To the Orthodox people and to all people of good will To God, “the Father of mercies and all comfort,” we address a hymn of thanksgiving and praise for having enabled us to gather during the week of Pentecost (18-26 June 2016) on Crete, where the Apostle Paul and his disciple Titus preached the Gospel in the early years of the life of the Church. We give thanks to the Triune God who was well pleased that in one accord we should bring to a conclusion the work of the Holy and Great Council that was convoked by His All […]

Open letter from the European Forum of LGBT Christian Groups to the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church, gathered at Crete, June 2016 Your All-Holiness, Holinesses, Beatitudes, Eminences and Graces, dear Fathers, brothers and sisters, dear delegates of the Holy and Great Council, The European Forum of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Christian Groups, an ecumenical association of more than 40 groups from across Europe, representing approximately 6,000 lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Christians, would like to take the opportunity presented by the meeting of the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church—an event of historical […]

Primate His Beatitude JOHN X, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East BISHOPS Metropolitan GEORGE (Khodr) of Byblos, Batroun and Dependencies Metropolitan ANTONIOS (Chedraoui Tannous) of Mexico, Venezuela, Central America and the Islands of the Caribbean Sea Metropolitan SERGIOS (Abad) of Santiago and all Chile Metropolitan DAMASKINOS (Mansour) of Sao Paulo and all Brazil Metropolitan SABA (Isber) of Bosra, Hauran and Jabal al-Arab Metropolitan PAUL (Saliba) of Australia, New Zealand, and the Philippines Metropolitan GEORGE (Abouzakhm) of Homs and Dependencies Metropolitan SILOUAN (Moussi) of Buenos Aires and All Argentine Metropolitan BASILIOS (Mansour) of Akkar and Dependencies Metropolitan EFRAIM (Kyriakos) of Tripoli, […]

Statement of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church For many decades the Russian Orthodox Church took and continues to take an active part in the preparation of the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church. Since the 1st Pan-Orthodox Conference in 1961 on Rhodes, the outstanding hierarchs and the best theologians of our Church have made their contribution to the work on a great number of the Council’s topics, including those which were not to be included later in the agenda of the Holy and Great Council. For the sake of the earliest convocation of the Council, […]

The Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church in America Statement on the Holy and Great Council to be convened on the Island of Crete June 16-27,  2016 We greet you in the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the Way and the Truth and the Life (John 14:6) For many decades, the Orthodox Church has witnessed the efforts to assemble a Holy and Great Council as a contemporary witness to the Holy Orthodox Faith. The initiative in this modern endeavor belonged to the Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras. The long pilgrimage toward the Holy and Great Council began in the […]

Wed 15 Jun 17:00 – Vespers Fr 17 Jun 09:00 – Small Synaxis of the Primates of the Local Churches Sat 18 Jun 07:30 – Matins 09:30 – Divine Liturgy 16:30 – Reception by  Mayor of Heraklion (Heraklion) Sun 19 Jun, Pentecost 09:00 – Divine Liturgy (Heraklion) 11:30 – Vespers of the Pentectost 14:00 – Luncheon by the President of the Hellenic Republic Mon 20 Jun Matins 08:00 – Divine Liturgy (Monastery of Panagia Hodegetria of Gonia) Opening session of the Holy and Great Synod (Orthodox Academy of Crete) Tue 21 Jun Matins 08:00 – Divine Liturgy (Monastery of Panagia Hodegetria of Gonia) Working sessions of the Council Wed 22 Jun Matins […]

Letter of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church to His Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Sir Sir Bartholomew, a copy of which has been sent to all the Primates of Orthodox Churches and their Holy Synods The Holy Synod of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church № 793 6. jun 2016 Belgrade To His Holiness Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome, and Ecumenical Patriarch Sir Sir Bartholomew Constantinople Subject: Holy and Great Synod Christ is risen! Most Holy Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome, and Ecumenical Patriarch, beloved brother in Christ and co-celebrant of Our humbleness, Sir Bartholomew, most wholeheartedly […]

In the sequence of its seventh exceptional session still open since the 25th of May 2016, the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Antioch held a meeting on the 6th of June 2016 presided by His Beatitude Patriarch John X and in the presence of Their Eminencies the Bishops, to study the positions of the Autocephalous Orthodox Churches related to the Holy and Great Pan-Orthodox Council (mentioned hereafter as ”The Great Council”) and the issues listed in its agenda, and in order to take the appropriate Antiochian position in this respect, taking into consideration the decision of the Holy Synod […]

The Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate gathered today for exceptional meeting under the chairmanship of His All-Holiness, the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, concerning convening with the God’s grace of already imminent the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church. The Holy Synod, with surprise and aporia was informed about the latest expressed positions and opinions of some of the Orthodox Sister Churches, and having evaluated them, came to the conclusion that there is no institutional framework that requires the reconsideration of the already in place conciliar procedure. Thus, it is expected, that the Primates of the Holy Orthodox Churches, in accordance with the Organization and Working Procedure […]