JERUSALEM (CWNews.com) - For the first time in 60 years, almost all of the leaders of the world's Orthodox Churches gathered for a synod in the Holy Land on Wednesday, meeting in the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in Jerusalem.
The 14 patriarchs, all of the church leaders less the leader of the Serbian Orthodox Church who was ill, discussed church history and a transition to the future, but passed no resolutions in the two-hour meeting. Greek Orthodox Patriarch Diodoros I of Jerusalem asked his colleagues to work for the stability of their churches and unity among them, despite rivalries that plague the churches.
The biggest dispute is over the role of the Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew, whose recent efforts to unify Orthodoxy under his title as Ecumenical Patriarch has been dubbed "neo-papism." The patriarch has also been criticized for his close ties with Pope John Paul II. The authority of the pope, as Bishop of Rome, was one of the primary reasons for the split between the Eastern Churches and the Latin Church in 1054.
Later, all 15 Orthodox Patriarchs gathered for a midnight liturgy to celebrate Christmas, which is on Thursday according to the Orthodox calendar. The patriarchs were joined by Palestinian and Jordanian choirs, singing hymns and dozens of Orthodox priests. Other dignitaries include former Russian President Boris Yeltsin, who resigned from his office on New Year's Eve.
Catholic World News Service Daily News Briefs