The historic "Holy and Great Council" of the world's 14 self-governing Orthodox Christian churches -- due to begin on the Greek island of Crete on June 19 -- may not be held after five of the churches pulled out, The Guardian website reports today (June 14, 2016).
The unraveling of the week-long Pan-Orthodox Council -- which has been in preparation since 1961 -- began with Bulgaria saying earlier this month it wanted a postponement, citing disagreements over the agenda. Items on the agenda include the mission of the Orthodox Church in the 21st century, autonomy, marriage, the importance of fasting, unity, and relations with other religions.
Yesterday, the Russian Orthodox Church -- the largest and richest -- announced it would not attend the meeting, dealing what may be a fatal blow to the gathering. The Serbian, Georgian, and Antiochian Orthodox churches followed the Bulgarian lead, and Russia said it would not attend without all churches present.
The council was called by the ecumenical patriarch, Bartholomew I of Constantinople, the "first among equals" of leaders of the global Orthodox churches, which collectively represent over 300 million people. Efforts to heal the bitter rift between the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches -- which dates back to the "Great Schism" of 1054 -- are also expected to be discussed at the gathering.
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