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World Council of Churches - Update
Contact: + 41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507 6363 media@wcc-coe.org
For immediate release - 17/01/2005

ORTHODOX PRE-ASSEMBLY MEETING AFFIRMS NEED FOR SPIRITUAL TRANSFORMATION

				    Free photo available, see below

The spiritual dimensions of transformation underlie its social dimensions,
observed participants at an international pre-assembly meeting of WCC
Orthodox member churches which completed its work on the island of Rhodes,
Greece, yesterday.

In a comprehensive report produced by participants coming from nearly all
of the WCC's Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox member churches, the
group outlined its theological contribution and hopes for the WCC's ninth
assembly, which will be held in Brazil in February 2006 under the theme
"God, in your grace, transform the world".

The gathering, which was attended by more than fifty hierarchs and
theologians as well as participants from other WCC member churches, was
hosted by Metropolitan Kyrillos of Rhodes on behalf of the Ecumenical
Patriarchate, 10-17 January 2005. Metropolitan Gennadios of Sassima
(Ecumenical Patriarchate) and Metropolitan Bishoy of Damiette (Coptic
Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria) co-chaired the event. Along with the
presentation of a series of theological papers, the programme included
prayer, meditations and visits to local communities and monasteries.

The pre-assembly of the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches is
traditionally held prior to the WCC's assemblies which meet every seven
years. There are twenty-two Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox member
churches of WCC, whose combined membership makes up almost half of the
Council's total constituency.

>>> Transformation and transfiguration

For the Orthodox, grace is associated with the transforming action of the
Holy Spirit in creation. "God's divine unconditional graceful love draws
us to Him (Rom. 5,15), because humans are not only created by God but they
are created for God. In God we entirely find the purpose of our lives
restored and transformed." The transfiguration of Christ reveals God's
ultimate intention for humanity and creation. "Christ gathers all things
in Him, and the whole of creation is transformed into a new heaven and a
new earth."

Spiritual and social transformation are interrelated, the report emphasizes.. "The process of the transfiguration of our socio-economic order (...)
involves our personal and communal commitment" and the struggle to forge a
"chain of good" affecting all aspects of human life.

Recognizing the suffering, violence, injustice and immorality so evident
in the world, the participants expressed their conviction that the task of
Christians is to call on the action of the Holy Spirit and to act as
"fellow-workers" in restoring the "true humanity created in God's
image."

>>> A renewed council, a renewed commitment

The pre-assembly re-articulated the principles undergirding a continued
Orthodox commitment to Christian unity. Referring to ongoing discussions
about possible new forms of international ecumenical work, the report
affirms that "the world will continue to need a council of churches (...)
an instrument to serve the churches by bringing them into a space for
dialogue, shared work, for the mutual exchange of gifts and insights from
our traditions, for prayer together."

Participants recognized that "ecclesiology is central to the different
understandings of Christian division and Christian unity, and therefore
the key to our different approaches to the WCC." The status of other
churches in Orthodox self-understanding remains one of the most delicate
issues affecting Orthodox participation in the ecumenical movement, and
the pre-assembly appealed for further serious study in this area.

>>> The Special Commission - a "great promise" for the fellowship

The pre-assembly reviewed the results of the Special Commission on
Orthodox participation in the WCC, established by the eighth assembly in
1998 to address Orthodox grievances with the direction and priorities of
the Council. It underlined the central importance of the Special Commission's findings which bear "great promise for the whole fellowship," and urged
WCC member churches to continue to work on receiving the report, which
proposes a series of key reforms to the Council to be presented to the
next assembly.

In February 2005, the WCC central committee will consider adopting a new
method of consensus decision-making as an alternative to the current
majority-vote system. "Introduction of consensus (...) offers the Council
a way to reflect the centrality of Holy Scripture in its life and engage
the work of the Council in an atmosphere of openness, trust and humility
[and] will enhance the potential for the Council to find its true
prophetic voice," the report stated.

But the pre-assembly report acknowledged that the Orthodox churches are
faced both with a moment of opportunity and of particular responsibility
as a result of the Special Commission, and calls on the Orthodox churches
"to continue to make credible expressions of [their] commitment in the
character of [their] participation at every level."

>>> A prayerful contribution

The report culminates in the form of a meditation, which is inspired by
the theme of the WCC ninth assembly. The text, drafted as a contribution
to the assembly, explores the themes of grace and transformation, and
concludes on a note of hope in God "in your grace, you have given us a
glorious world - in us it has fallen, in us let it be raised again."

The text of the report of the Rhodes meeting is available at:
http://www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/press_corner/rhodesreport.html

A print-ready photo from the meeting is also available at:
http://www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/press_corner/rhodespic.html

More information on the WCC ninth assembly is available at
http://www.wcc-assembly.info

More information on the Special Commission on Orthodox Participation in
the WCC is available at
http://wcc-coe.org/wcc/press_corner/index-e.html

Additional information: Juan Michel,+41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507 6363
media@wcc-coe.org

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The World Council of Churches is a fellowship of churches, now 342, in
more than 120 countries in all continents from virtually all Christian
traditions. The Roman Catholic Church is not a member church but works
cooperatively with the WCC. The highest governing body is the assembly,
which meets approximately every seven years. The WCC was formally
inaugurated in 1948 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Its staff is headed by
general secretary Samuel Kobia from the Methodist church in Kenya.