Special Inter-Orthodox committee for the preparation of the Pan-Orthodox Council begins its work in Athens

The Committee is to draw up draft procedure rules of the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church.

With the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, the Russian Orthodox Church is represented at the meeting by a delegation led by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations. The delegation also includes archpriest Nikolai Balashov, DECR vice-chairman, and Rev. Anatoly Churyakov, DECR interpreter.

The sessions are chaired by Metropolitan John of Pergamon (Patriarchate of Constantinople).

The other Local Orthodox Churches are represented by the delegations consisting of:

Metropolitan Emmanuel of France, Archimandrite Bartholomew (Samaras), Archimandrite Prodromos (Xenakis) – Patriarchate of Constantinople;

Metropolitan Georgios of Guinea, Mr. Panagiotis Tzoumerkas – Patriarchate of Alexandria;

Metropolitan Basilios of Akkar; Mr. Georges Ghandour – Patriarchate of Antioch;

Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantine, Dr. Theodoros Yangou – Patriarchate of Jerusalem;

Metropolitan Gerasim of Zoukdidi and Tsaissi, Metropolitan Andrei of Gorij and Aten, protopresbyter Giorgi Zviadadze, monk Anthimoz (Javakhishvili) – Patriarchate of Georgia;

Bishop Irinej of Bačka; Bishop Ieronim of Egra – Patriarchate of Serbia;

Metropolitan Nifon of Târgovişte, archpriest Viorel Ioniţa – Romanian Patriarchate;

Metropolitan John of Varna and Veliki Preslav, Metropolitan Seraphim of Nevrokop, Dr. Dimitar Arnaudov – Bulgarian Patriarchate;

Metropolitan Georgios of Paphos, Bishop Christophoros of Karpassia – Orthodox Church of Cyprus;

Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Peristerion; Metropolitan Germanos of Ileia, Metropolitan Ignatios of Dimitrias and Almyros – Orthodox Church of Greece;

Metropolitan John of Korçë, Mr. Pyrros Kondylis – Albanian Orthodox Church;

Archpriest Andrzej Kuźma – Polish Orthodox Church;

Archbishop Georgios of Michalovce and Košice, Archimandrite Seraphim (Semjatovsky) – Orthodox Church of Czech Lands and Slovakia.

The Special Inter-Orthodox Committee will continue its work till December 18.