The Archon of the Phanar proposed to convene a Council of Primates to resolve the accumulated differences in Orthodoxy

In light of recent acrimonious statements by the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service against Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, as well as the ongoing divisions within the Orthodox Church, Dr. Anastasios Vavouskos, a lawyer and Archon of Asikritos of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, has proposed the convening of a Council of Primates for an institutional resolution of the problems. According to Romfea.gr, Dr. Vavouskos stresses that the interference of secular authorities only exacerbates church schisms and calls for immediate dialogue to prevent an «insurmountable chasm.»

About three weeks ago, on January 12, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service released a statement accusing the Ecumenical Patriarch of seeking to dissolve the Moscow Patriarchate and supplant Russian Orthodox Christianity in the wake of the «Church of Ukraine affair.» The statement called the Ecumenical Patriarch an «antichrist in a cassock,» «the devil in the flesh» and «the antichrist of Constantinople.» In response, the Ecumenical Patriarchate characterized the allegations as «fictitious scenarios, false news, insults and fabricated information by propagandists of all kinds,» thus closing the issue.

Dr. Vavouskos notes the unprecedented nature of this statement for two reasons: first, the Russian views were expressed through a state-political channel and not directly from the Russian Church; second, it was the first time such insults were hurled at the Ecumenical Patriarch by the public service of an Orthodox country. In his opinion, this event revealed an undeniable fact: when unresolved disagreements arise in the Orthodox Church, the state authorities interfere in its internal affairs, which often leads to the aggravation of the problem rather than its resolution.

Instead of looking for the culprits, the author urges us to focus on finding solutions. The only way out, in his opinion, is an institutional solution through the convening of a Council of Primates, which will allow issues arising within the Church to be resolved in accordance with canon law. This format is preferable to the Pan-Orthodox Council because of the length and labor-intensive nature of its convening.

Dr. Vavouskos proposes that the Council of Primates discuss the following key issues:

• Revision of the Rules of Procedure of the work of the Pan-Orthodox Council: Simplification of the convocation procedure and abolition of the principle of unanimity in decision-making in favor of the majority principle.
• «Ukrainian Question»: Comprehensive clarification of the decision to grant autocephaly to the Church of Ukraine. The Archon, being the author of the only monograph on the subject, argues that the famous «Diploma of Edition» of 1686, to which both the Ecumenical and Moscow Patriarchates refer, did not confer canonical jurisdiction, but only temporarily granted the right of ordination. The occupation of a significant part of the territory of Ukraine by Russian troops, which calls into question the autocephalous status of the Church of Ukraine, makes the issue particularly urgent. Four churches that have accepted autocephaly and ten churches that have not accepted it will take part in the discussion.
• Theestablishment by the Russian Church of parishes in the canonical jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Alexandria: This action, according to the author, is a canonical violation of «interference» (eispidisi).
• The granting of autocephaly by the Serbian Patriarchate to the Church of Skopje: This is seen as a violation of the current rules on the granting of autocephaly and a direct challenge to the right of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in this matter.

Convening such a Council is the right and duty of the «First», i.e. the Patriarch of Constantinople. However, since the Council of Primates is an extraordinary and not a regular body, its convocation by the head of the Phanar is a right and not an obligation. In the event that the Patriarch does not deem it appropriate to exercise this right, the autocephalous Churches that consider the convocation of the Council necessary may submit a written petition to him. Such a petition automatically makes the convocation of the Council binding on Patriarch Bartholomew with the topics for discussion specified in the petition.

Dr. Vavouskos expresses his hope that the Council of Primates will be convened as soon as possible, stressing that otherwise «the divergence of opinions, combined with the growing mental estrangement, will indeed become an insurmountable chasm from which only the Church, that is, we, the faithful, will suffer.» He calls for the use of existing institutional mechanisms to overcome the impasse.

Earlier, the hierarch of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, Archbishop Theodosius of Sebastia, announced the readiness of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem to provide a venue for a church-wide council dedicated to resolving the crisis around the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the problems in world Orthodoxy. The hierarch stressed that the leaders of the churches should meet to overcome the schism and restore unity, while recognizing exclusively the canonical UOC headed by His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufry.