Crete Council - June 23rd press briefing

Editorial note: Again, these summaries aren't exact things. They're just the bits that I found interesting. Also, if you choose to watch the video itself did you also notice how the translator is quite adept at mimicking the speaking styles and intonations of the speakers?

Two documents being signed. Every single bishop is signing each document in four languages.

• "Autonomy and the Means by Which it is Proclaimed" made it through with "very, very little amendments."
• "The Orthodox Diaspora" with "very little amendments" as well.

Two are coming down the pike.

• "The Mission of the Orthodox Church in Today’s World" will be signed soon.
• "The Sacrament of Marriage and its Impediments" is under active discussion.

Met. Job (Getcha) of Telmessos was asked what these documents means for those who chose not to come? We came not to have a meeting or anything else but to hold a Council. There was consensus that got us here. There was no consensus to not meet. So here we are. The Council should be looked at as a process and not as an event. For us who are here these documents will go to the local Churches to receive them and they are then binding.

There are 150 million people not represented (their bishops not having come to Crete). How should we see this process without them? Dn. John Chryssavgis responded that talking is important. People come. People don't come. Regardless of the numbers people are talking to one another here. As a technical answer unanimity has not been abolished for those who are here. There aren't any U.S. spies here. We are doing the important work of speaking to one another. The Romanian representative stated that "conciliarity is not a matter of quantity." Further, he states that Ecumenical Councils didn't always have all local Churches represented but are still considered Ecumenical.

Editorial note: To that statement I'll respond that indeed that doesn't mean that the decisions can't be considered Ecumenical. It also doesn't mean that they are. So, while uniform attendance is not of absolute importance, neither is an RSVP to attend a rubber stamp to a binding contract.

Did anyone discuss at the council a reduction of fasting during fasting periods for the laity? Met. Job (Getcha) of Telmessos responded that the aim of the goal is to give support to the practice of fasting not to reduce it while being sensitive to pastoral situations (the elderly, medicine, etc.).

What of the Romanian and Serbian territorial dispute? The Romanian representative responded simply that as Orthodox, as brothers in Christ, it will get resolved because brothers find a way to work things out.