The twentieth meeting of the Orthodox Episcopal Assembly of Benelux (CEOB-OBB) was held via teleconference, due to the ongoing health crisis, on Tuesday, November 17, 2020 between 10.00 and 11.00, chaired by Metropolitan Athenagoras of Belgium (Ecumenical Patriarchate) and the participation of Bishop Mark of Neamts, representative of Metropolitan Joseph (Romanian Patriarchate), Bishop Dositheus (Patriarchate of Georgia) and Bishop Ioakeim of Apollonia (Assistant Bishop to the Holy Metropolis of Belgium, Ecumenical Patriarchate).
Due to the situation, the agenda of this online meeting was limited. Metropolitan Athenagoras of Belgium, informed the other Hierarchs about the general state of life of the Orthodox Church in the three Benelux Countries, while the Bishops expressed their views on the impact of the health restrictions imposed by the governments on the life of the Church.
The priests exchanged views on the consequences of this situation on the worship and spiritual life of the Church and urged the priests to continue to be close to the sick and to other parishioners in any way they could.
The Hierarchs joined their prayers for the speedy recovery of Patriarch Irinej of Serbia and Archbishop Anastasios of Albania, for the recovery of all patients from the pandemic, while expressing their warm thanks to all the doctors and nurses. The Hierarchs exchanged also information about their dioceses and expressed their hope that the appropriate conditions will be met so that the next meeting of the Orthodox Episcopal Assembly of Benelux will take place through the physical presence of its members.
The next meeting of the Episcopal Assembly was decided to take place on June 15, 2021.
The Orthodox Episcopal Assembly was established following a decision of the Fourth Pan-Orthodox Pre-Synod Conference convened in Chambésy (Geneva) in June 2009.
