Notes from Episcopal Assembly for Oceania and Asia

(spc.rs/SOC-AU) - The members of the First Episcopal Assembly of all canonical Orthodox Bishops of Oceania welcomed the opportunity to meet in Sydney from 16-18 October, 2010 under the chairmanship ex officio of His Eminence Archbishop Stylianos of Australia.

The Assembly commenced with a Divine Liturgy manifesting our essential eucharistic unity at the Cathedral of the Annunciation of the Theotokos, Redfern, Sydney.

In accordance with the decisions of the pre-conciliar Pan-Orthodox Conference convened in Chambésy, Switzerland from 6 - 13 June, 2009, the canonical Orthodox Bishops met in a brotherly spirit, and after lengthy and edifying discussion centered on issues of mutual concern, such as pastoral care, catechesis, liturgical life, reaffirmed the unity of all canonical Orthodox Churches.

Consequently, we strongly condemn all of those who attempt to destroy the precious unity of our Church through adherence to new or existing schismatic groups and sects in our region.

In order to safeguard and contribute to the unity of the Orthodox Church in Oceania, the members of the Assembly unanimously agreed upon the formation of the following three Committees relating to:

1) Campus Ministry: cultivating the Orthodox faith amongst our University students and shielding them from the effects of proselytism, co-chaired by Their Graces Bishop Irinej of the Serbian Church and Bishop Ezekiel of the Greek Archdiocese.

2) Inter-Orthodox Liturgical Services: embracing common Pan-Orthodox services and adopting a unified approach to pastoral and liturgical issues, co-chaired by Their Graces Bishop Mihail of the Romanian Church and Bishop Seraphim of the Greek Archdiocese.

3) Canonical Issues: compiling a list of all canonical bishops and other clergy of Oceania and a secondary list of schismatic groups and sects which attempt to promote themselves as being canonical Orthodox. This Committee is chaired by His Eminence Archbishop Stylianos and consists of representatives from each Orthodox Church.

The Assembly looks forward to meeting in years to come to continue working for the good of Orthodoxy in our region.