On September 16-17, in the Sergievsky Hall of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow, the conference “World Orthodoxy: primacy and conciliarity in the light of the Orthodox faith” will be held. The event was organized by the Synodal Biblical and Theological Commission.
The purpose of the conference, which will be opened by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, is to create a discussion platform for theological discussion of ecclesiological issues (primacy in the Church, conciliarity, the procedure for granting autocephaly). What is important, the conference will be attended by representatives of other local Churches.
Following the results of the conference, it is planned to publish a collection of reports, although so far only in Russian.
The conference is particularly significant because it is taking place in the perspective of the forthcoming Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church, as well as the possible continuation of the “Amman format”. The conference provides an opportunity to express and “polish” those positions that, possibly, will then form the basis of conciliar and inter-Orthodox decisions.
Representatives of the expert community have repeatedly written about the importance of holding inter-Orthodox conferences on ecclesiological issues. Such events and platforms are important for the development of Orthodox thought, as well as the expansion of the “Amman format” of interaction, involving not only the hierarchy of local Churches, but also representatives of church scientific circles in it.
The theme of the unity of the Church is today central to universal Orthodoxy. And the fact that the Russian Orthodox Church raises this topic gives hope for a change in the course of events in the Orthodox world.
