ROC will hold an emergency meeting of the Synod for the decision on participation in the Pan-Orthodox Council

The Russian Orthodox Church will hold an emergency meeting of the Holy Synod to define its position in a situation when some of the Autocephalous Orthodox Churches refused to participate in the Pan-Orthodox Council, said the head of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk to RIA Novosti.

In connection with the recent statements of the Synod of the Antiochian Orthodox Church and the Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church on the refusal to participate in the Pan-Orthodox Cathedral, the Holy Synod of the Moscow Patriarchate suggested holding an emergency Pan-Orthodox conference before the Council on June 10 at the latest. It pointed out that the non-participation of at least one Local Church in it makes the Council impossible. It also said that several Churches and monasteries of Athos proposed amendments to the draft documents of the Council that are in accord with the proposals of the Russian Church, and "require fundamental consideration with the purpose of finding a Pan-Orthodox consensus."

"I think we will have to hold another meeting of the Holy Synod in order to understand how to act in such a situation because those fundamental positions which we have declared during the pre-Council process are actually ignored now. Somehow, we will have to respond to it," said Metropolitan Hilarion.

In its turn, the Patriarchate of Constantinople stated that "none of the institutional structures can revise the already started process of the Council".

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