The Inter-orthodox preparation commission works in vain
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15.12.2009
)
“We may without restraint say that the Inter-orthodox preparation commission works ineffectively”. This is the statement to Dveri.bg of Prof. Ivan Zelev Dimitrov, member of the delegation of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church for participation in the inter-orthodox expert’s organ, which for several days prepares the joint viewpoints of the Local Orthodox churches, concerning the matters of autocephaly and autonomy (and the ways how they may be obtained), and for the diptychs, as well. Three days past in final examination of an appropriate text related to the autocephaly, for the coming All-Orthodox Pre-Assembly Conference, which should be accepted in its final figure and to be presented to the next Holy Ecumenical Assembly of the Orthodox Church. The text is a matter that was taken in consideration very watchfully and passionately in 1993, but none agreement has been attained concerning this subject – stated Prof. Ivan Zelev. Due to the different conflicts among the local Orthodox churches only just now, 16 years later, this work can be continued.
Sunday was a day without any meeting. There was an All-Orthodox Divine Liturgy in the morning. The afternoon was leisure. “A man has an impression that no one is cared to do his job properly” – shared the conclusion a delegate from a neighbouring Church. Metropolitan of Ruse Neofit didn’t say publicly anything, but expressed his discontent that the work with the preparation commission goes very depressively.
In the Orthodox Centre of the Constantinople’s Patriarchy in Schambezi, the green suburb of Geneva near the stunning lake Lehman, it is easy to feel the anxiety between the so called “Greek” and Non-Greek” Orthodox Churches. “The Greeks” are insisting the full and supreme power in the Orthodox Church Hierarchy to be given to the Patriarch of Constantinople, though it is concealed under some “good proposals”. Non-Greek representatives are demanding a real synod behaving in the Orthodoxy, means that nobody may have higher power and control than the others. And so, at the end again the agreement hasn’t been attained, concerning the issue: who is undersigning the act of consent of autocephaly to some Church (the first ones insist this act to be done exclusively by the Patriarch of Constantinople, while the others represent the position that all Heads of Local churches, 14 of them, to approve and undersign the document for autocephaly). At the end, this subject was left to be resolved on the next all-orthodox session.
In Monday, the consideration of the subject of autonomy took place, but even here, the same problem arose. A working group has been proposed, in which Prof. Zelev was nominated also, to prepare an integral text for solution of this question. And again, because of fierce rivalry inside the group, any result hasn’t been achieved till yesterday evening. The yesterday session was delayed from the reason a meeting of the working group to be held, so that has barely made an attempt the commission to continue its work.
The third issue, about the diptychs, is not a promising development of the situation, too. We are informed that the
