The Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia Kirill and the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew discussed the preparation for the call of All-Orthodox Council. The Patriarch Bartholomew informed about it in his interview to “Russia-24” TV channel yesterday when summarizing his 10-day visit to Russia, ITAR-TASS informed.
"We decided to speed up the process of the call of Holy Great Council of Orthodox Church", the Patriarch Bartholomew said, specifying the fact “this is the most significant task for Orthodox world” at the moment.
Pursuant to the Patriarch Bartholomew, he stimulated personally the activation of preparation process 19 years ago when he become the leader of Constantinople Church. Specific terms of All-Orthodox Council are not declared yet. However, it is assumed that the Council will be held already next year. "We will complete to consider the topics by the end of the year or by the beginning of the next year", the Patriarch Bartholomew expressed his hope.
"The agenda is already defined at the moment, including ten topics", he noted. Some of them are: "how the proclamation of autocephalia or autonomy of the Church will happen", question of "diptych" (i.e. hierarchy of the Orthodox Churches), as well as the question of "fast".
The Ecumenical Patriarch did not exclude that the topics of All-Orthodox Council may include not only inner church questions but also the problem of modern civilization, ecology particularly.
"The Church tries to keep up with the times not sacrificing the doctrine but searching the solutions for the current calls", the bishop of the Constantinople Church noted.
Special committee on environment problems was established two years ago by “the initiative of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople studying the environmental problems for many years”. "Eight symposia with participation of the representatives of all the Orthodox Churches and the representatives of other religions to establish rapport with the representatives of the Church and science" were held, the Patriarch Bartholomew informed.
The Patriarch of Constantinople completed 10-day visit to Russia by the trip to the shrine of St. Petersburg. He jointly with the Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia Kirill visited Tsarskoye Selo. The Amber Room attracted especial interest of the Patriarch Bartholomew.
The official title of the leader of Constantinople Orthodox Church is "His Holiness Archbishop of Constantinople - New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch". Historically the most ancient Constantinople Church takes priority among independent 15 Orthodox Churches in the world.
