Patriarch Bartholomew called on the absent Churches to recognize the decisions of the Council of Crete

On the tenth anniversary of the convening of the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church in Crete, Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople appealed to the four Local Churches that did not participate in its work to officially recognize and accept its decisions. The Patriarch emphasized that the move would be an important gesture of respect for the decades of effort and sacrifice put into preparing this historic event.

According to the Orthodoxia.info news portal, His Holiness’ speech took place after the Divine Liturgy at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Stavrodromi on the occasion of the Feast of the Holy Spirit. The Patriarch recalled that the work of the Council began precisely on the Holy Spirit Day in 2016 in Kolymvari (Chania) under his presidency, and its main message was the unity of the Orthodox Church. He called on the Churches that were not present at the Council to study anew the Council’s texts, the District Message and the final Epistle in order to proceed to their councilal affirmation.

During his speech, Patriarch Bartholomew also touched on the role of the See of Constantinople. He noted that the Patriarchate of Constantinople perceives its primacy not as a privilege, but as “a responsibility to serve the unity and stability of the Orthodox Churches.” According to him, the mission of the Mother Church is inextricably linked to the sanctification and salvation of the faithful.

Recall, earlier Metropolitan Luke of Zaporizhzhya and Melitopol stated the need to immediately begin a dialog between the Local Churches to develop a cathedral mechanism to respond to modern challenges. The bishop warned that without the restoration of live communication, world Orthodoxy risks turning into an analog of the UN – a structure deprived of real levers to maintain peace and unity.