On October 17 ROC Synod to assess decisions of Greek Church on OCU

The Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church. Photo: pravmir.ru

The Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church will meet on Thursday, October 17, at the Patriarchal residence at Danilov Monastery in Moscow, under the chairmanship of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, reports the Patriarchal press service.

It is expected that the hierarchs will discuss the results of Saturdays’ session of the Bishops’ Council of the Greek Orthodox Church.

As reported by the UOJ, on October 12 the official communiqué of the Extraordinary Bishops' Council of the GOC was published. The Council recognized the “canon law” of the Phanar to grant autocephaly, as well as the privilege of the Primate of the Church of Greece to further deal with the issue of recognizing the Church of Ukraine.

The Bishops’ Council of the Greek Orthodox Church decided to ratify the decision of the previous Holy Synod and His Beatitude Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece’s proposal, namely: to recognize the “canonical right of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to grant autocephaly, as well as the privilege of the primate of the Church of Greece to further deal with the issue of the recognition of the Church of Ukraine,” while seven metropolitans asked for a postponement in making a decision.

Abp. Ieronymos characterized the proclamation of the ecclesiastical autocephaly of Ukraine as extremely useful for the Orthodox Church and valuable for strengthening relations between the two autocephalous sister Churches of Great Russia and Ukraine.
 

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