Editorial note: This was one of the more contentious press conferences as there were a mix of repeated questions that had repeatedly already been answered and some questions that seemingly sought to make hay out of insignificant points to illicit quotable news bites. The conference ended rather explosively really with a reporter who didn't like the format. Also, blue jeans. Really?
Two documents being signed.
- The Importance of Fasting and Its Observance Today
- Relations of the Orthodox Church with the Rest of the Christian World
One document to be signed shortly.
- The Sacrament of Marriage and its Impediments - Editorial note: this document elicited a lot of discussion and reports from Pravoslavie.ru and elsewhere have stated that this document might not reach consensus so go unsigned.
Two announcements in development to be sent out at the end of the Council.
- The "message" of the council. Editorial note: Most people thought this would be out at the beginning of the Council, but I expect the last minute attendance changes threw a wrench in the prepared document.
- The Council encyclical.
The group was asked what the Council would say to the laity who weren't represented as their local Churches chose not to attend? The Council is a dialogue for the entire world - whether their patriarch attended or not or whether they are even Orthodox are not.
Are there 261 hierarchs or 290 hierarchs at the Council? There are 290 delegates.
Who signs the documents? The Primates or all the hierarchs? Each delegate can comment on the topics so each bishop can sign the documents. Not advisors, just bishops. Delegates of the local Churches meet before the vote and their primates vote, but these votes are reflective of the consensus of all from the local Church.
It seems that there is a decision that no bishops in the diaspora will be stripped of their titles to force conformity of the one bishop to one city rule. At the same time no new Archbishop of say Chicago can be made as there already is one. Grandfathered in.
One reporter asked for responses from the representatives at the press conference. She was quite severely rebuffed as the moderator felt it would be too time intensive. The journalist said this was ridiculous as, since there are all this people sitting there, there was no point in them even being there if they aren't going to answer questions. To her point this entire thing has been a Dn. John Chryssavgis / Met. Job tag team.
Her question was about the Patriarchates that didn't come. Met. Job responded quite simply (and deftly really): You come from a democracy. Everyone can vote. Now some people choose not to vote. Does that mean you don't live in a democracy?
It's absolutely hilarious that they chose Met Job as a spokesman, given that his inability to listen or act with even a minimal amount of tact caused him to get run out of his diocese in France earlier this year... Normally sane people were even saying that his leadership was so bad, it must've been a Kremlin plot against the EP's Russian diocese.
ReplyDeleteSigh. What if nobody heard anything that was done at this event? Would it matter to one person in a parish? What breathtakingly useless characters exist at the diocese or "higher" levels. Following the shenanigans of the Kardashians is more worthwhile than this. They don't claim to be worried about my soul.
ReplyDeleteThe Russian Church, by the way, made a public statement about the irrelevance of Metropolitan Job's comments about democracy ( http://www.pravoslavie.ru/94665.html ). To sum up what the Russian text says: the Church is not, was not, will not be democratic. If we were trying to be democratic, we're doing a terrible job. Met. Job kimself has no term limits, women are not permitted to serve as bishops or priests, etc. In democracy, power is of the people, where as in the Church, all power is God's.
ReplyDeleteFound an English version! ( http://www.pravmir.com/moscow-patriarchate-tells-constantinople-democracy-is-irrelevant-in-church-life/ )
ReplyDeleteMatvey