Georgian Church rejects repeated invitation to Pan-Orthodox Council

The Georgian Orthodox Church did not accept the repeated invitation of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople to take part in the Cathedral of Crete. This is stated in an official letter of the Primate of the Georgian Church to Patriarch Bartholomew.

With the letter, the GOC informed Patriarch Bartholomew that they had not received his letter dated 17 June of the current year yet. They have learnt its content from the Internet.

The Primate of the GOC brought to the attention of the Ecumenical Patriarch that the GOC will not be able to fulfill His request – this decision is based on the provisions of the Holy Synod of Georgia dated 10 June.

In them were noted all those reasons which became the preconditions for their non-presence. Therefore, it is not right to shift the absence of the delegation of the Church of Georgia to the political or any other dimension.

Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia reminds Patriarch Bartholomew that the Church of Georgia has not signed the document “The Sacrament of Marriage and Its Impediments” and asks again not to put it on the agenda for the discussion since it was nor accepted by consensus and neither the Church of Antioch signed it.

Besides, the Primate of the GOC indicates that the documents “The Attitude of the Orthodox Church towards the Rest of the Christian World” and “The Mission of the Orthodox Church in the Contemporary World” require solid alterations. Otherwise, the Church of Georgia will consider them unacceptable.

Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia expresses expectations of the Church od Georgia that The Ecumenical Patriarch will not allow the emergence of problems within the bosom of the Church and will curb the decisions which will overshadow the unity of the Orthodox.

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