Daily Journal:

One can agree with many of Father Andrei’s thoughts. He is right when he speaks about the unsatisfactory state of inter-Orthodox cooperation and the unsettled canonical situation in the countries of the Orthodox diaspora.

It is also understandable that the English priest would like to propose some measures to overcome these shortcomings, including the creation of the World Council of Orthodoxy in New Jerusalem near Moscow. Patriarch Nikon conceived something similar in ancient times - for this, in fact, the monastery was built on Istra.

The rest of the proposals of the priest of the Church Abroad are also not fundamentally new. The entire second half of the twentieth century passed in long and difficult negotiations on the convening of the great Council of the Orthodox Church. And during a number of pan-Orthodox meetings, starting in 1961, many of the questions raised by Fr. Andrey. However, the process of reaching agreement, especially with our brothers from the Patriarchate of Constantinople, turned out to be very difficult. It’s just that in the Church Abroad, which until May 17 of this year was isolated from the world Orthodox community, they probably know little about this.

Patriarch Alexy II has repeatedly expressed regret that since the mid-90s, work on preparing the cathedral has actually stopped. Other leaders of local churches say the same thing. However, according to the regulations of pan-Orthodox meetings, their convening must be carried out by the Patriarch of Constantinople, who occupies an honorable first place in the list of primates. We respect the position historically assigned to the Primate of Constantinople. And we consider it the most important task to prevent polarization of the Orthodox world, its split into two “camps.” For the sake of this, the Russian Church shows, I would say, very great restraint and patience. But we hope that in the end common sense and a sense of responsibility for universal Orthodoxy will triumph.

Expressed by Fr. A. Phillips, the view of a person “from the outside,” who has just become involved in the complex fabric of inter-Orthodox relations, only confirms the need for change.

Archpriest Nikolai Balashov - Secretary for Inter-Orthodox Relations DECR MP