Source: Orthodox Christian Laity Heavenly king, Comforter, Spirit of truth, Who are present everywhere and fulfilling all things; Treasury of blessings and Source of Life: Come abide in us, Cleanse us of all stain And save our souls, O Good One. The members, friend and boards of Orthodox Christian Laity pray this prayer to the Holy Spirit along with our other prayers for positive results as the Holy and Great Council begins its deliberations with whoever is in attendance. Be open … [Read more...]
Governance and Jurisdictional Unity Essays
Thoughtful and well written essays written by Orthodox clergy and laity alike about the pressing problems facing the American Orthodox Church.
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ATHONITE MONKS ON THE PAN-ORTHODOX COUNCIL
June 14, 2016
Source: Pravoslavie.ru by Athanasios Zoitakis Athonite monasticism has always stood on guard for the purity of Orthodoxy. Athonites have actively participated in the work of Church councils and came out against the unions of Lyons and Florence. Ecumenical contacts have repeatedly come under criticism from Athonites (letters to the Ecumenical Patriarchate, proclamations, reports of the Holy Kinot), however most Athonite monks throughout the whole history of the Holy Mountain have avoided … [Read more...]
Pan-Orthodox Meltdown Ahead of Great Council?
June 13, 2016
Source: National Catholic Register NEWS ANALYSIS: Denying Catholics status as “Church” is only one point of controversy for the foundering pan-Orthodox Council. BY VICTOR GAETAN The Holy and Great Council of Orthodox patriarchs, meeting for the first time in 1,139 years, appears to be unraveling. June 19 — Pentecost Sunday for Eastern-Orthodox Christians — is when the Pan-Orthodox Council is scheduled to open at a theological academy on the island of Crete. But on June 1, … [Read more...]
Hope – Apprehension as Great Council Approaches
June 12, 2016
Source: The National Herald By TNH Staff / Dennis Menos Amid all the speculation in the media concerning the upcoming Holy and Great Orthodox Council, and of the many opportunities and challenges that it will confront, it is only natural for Orthodox faithful to be hopeful but also apprehensive. Will the Council, is a question often heard, turn out to be Orthodoxy’s greatest moment in the modern era? What about the key issues that confront the Church? Will the Council be successful in … [Read more...]
Orthodox Scholars Urge the Council to be Held in June 2016
June 12, 2016
Source: Change.org / A Plea for Pan-Orthodox Unity June 12, 2016 Feast of the Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council An Open Letter of the Orthodox Scholars around the World To the most venerable Primates of the Autocephalous Orthodox Churches Your All-Holiness and Your Beatitudes, We, the undersigned international group of Orthodox scholars, address this letter to the leadership of the Orthodox Church, to all Orthodox Christians around the world, and to all people … [Read more...]
Moscow Patriarchate Speaks with TNH about Holy and Great Council
June 11, 2016
Source: The National Herald By Theodore Kalmoukos BOSTON, MA – The Moscow Patriarchate’s Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, spoke with TNH about the Orthodox Church’s Holy and Great Council, scheduled to begin on June 16 in Chania, Crete. Essentially, Metropolitan Hilarion is first in ranking after His Beatitude Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. The interview follows. TNH: Your Eminence, what are your thoughts about the upcoming Holy and Great Council? MH: The Holy and … [Read more...]
THE ESSENTIAL PROBLEMS WITH THE HOLY AND GREAT COUNCIL
June 11, 2016
Source: Pravoslavie.ru by Met. Hierotheos Vlachos The Great and Holy Council, which is due to gather in June of 2016 in Crete, was "the expectation" of many whose vision it was, and who tired in order to prepare for it, and now the Council finally moves towards its convocation. The question here put forth is whether the Holy and Great Council really is the one awaited by those who originally envisioned it. Much has been written and said about this subject. Some express their joy, … [Read more...]
Is the Phanar about to Fall into Schism?
June 9, 2016
Source: Orthodox England Two Local Orthodox Churches, Bulgaria and Antioch, have withdrawn from the Crete meeting, organized by Phanar bureaucrats in Constantinople. The Georgian Church, savagely insulted by the Phanar (just as it also insulted the Bulgarian Church, causing a diplomatic incident, and the Church of Greece, whose canonical territory it invaded) for its faithfulness to Orthodoxy, may not attend. The Serbian Church has called for the meeting to be postponed and the Russian … [Read more...]
ADDRESS OF THE BROTHERS OF THE HOLY DORMITION POCHAEV LAVRA AND OF THE HOLY SPIRIT SKETE OF THE LAVRA IN CONNECTION WITH THE FORTHCOMING PAN-ORTHODOX COUNCIL
June 6, 2016
Source: Pravoslavie.ru Beloved fathers, brothers, and sisters in Christ! From June 16 to 27, 2016 on the island of Crete will transpire the Pan-Orthodox Council, which, unfortunately, has not been canceled. At the Council they will examine the following documents: -Autonomy and the Means of Proclaiming It -The Importance of Fasting and Its Observance Today -Relations of the Orthodox Church with the Rest of the Christian World -The Mission of the Orthodox Church in the Modern … [Read more...]
An Essay with Concerns, Suggestions, and Proposals submitted to the Holy and Great Pan-Orthodox Synod of Chaniá, Crete—19-25-June-2016
June 2, 2016
Source: Orthodox Christian Laity From the Editor - excerpt from complete, excellent essay which follows: The Role of the Laity and women. The final point I wish to touch upon is the issue of the Role of the Laity in the Church. I am fully aware of the distinction between the clergy and the laity (έχοντες ούν υμείς χαρίσματα κατά την χάριν την δοθείσαν υμίν διάφορα) but Ι have not seen the role of the laity given approriate weight in the Orthodox Church (in fact, I have seen more … [Read more...]
