Athens, January 9, 2017
Vladyka underlined that the Church needs first not diplomats but theologians, whose views are the fruit of the experiences of their spiritual lives.
Metropolitan Hierotheos characterized the documents of the Crete Council as “diplomatic compromise texts, from which each can draw the conclusion he wants.”
Vladyka stressed that Orthodox Christians should not go into schism or cease commemorating their hierarchs. The way out of the situation, in Metropolitan Hierotheos’ opinion, is perhaps to hold a “Great Council,” which would give a theological interpretation and refinement to the documents accepted at Crete.
Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos, being a member of the Greek Orthodox Church’s delegation at the Crete Council, refused to sign the final document “Relations of the Orthodox Church With the Rest of the Christian World.” At a November session of the Greek Orthodox Holy Synod, Vladyka expressed the opinion that the Crete Council was not properly prepared for and did not represent a council of bishops, but a council of primates and their entourages.
Metropolitan Hierotheos also emphasized that the final text of “Relations of the Orthodox Church With the Rest of the Christian World” contains (in his opinion) a number of questionable assertions and was not ready for signing. According to Vladyka, once the minutes of the sessions of the Crete Council will be published it will be obvious that it was dominated by “the branch theory” and “baptismal theology.”
