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genuinely bonded in solidarity—and raki at every monastery. Though we were
not ‘in’ the closed sessions we were ‘there’. Our presence strongly supported
the passing of the ecumenical text, which was not a ‘rubber stamp’ affair. The
Council means that ecumenical engagement and the longstanding dialogue –
for example with Anglicans – cannot be dismissed as just the enthusiasm of one
Church. It puts ecumenism on the official map much as Vatican II did for the
Roman Catholic Church.
SS: What happens next?

+C: Reception is an essential part of the Orthodox concilliar theology. We wait
to see how the absentee Churches will receive the Council. Actual presence has
never been an essential element of reception. Many of the great councils were
seriously under-represented from the West. Not all the bishops from those
churches were against, some e-mailed or texted their regrets at not being
present. We wait and see. What is more certain is that a conciliar process has
been begun. The Ecumenical Patriarch himself spoke of a council every 7 -10
years. The texts of the Council are ultimately less important than the process
begun as it has initiated discussion within the churches about the diaspora,
about marriage, fasting, and the overall question of culture and Gospel in
settings far removed from the ancient Mediterranean world. What still needs
resolving is the issue of ‘ethno-phyletism’. It’s 1872 condemnation was quietly
endorsed in Crete but the ‘diaspora’ and nationalism questions remain,
especially with Slavic Orthodoxy.
SS: What can an Anglican learn?

+C: Quite a lot. Especially from the preparatory process which has gone on for
many years. There were over 100 suggested topics originally, finally narrowed to
six. Why at Lambeth Conferences do we have to talk about everything every
10 years instead of carefully preparing a small number of really vital issues? The
preparatory texts were already voted on by representatives of all the churches
so there was already a pre-consensus. This is one of the reasons the Ecumenical
Patriarch insisted that the Council continue in spite of absentees. The other
thing is that the national delegations were limited to 24 – Russia after first
agreeing later questioned this. The sheer size of an assembly of all bishops now
surely precludes a traditional council. Rome also is moving towards a stronger
Synod of Bishops. Orthodoxy has already done so in the Council. So why not
Lambeth?

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