Bishop of Antiochian Church: the reason for non-presence at the Council in Crete is also documents
The position of the Patriarchate of Antioch towards the ongoing Council on Crete has been reiterated in a video released by Met. Ignatius (Al-Houshi), reports Romfea.gr.
The bishop emphasized that from the first moment of the idea of the Council, Antioch showed great interest and participation, realizing its importance. However, in the end, there were several factors that prevented the Antiochian Patriarchate from being able to make the trip to Crete, including issues with the Council itself.
Met. Ignatius notes that while the Qatar issue has indeed caused consternation within the Antiochian Patriarchate and is among the reasons why its delegation is not participating in the Council on Crete, it is not the only reason. As the bishop makes clear in the video, the Patriarchate takes issue with the content itself of the disputed documents. Therefore, the Patriarchate is not merely using them as a pretext for protest.
It should be noted that the Churches of Russia, Bulgaria, Antioch, and Georgia have all withdrawn, citing disagreements over Council documents and procedures.
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