News
His All Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew arrived in Crete on 15 June, pledging to proceed with the Holy and Great Council, the long-planned meeting of Orthodox Churches there.
Several churches recently decided not to attend the council, citing unresolved issues with the planned documents brought for approval, as well as other unresolved issues, though the situation remains fluid.
The pan-Orthodox council will nonetheless proceed, and the ecumenical patriarch invited the absent churches to reconsider and join the others on Crete for the meeting, scheduled for 16-27 June.
During that time, the council is scheduled to address several issues faced across the Orthodox spectrum, including its contemporary mission, marriage regulations, fasting guidelines, the place of Orthodox churches outside their historic venues, and ecumenical relations with non-Orthodox churches.
During the council, World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit and Faith and Order director Rev. Dr Odair Mateus Pedroso will attend celebrations of Pentecost on Sunday, 19 June, representing the WCC and its ecumenical fellowship.
Visit the website of the Holy and Great Council:
www.holycouncil.org
Stay current with news of the council:
https://media.holycouncil.org
