The Dialogue between the Church of the G.O.C. of Greece and the Orthodox Ecclesiastical Community of Those in Resistance
Twelfth Joint Statement
Thursday, January 22/February 5, 2014, the Twelfth Joint Deliberation of the Committees for Dialogue Between the Church of the G.O.C. of Greece and the Orthodox Ecclesiastical Community in Resistance took place in the in the hall of church of the Apostles Peter and Paul in Daphne, Athens.
All of the appointed members of both committees were present.
During the six-hour Deliberation, the draft of the common, historical/ecclesiological document entitled The True Orthodox Church in Opposition to the Heresy of Ecumenism Dogmatic and Canonical Issues, but especially the proposals of each side so that this document can take a final form. After a lengthy discussion also of the necessary additions and revisions, the draft of the document was formulated and agreed upon which will be submitted to the Hierarchs of both sides for its evaluation and final approval.
From the process of the Formal Dialogue which has been positive so far, indeed during this Twelfth Common Deliberation, it was determined that the expected union is closer to being achieved after the common approval and agreement (October 18/31, 2013) of the “Schedule of Steps in the Union Process” Plan (§ § 1-9), the first of which steps places the basis on the completion of the effort, in that the Orthodox Ecclesiastical Community in Resistance through these steps does not advocate the ecclesiological formula concerning the Ecumenists as “ailing members of the Church”, nor do they ascribe a dogmatic character to this formula (§ 1).
The next “Steps” foresee the following:
• The ecclesiological issues should be discussed, but especially the Ecclesiological Positions of Those in Resistance. (§ 2)
• There should be an exact wording of our common Orthodox Faith, specifically in relation to the Calendar Innovation and the heresy of Ecumenism. (§ 3)
• The Dialogue between the two sides should be completed on the basis of the established agenda. (§ 3) Both Committees are already approaching its completion.
• This common agreement of ours should be formulated in cooperation with the Genuine Orthodox Churches of Romania, Bulgaria, and ROCOR-A with whom we desire, by the Grace of God, to have Eucharistic Communion. (§ 4)
• In this regard, the Committee of the Orthodox Community in Resistance undertook the translation of the above-mentioned draft of the common document (“The True Orthodox Church in Opposition to the Heresy of Ecumenism Dogmatic and Canonical Issues”) into English, Russian, Romanian, and Italian in view of a better preparation of a multimember Discussion/Deliberation in order to achieve a broader convergence upon the ecclesiological basis of the sacred struggle of True Orthodoxy in opposition to the heresy of Ecumenism.
The next Joint Deliberation will take place on Thursday February 7/20, 2014 Monastery of Sts. Cyprian and Justina in Phylē, Attica.
From the Joint Secretariat of the Committees for Dialogue.
Daphne, Athens – Phylē
January 28/February 10, 2014
Translated from the Greek
