Source: Interfax-Religion
February 4, 2016
Head of the Synodal Department for External Church Relations Metropolitan Hilarion says there is no grounds for the concerns of some believers about the coming Pan-Orthodox Council.
"Unfortunately, there have been many rumors surrounding this Council. For example, they say it will be 'the eighth Ecumenical Council,' it will be 'anti-Christ,' the union with Catholics will be concluded, all fasts will be abolished, priests will be allowed to marry for the second time, it will be a modernist council," the metropolitan said on Wednesday at a press conference in Moscow.
He says that the DECR receives letters urging not to participate in the 'Ecumenical' or 'anti-Christ' council every day. The hierarch also said that the Russian Church had many concerns about the meeting, for example, that some decisions would be imposed on its participants, for example, approving of a new church calendar.
"We agreed that all decisions in the Pan-Orthodox Council will be taken by consensus," the metropolitan stressed.
According to him, every local Church will send a delegation of 24 hierarchs, but each Church will have one voice and if "even one Church is against any decision, this decision won't be taken."
Besides, questions that were not previously agreed upon will not be on the agenda and all the documents worked out in the course of preparations to the council are published.