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World Council of Churches
Press Release
For Immediate Use
28 May 1997

ORTHODOX WOMEN ISSUE "VERY STRONG" RECOMMENDATIONS

A meeting of some 50 official Orthodox women delegates of their
churches has come up with a list of  recommendations concerning the
role of  women in the life of the Church.

The recommendations deal, among other things, with theological
education, the re-evaluation of some prayers and church practices,
encouraging  women s ministries, full participation of Orthodox women in
the life of their church and the ecumenical movement, women s
contribution to spiritual growth for all, the role of priests  wives, sexism,
and women s ordination.

The meeting took place in Istanbul, Turkey, 10-17 May under the title
"Discerning the  Signs of the Times : Women in the Life of the Orthodox
Church" and was hosted by the Ecumenical  Patriarch, Bartholomew of
Constantinople. The meeting was held within the context of the
Ecumenical Decade of Churches in Solidarity with Women, which will
culminate at the World Council of Churches (WCC) Eighth Assembly in
Harare, Zimbabwe in September 1998.

This was the third meeting of Orthodox women held in connection with
the Decade.  It was organised by Aruna Gnanadason of the WCC s
Women s Desk and Orthodox theological consultant, Dr Kyriaki Fitzgerald.
 After the meeting, Aruna Gnanadason said,  "Up to now Orthodox
women felt their concerns had not been taken seriously and did not feel
part of the Decade.   But now they see their work very much in terms of
the Decade and they have come up with some very strong
recommendations".

One of the recommendations concerns theological education for women,
which is seen as "a priority".  It should include education at the highest
level and be open to all women.

The meeting called for a re-evaluation of some church practices.   It
particularly cited the tradition of mothers not going to church for 40 days
after childbirth and  "certain prayers...for miscarriages, abortions and
post-partum mothers".  Some of the women present said they felt "these
practices and prayers do not properly express the theology of the
Church regarding the dignity of God s creation of woman and her
redemption in Christ".

The women also called for new hymns to be written to reflect the lives
of modern women martyrs and the sacrifices which Orthodox women
continue to make.

The sensitive subject of the ordination of women was also addressed in
a carefully written recommendation: "Some participants at the
consultation welcome the idea that an inter-Orthodox conference on the
ordination of women to the priesthood be organised where women and
men will have the opportunity to examine this topic in greater depth from
both the theological and spiritual perspectives."

At a time when some within the Orthodox churches are questioning their
involvement in the World Council of Churches,  the Istanbul meeting
recommended that the Orthodox Church appoint women delegates as
representatives "to the various aspects of the ecumenical movement,
whether on the international, national or parish level".  The women asked
their churches "to seriously consider" complying with the WCC request
that at least 50% of their representatives at the Eighth Assembly be
women, and to "bestow their blessings" on those women who will
attend an Ecumenical Decade Festival to be held in Harare just before the
assembly.

"I have never seen such a strong affirmation of a commitment to the
ecumenical movement as came from these Orthodox women", says
Aruna Gnanadason.

In Istanbul,  conference members attended a worship service led by the
Ecumenical Patriarch, who also opened the gathering.   Later, the
Patriarch  wrote to the WCC General Secretary, Rev. Dr Konard Raiser,
that it had been  "a blessing and a joy" to receive the participants.  "Their
discussions were very valuable and will prove beneficial for our holy
Orthodox Church," he added.

Those attending the conference came from Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria,
Chile, Czech Republic, Egypt, Finland, France, Georgia, Greece,
Lebanon, Poland, Romania, Russia,  Serbia, Turkey, Syria, the United
Kingdom and the USA.

Ms Aruna Gnanadason and Dr Kyriaki Fitzgerald are available for
interview.

**********
The World Council of Churches is a fellowship of churches, now 331, in
more than 100 countries in all continents from virtually all Christian
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was formally inaugurated in 1948 in Amsterdam, Netherlands.  Its staff is
headed by general secretary Konrad Raiser from the Evangelical Church
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