The head of the Russian Orthodox Church called for a collective solution to the contemporary problems of Orthodoxy

The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, published a message on the occasion of the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council. The First Hierarch drew historical parallels between the current situation of world Orthodoxy and the challenges facing the Church at the time of the Council of Nicaea, noting the need to resolve the current crisis in the Church “in unity of spirit and union of peace.” This was reported by the website Patriarchia.ru.

«The Holy Spirit teaches the Church to respond to the challenges of the times with a conciliar mind and in fraternal dialogue. This was the case at the first Council of the Apostles in Jerusalem, which became a turning point in the spread of the Good News and determined the universal scope of the Church’s mission. This was also the case at the Council of Nicaea in 325, which won a dogmatic victory over the Arian heresy and rejected this teaching as contrary to the very foundations of the Christian faith. This was also the case at subsequent holy councils. We believe and hope that this will continue to be the case until the end of time. Today, when world Orthodoxy is going through a very difficult time, when a deep theological understanding of ecclesiological problems is needed, we testify again and again with conviction: the most important decisions affecting the foundations of the Church’s existence and its fidelity to apostolic teaching and canonical principles, concerning the fulfillment of the salvific calling to be a pillar and foundation of truth (1 Tim. 3:15), must be made jointly, in unity of spirit and union of peace (Eph. 4:3),» — the Message states.

Earlier, Serbian Patriarch Porfirije expressed his conviction that the crisis currently experienced by world Orthodoxy will become the basis for future unity. The First Hierarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church believes that the spirit of division that currently prevails in Orthodoxy contradicts the logic of the Gospel, so the Lord will take care to rectify this situation.