Schismogenic issues removed from agenda at Pan-Orthodox Council

All-Orthodox Council which preparations began over 50 years ago is scheduled for 2016 in Istanbul. A number of information resources announced the topics which might be purportedly under consideration at the upcoming forum. These are, inter alia, relieved fasting, elimination of monasticism, clergymen digamy, married episcopate, adoption of the new Julian calendar by all local churches, unification of the Orthodox with Catholics.

According to the Russian Orthodox Church the above mentioned issues won’t be definitely discussed at the event.

All decisions at the Pan-Orthodox Council in 2016 will be taken with the participation of the Russian Orthodox Church; upon that issues related to unification of the Orthodox with Catholics, reformation of the church calendar and other items on agenda which are likely to cause schism among the faithful will not be even discussed, announced Volokolamsk (located in Moscow region edit.) Metropolitan Hilarion, Chairman of the Synodal Department for External Church Affairs of the Russian Orthodox Church.

The Pan-Orthodox Council hosted in Istanbul is expected to consider the topics which deal with relationships of the Church and the society, viewpoints of the faithful concerning modern age and today’s world. What is more, all the run-up and, specifically, Council decisions are to be approved by consensus, not by voting, as it was mentioned in the Russian Church before.  

"I can confidently say if certain representatives of particular Churches should make proposals on Council’s draft resolutions which do not conform to Holy Tradition of the Orthodox Church, our Church will never agree to approve such decisions. And not a single decision can be taken at the Council without the Russian Orthodox Church because a unanimous consent of all local churches is the requirement hereto", assured Metropolitan Hilarion in his interview. 

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