At the eve of the long awaited Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church, Syndesmos, the World Fellowship of Orthodox Youth expresses its deep concern in respect with a possible cancellation of the Council, due to the refusal of some Autocephalous Churches to take part in it.
We acknowledge that the responsibility to rule our Church lies on the shoulders of the Bishops, as spiritual Fathers. They bear this responsibility before God and His people, before history. Any possible failure in the implementation of the Council is a failure for all of us and would imply serious problems in witnessing to the world our faith and our hope. All our Church communities as well as the whole of mankind require a living and united Orthodoxy.
We appeal to the Church delegations that will be present in Crete, on the day of Pentecost, to hold the opening session of the Council, to invite again all Orthodox Churches to join them, and not to close the session of the Council, unless the absent Churches join them, “for so there will be concord, and God will be glorified through the Lord in the Holy Spirit” (34th Apostolic Canon).
- the Board of Administration of Syndesmos