH WITH THE REST OF THE CHRISTIAN
WORLD
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The Orthodox Church, as the One, Holy,
Catholic, and Apostolic Church, in her
profound ecclesiastical
self-consciousness, believes unflinchingly
that she occupies a central place in the
matter of the promotion of Christian unity
in the world today.
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The Orthodox Church founds the unity of
the Church on the fact of her
establishment by our Lord Jesus Christ,
and on the communion in the Holy Trinity
and in the sacraments. This unity is
expressed through the apostolic succession
and the patristic tradition and is lived
out in the Church up to the present day.
The Orthodox Church has the mission and
duty to transmit and preach all the truth
contained in Holy Scripture and Holy
Tradition, which also bestows upon the
Church her catholic character.
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The responsibility of the Orthodox Church
for unity as well as her ecumenical
mission were articulated by the Ecumenical
Councils. These stressed most especially
the indissoluble bond between true faith
and sacramental communion.
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The Orthodox Church, which prays
unceasingly “for the union of all,” has
always cultivated dialogue with those
estranged from her, those both far and
near. In particular, she has played a
leading role in the contemporary search
for ways and means to restore the unity of
those who believe in Christ, and she has
participated in the Ecumenical Movement
from its outset, and has contributed to
its formation and further development.
Moreover, the Orthodox Church, thanks to
the ecumenical and loving spirit which
distinguishes her, praying as divinely
commanded that all men may be saved and come to the
knowledge of the truth (1 Tim 2:4), has always worked for
the restoration of Christian unity. Hence,
Orthodox participation in the movement to
restore unity with other Christians in the
One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church
is in no way foreign to the nature and
history of the Orthodox Church, but rather
represents a consistent expression of the
apostolic faith and tradition in a new
historical circumstances.
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The contemporary bilateral theological
dialogues of the Orthodox Church and her
participation in the Ecumenical Movement
rest on this self-consciousness of
Orthodoxy and her ecumenical spirit, with
the aim of seeking the unity of all
Christians on the basis of the truth of
the faith and tradition of the ancient
Church of the Seven Ecumenical Councils.
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In accordance with the ontological nature
of the Church, her unity can never be
perturbed. In spite of this, the Orthodox
Church accepts the historical name of
other non-Orthodox Christian Churches and
Confessions that are not in communion with
her, and believes that her relations with
them should be based on the most speedy
and objective clarification possible of
the whole ecclesiological question, and
most especially of their more general
teachings on sacraments, grace,
priesthood, and apostolic succession.
Thus, she was favorably and positively
disposed, both for theological and
pastoral reasons, towards theological
dialogue with other Christians on a
bi-lateral and multi-lateral level, and
towards more general participation in the
Ecumenical Movement of recent times, in
the conviction that through dialogue she
gives a dynamic witness to the fullness of
truth in Christ and to her spiritual
treasures to those who are outside her,
with the objective aim of smoothing the
path leading to unity.
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In this spirit, all the local Most Holy
Orthodox Churches participate actively
today in the official theological
dialogues, and the majority of these
Churches also participate in various
national, regional and international
inter-Christian organizations, in spite of
the deep crisis that has arisen in the
Ecumenical Movement. This manifold
activity of the Orthodox Church springs
from a sense of responsibility and from
the conviction that mutual understanding
and cooperation are of fundamental
importance if we wish never to "put an
obstacle in the way of the gospel of
Christ (1 Cor 9:12).
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Certainly, while the Orthodox Church
dialogues with other Christians, she does
not underestimate the difficulties
inherent in this endeavor; she perceives
these difficulties, however, on the path
towards a common understanding of the
tradition of the ancient Church and in
hope that the Holy Spirit, Who
“welds together the whole institution
of the Church, (Sticheron at Vespers of
Pentecost), will
"make up that which is lacking" (Ordination Prayer). In this sense, the
Orthodox Church in her relations with the
rest of the Christian world, relies not
only on the human efforts of those
involved in dialogue, but especially on
the guidance of the Holy Spirit in the
grace of the Lord, who prayed
“that…all may be one” (Jn 17:21).
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The contemporary bilateral theological
dialogues, announced by the Pan-Orthodox
meetings, express the unanimous decision
of all local most holy Orthodox Churches
who are called to participate actively and
continually in them, so that the unanimous
witness of Orthodoxy to the glory of the
Triune God may not be hindered. In the
event that a certain local Church chooses
not to assign a representative to a
particular dialogue or one of its
sessions, if this decision is not
pan-Orthodox, the dialogue still
continues. Prior to the start of the
dialogue or of the session, the absence of
any local Church ought to be discussed at
all events by the Orthodox Committee of
the dialogue to express the solidarity and
unity of the Orthodox Church. The
bi-lateral and multi-lateral theological
dialogues need to be subject to periodical
evaluations on a pan-Orthodox level.
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The problems that arise during the
theological discussions within Joint
Theological Commissions are not always
sufficient grounds for any local Orthodox
Church unilaterally to recall its
representatives or definitively withdraw
from the dialogue. As a general rule, the
withdrawal of a Church from a particular
dialogue should be avoided; in those
instances when this occurs, inter-Orthodox
efforts to reestablish representational
fullness in the Orthodox Theological
Commission of the dialogue in question
should be initiated. Should one or more
local Orthodox Churches refuse to take
part in the sessions of the Joint
Theological Commission of a particular
dialogue, citing serious ecclesiological,
canonical, pastoral, or ethical reasons,
this/these Church(es) shall notify the
Ecumenical Patriarch and all the Orthodox
Churches in writing, in accordance with
pan-Orthodox practice. During a
pan-Orthodox meeting the Ecumenical
Patriarch shall seek unanimous
consensus among the Orthodox Churches
about possible courses of action,
which may also include— should
this be unanimously deemed necessary—a
reassessment of the progress of the
theological dialogue in question.
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The methodology followed in the
theological dialogues aims at both the
resolution of the received theological
differences or of possible new
differentiations, and to seek the common
elements of the Christian faith. This
process requires that the entire Church is
kept informed on the various developments
of the dialogues. In the event that it is
impossible to overcome a specific
theological difference, the theological
dialogue may continue, recording the
disagreement identified and bringing it to
the attention of all the local Orthodox
Churches for their consideration on what
ought to be done henceforth.
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It is clear that in the theological
dialogues the common goal of all is the
ultimate restoration of unity in true
faith and love. The existing theological
and ecclesiological differences permit,
however, a certain hierarchical ordering
of the challenges lying in the way of
meeting this pan-Orthodox objective. The
distinctive problems of each bilateral
dialogue require a differentiation in the
methodology followed in it, but not a
differentiation in the aim, since the aim
is one in all the dialogues.
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Nevertheless, it is essential if necessary
for an attempt to be made to coordinate
the work of the various Inter-Orthodox
Theological Committees, bearing in mind
that the existing unity of the Orthodox
Church must also be revealed and
manifested in this area of these
dialogues.
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The conclusion of any official theological
dialogue occurs with the completion of the
work of the relevant Joint Theological
Commission. The Chairman of the
Inter-Orthodox Commission then submits a
report to the Ecumenical Patriarch, who,
with the consent of the Primates of the
local Orthodox Churches, declares the
conclusion of the dialogue. No dialogue is
considered complete before it is
proclaimed through such a pan-Orthodox
decision.
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Upon the successful conclusion of the work
of any theological dialogue, the
pan-Orthodox decision about the
restoration of ecclesiastical communion
must, however, rest on the unanimity of
all the local Orthodox Churches.
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One of the principal bodies in the history
of the Ecumenical Movement is the World
Council of Churches (WCC). Certain
Orthodox Churches were among the Council’s
founding members and later, all the local
Orthodox Churches became members. The WCC
is a structured inter-Christian body,
despite the fact that it does not include
all non-Orthodox Christian Churches and
Confessions. At the same time, there are
other inter-Christian organizations and
regional bodies, such as the Conference of
European Churches, the Middle East Council
of Churches and the African Council of
Churches. These, along with the WCC,
fulfill an important mission by promoting
the unity of the Christian world. The
Orthodox Churches of Georgia and Bulgaria
withdrew from the WCC, the former in 1997,
and the latter in 1998. They have their
own particular opinion on the work of the
World Council of Churches and hence do not
participate in its activities and those of
other inter-Christian organizations.
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The local Orthodox Churches that are
members of the WCC participate fully and
equally in the WCC, contributing with all
means at their disposal to the advancement
of peaceful co-existence and co-operation
in the major socio-political challenges.
The Orthodox Church readily accepted the
WCC’s decision to respond to her request
concerning the establishment of the
Special Commission on Orthodox
Participation in the World Council of
Churches, which was mandated by the
Inter-Orthodox Conference held in
Thessaloniki in 1998. The established
criteria of the Special Commission,
proposed by the Orthodox and accepted by
the WCC, led to the formation of the
Permanent Committee on Consensus and
Collaboration. The criteria were approved
and included in the Constitution and Rules
of the World Council of Churches.
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Remaining faithful to her ecclesiology, to
the identity of her internal structure,
and to the teaching of the ancient Church
of the Seven Ecumenical Councils, the
Orthodox Church’s participation in the WCC
does not signify that she accepts the
notion of the “equality of Confessions,”
and in no way is she able to accept the
unity of the Church as an
inter-confessional compromise. In this
spirit, the unity that is sought within
the WCC cannot simply be the product of
theological agreements, but must also be
founded on the unity of faith, preserved
in the sacraments and lived out in the
Orthodox Church.
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The Orthodox Churches that are members of
the WCC regard as an indispensable
condition of their participation in the
WCC the foundational article of its
Constitution, in accordance with which its
members may only be those who believe in
the Lord Jesus Christ as God and Savior in
accordance with the Scriptures, and who
confess the Triune God, Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit, in accordance with the
Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed. It is
their deep conviction that the
ecclesiological presuppositions of the
1950 Toronto Statement, On the Church, the Churches and
the World Council of Churches, are of paramount importance for
Orthodox participation in the Council. It
is therefore very clear that the WCC does
not by any means constitute a
“super-Church.” The purpose of the World Council of
Churches is not to negotiate unions
between Churches, which can only be done
by the Churches themselves acting on
their own initiative, but to bring
Churches into living contact with each
other and to promote the study and
discussion of the issues of Church
unity. No Church is obliged to change
her ecclesiology on her accession to the
Council... Moreover, from the fact of
its inclusion in the Council, it does
not ensue that each Church is obliged to
regard the other Churches as Churches in
the true and full sense of the
term. (Toronto Statement, § 2).
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The prospects for conducting theological
dialogues between the Orthodox Church and
the rest of the Christian world are always
determined on the basis of the canonical
principles of Orthodox ecclesiology and
the canonical criteria of the already
established Church Tradition (Canon 7 of
the Second Ecumenical Council and Canon 95
of the Quinisext Ecumenical Council).
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The Orthodox Church wishes to support the
work of the Commission on "Faith and
Order" and follows its theological
contribution with particular interest to
this day. It views favorably the
Commission’s theological documents, which
were developed with the significant
participation of Orthodox theologians and
represent a praiseworthy step in the
Ecumenical Movement for the rapprochement
of Christians. Nonetheless, the Orthodox
Church maintains reservations concerning
paramount issues of faith and order,
because the non-Orthodox Churches and
Confessions have diverged from the true
faith of the One, Holy, Catholic and
Apostolic Church.
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The Orthodox Church considers all efforts
to break the unity of the Church,
undertaken by individuals or groups under
the pretext of maintaining or allegedly
defending true Orthodoxy, as being worthy
of condemnation. As evidenced throughout
the life of the Orthodox Church, the
preservation of the true Orthodox faith is
ensured only through the conciliar system,
which has always represented the highest
authority in the Church on matters of
faith and canonical decrees. (Canon 6 2nd
Ecumenical Council)
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The Orthodox Church has a common awareness
of the necessity for conducting
inter-Christian theological dialogue. It
therefore believes that this dialogue
should always be accompanied by witness to
the world through acts expressing mutual
understanding and love, which express the
"ineffable joy" of the Gospel (1 Pt 1:8),
eschewing every act of proselytism,
uniatism, or other provocative act of
inter-confessional competition. In this
spirit, the Orthodox Church deems it
important for all Christians, inspired by
common fundamental principles of the
Gospel, to attempt to offer with eagerness
and solidarity a response to the thorny
problems of the contemporary world, based
on the prototype of the new man in Christ.
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The Orthodox Church is aware that the
movement to restore Christian unity is
taking on new forms in order to respond to
new circumstances and to address the new
challenges of today’s world. The continued
witness of the Orthodox Church to the
divided Christian world on the basis of
the apostolic tradition and faith is
imperative.
We pray that all Christians may work
together so that the day may soon come when
the Lord will fulfill the hope of the
Orthodox Churches and there will
be "one flock and one
shepherd" (Jn 10:16).
† Bartholomew of Constantinople, Chairman
† Theodoros of Alexandria
† Theophilos of Jerusalem
† Irinej of Serbia
† Daniel of Romania
† Chrysostomos of Cyprus
† Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece
† Sawa of Warsaw and All Poland
† Anastasios of Tirana, Durres and All
Albania
† Rastislav of Presov, the Czech Lands and
Slovakia
Delegation of the Ecumenical
Patriarchate
† Leo of Karelia and All Finland
† Stephanos of Tallinn and All Estonia
† Elder Metropolitan John of Pergamon
† Elder Archbishop Demetrios of America
† Augustinos of Germany
† Irenaios of Crete
† Isaiah of Denver
† Alexios of Atlanta
† Iakovos of the Princes’ Islands
† Joseph of Proikonnisos
† Meliton of Philadelphia
† Emmanuel of France
† Nikitas of the Dardanelles
† Nicholas of Detroit
† Gerasimos of San Francisco
† Amphilochios of Kisamos and Selinos
† Amvrosios of Korea
† Maximos of Selyvria
† Amphilochios of Adrianopolis
† Kallistos of Diokleia
† Antony of Hierapolis, Head of the
Ukrainian Orthodox in the USA
† Job of Telmessos
† Jean of Charioupolis, Head of the
Patriarchal Exarchate for Orthodox Parishes
of the Russian Tradition in Western Europe
† Gregory of Nyssa, Head of the
Carpatho-Russian Orthodox in the USA
Delegation of the Patriarchate of
Alexandria
† Gabriel of Leontopolis
† Makarios of Nairobi
† Jonah of Kampala
† Seraphim of Zimbabwe and Angola
† Alexandros of Nigeria
† Theophylaktos of Tripoli
† Sergios of Good Hope
† Athanasios of Cyrene
† Alexios of Carthage
† Ieronymos of Mwanza
† George of Guinea
† Nicholas of Hermopolis
† Dimitrios of Irinopolis
† Damaskinos of Johannesburg and Pretoria
† Narkissos of Accra
† Emmanouel of Ptolemaidos
† Gregorios of Cameroon
† Nicodemos of Memphis
† Meletios of Katanga
† Panteleimon of Brazzaville and Gabon
† Innokentios of Burudi and Rwanda
† Crysostomos of Mozambique
† Neofytos of Nyeri and Mount Kenya
Delegation of the Patriarchate of
Jerusalem
† Benedict of Philadelphia
† Aristarchos of Constantine
† Theophylaktos of Jordan
† Nektarios of Anthidon
† Philoumenos of Pella
Delegation of the Church of
Serbia
† Jovan of Ohrid and Skopje
† Amfilohije of Montenegro and the Littoral
† Porfirije of Zagreb and Ljubljana
† Vasilije of Sirmium
† Lukijan of Budim
† Longin of Nova Gracanica
† Irinej of Backa
† Hrizostom of Zvornik and Tuzla
† Justin of Zica
† Pahomije of Vranje
† Jovan of Sumadija
† Ignatije of Branicevo
† Fotije of Dalmatia
† Athanasios of Bihac and Petrovac
† Joanikije of Niksic and Budimlje
† Grigorije of Zahumlje and Hercegovina
† Milutin of Valjevo
† Maksim in Western America
† Irinej in Australia and New Zealand
† David of Krusevac
† Jovan of Slavonija
† Andrej in Austria and Switzerland
† Sergije of Frankfurt and in Germany
† Ilarion of Timok
Delegation of the Church of
Romania
† Teofan of Iasi, Moldova and Bucovina
† Laurentiu of Sibiu and Transylvania
† Andrei of Vad, Feleac, Cluj, Alba, Crisana
and Maramures
† Irineu of Craiova and Oltenia
† Ioan of Timisoara and Banat
† Iosif in Western and Southern Europe
† Serafim in Germany and Central Europe
† Nifon of Targoviste
† Irineu of Alba Iulia
† Ioachim of Roman and Bacau
† Casian of Lower Danube
† Timotei of Arad
† Nicolae in America
† Sofronie of Oradea
† Nicodim of Strehaia and Severin
† Visarion of Tulcea
† Petroniu of Salaj
† Siluan in Hungary
† Siluan in Italy
† Timotei in Spain and Portugal
† Macarie in Northern Europe
† Varlaam Ploiesteanul, Assistant Bishop to
the Patriarch
† Emilian Lovisteanul, Assistant Bishop to
the Archdiocese of Ramnic
† Ioan Casian of Vicina, Assistant Bishop to
the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese of the
Americas
Delegation of the Church of
Cyprus
† Georgios of Paphos
† Chrysostomos of Kition
† Chrysostomos of Kyrenia
† Athanasios of Limassol
† Neophytos of Morphou
† Vasileios of Constantia and Ammochostos
† Nikiphoros of Kykkos and Tillyria
† Isaias of Tamassos and Oreini
† Barnabas of Tremithousa and Lefkara
† Christophoros of Karpasion
† Nektarios of Arsinoe
† Nikolaos of Amathus
† Epiphanios of Ledra
† Leontios of Chytron
† Porphyrios of Neapolis
† Gregory of Mesaoria
Delegation of the Church of
Greece
† Prokopios of Philippi, Neapolis and
Thassos
† Chrysostomos of Peristerion
† Germanos of Eleia
† Alexandros of Mantineia and Kynouria
† Ignatios of Arta
† Damaskinos of Didymoteixon, Orestias and
Soufli
† Alexios of Nikaia
† Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Aghios Vlasios
† Eusebios of Samos and Ikaria
† Seraphim of Kastoria
† Ignatios of Demetrias and Almyros
† Nicodemos of Kassandreia
† Ephraim of Hydra, Spetses and Aegina
† Theologos of Serres and Nigrita
† Makarios of Sidirokastron
† Anthimos of Alexandroupolis
† Barnabas of Neapolis and Stavroupolis
† Chrysostomos of Messenia
† Athenagoras of Ilion, Acharnon and
Petroupoli
† Ioannis of Lagkada, Litis and Rentinis
† Gabriel of New Ionia and Philadelphia
† Chrysostomos of Nikopolis and Preveza
† Theoklitos of Ierissos, Mount Athos and
Ardameri
Delegation of the Church of
Poland
† Simon of Lodz and Poznan
† Abel of Lublin and Chelm
† Jacob of Bialystok and Gdansk
† George of Siemiatycze
† Paisios of Gorlice
Delegation of the Church of
Albania
† Joan of Koritsa
† Demetrios of Argyrokastron
† Nikolla of Apollonia and Fier
† Andon of Elbasan
† Nathaniel of Amantia
† Asti of Bylis
Delegation of the Church of the Czech
lands and Slovakia
† Michal of Prague
† Isaiah of Sumperk