The Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church will take place at the Orthodox Academy, in Kolymbari Chania, Crete, from 16 to 27 June. The Council is the most important event in the Orthodox Church for in the last 1,300 years, while it is the first meeting of all of the Orthodox primates and bishops since the Schism of 1054 BC. Participating in the Council will be all of the Primates (Patriarchs, Archbishops) of the 14 Autocephalous Churches, while the total number of participants is expected to exceed 500.
According to what has been agreed upon, the subjects to be discussed concern the following six subject areas:
• The Mission of the Orthodox Church in the modern world
• The Autonomy of the Orthodox Church and its pronouncements
• The sacrament of Marriage and impediments to it
• The importance of Fasting and compliance with Fasting today
• The relations of the Orthodox Church with the rest of the Christian world
Unanimity among the primates is required for a decision to be taken on the subjects under discussion, and a press conference on the course of the proceedings will be held at the end of each day of the Council.
The theological soundness and correct doctrinal perspective of the subjects and texts is guaranteed by the many years of work that have gone into their preparation by experienced clerics and theologians of all the Autocephalous Churches. The Holy and Great Council is a necessity for the Church and it needs to take place in order to prove the unity of Orthodoxy and the universality of its message.
The Greek state, having the historic privilege of hosting this exceptional event on its territory, has taken all the necessary actions to ensure the absolute safety of all participants and the event’s organizational success with regard to the sectors of state responsibility.
For some months now, at the Foreign Ministry, the Special, unsalaried, Committee for the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church has been working to coordinate the involved state and church agencies.
Just a few days before the opening of the proceedings of the HGCOC, and having activated the action framework that will, for the state’s part, guarantee the success of the Council, we look forward to its message and the optimistic course it will chart.
June 6, 2016