Thursday, June 27, 2013

Delegations from Antioch, Jerusalem meet in Athens

From the French-language website Orthodoxie:


Greece: A Meeting in Athens Concerning the Jurisdiction of Qatar

A meeting was held June 21 in Athens at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the initiative of vice-minister Costas Tsiaras, to raise the issue of the disagreement between the patriarchates of Antioch and Jerusalem with regard to jurisdiction over Qatar. In addition to the representatives of the Ecumenical Patriarcate, which offered its mediation, including Metropolitan John (Zizioulas) of Pergamon, delegations from the Patriarchate of Antioch and the Patriarchate of Jerusalem were present at the meeting. Carol Saba was part of the delegation from the Patriarchate of Antioch which also notably included Metropolitan Saba (Esber) of Bosra. An agreement was reached that will be relayed to the holy synods of Antioch and Jerusalem.


The Greek Foreign Ministry's statement following the meeting (Greek original here):

Following a discussion, conducted in a spirit of mutual trust and understanding, representatives of the Patriarchates of Antioch and Jerusalem confirmed that each Church respects the limits of the jurisdiction of the other, and agreed to relay specific proposals to the Holy Synods of the Churches which serve the common goal of Orthodox unity. In conclusion, the Deputy Foreign Minister praised the mediating role of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and thanked the agreement and the constructive atmosphere in which the talks were held.

1 comment:

Dn Paul said...

Hmm. It seems that HAH Bartholomew moved very quickly in response to HB John's gracious demand that something be done to resolve the issue.

Let us hope and pray that the resolution is just, and is received in love and ratified by both Patriarchates.