The Commission worked since March 30. It was chaired by Metropolitan John of Pergamon, Patriarchate of Constantinople, and attended by representatives of fourteen Local Orthodox Churches including a delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church headed by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s department for external church relations (DECR). The ROC delegation included Archpriest Nikolay Balashov, DECR vice-chairman, and Deacon Anatoly Churyakov, interpreter.
The Commission completed its work on reviewing the Pan-Orthodox Council’s draft document on ‘The contribution of the Orthodox Church to establishment of peace, justice, freedom, brotherhood and love among nations and elimination of racial and other forms of discrimination’. It also edited the document on ‘Importance of fasting and its observance today’ adopted by the 3rd Pre-Council conference in 1986.
In accordance with the decision made by the Meeting of the Primates of Orthodox Churches on March 6-9, 2014, in Istanbul, the results of the Commission’s work will be further considered by a Pan-Orthodox Pre-Council Conference.
