LAST UPDATE: 14:00
The Orthodox Romanian Church has decided to send a delegation to the Meeting held in Amman, Jordan, by Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem.
According to what was announced by its press office, the Romanian Church does not recognize this meeting as a “Synod of Primates” but as a fraternal meeting to discuss problems that have arisen over the Ukrainian issue.
“Since at the fraternal meeting in Amman the participants will discuss ways of reconciliation and restoring the Eucharistic communion between some sister autocephalous Orthodox Churches, and in order not to interpret the Amman meeting initiated by the Jerusalem Patriarchate as a Synaxis of the Primates of the Orthodox Church, the Holy Synod resolved that the Romanian Orthodox Church should not be represented by the Patriarch of Romania, but by a delegation of the Romanian Patriarchate.”
The composition of the Romanian delegation at the Amman meeting has yet to be announced, which is likely to take place between 25-27 February. The only certainty is that Patriarch Daniel will not be present.
Furthermore, the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Romanian Church states that the Romanian Patriarchate “…agrees with the granting of autocephaly for the entire Orthodox Church in Ukraine (not just a part of it), but this can only be achieved by the agreement between the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Moscow Patriarchate and by pan-Orthodox consensus.”
The announcement of the Patriarchate of Romania also mentions that
“As regards the invitation of Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem addressed to the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church to attend the fraternal meeting in Amman, Jordan, on February 25-27, 2020, the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church reiterated its decision no. 3668, reviewed in its decisions no. 9156/2018 and no. 180/2019, stating that the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Moscow Patriarchate resume the dialogue to reach, as soon as possible, a solution in the issue of the autocephaly of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine, so as not to deepen the polarization of the two opposing sides: one of the Orthodox Churches in favour of Constantinople, and the other pro-Moscow Orthodox Churches.”
This participation of the Romanian Orthodox Church in the fraternal meeting in Amman is motivated by the fact that all the autocephalous Orthodox Churches have the responsibility to work together for the maintenance, defence and promotion of the Orthodox dogmatic, canonical and Eucharistic unity, according to the Gospel of Christ and the Sacred Canon.”
So far the majority of the Orthodox Churches have responded negatively to the invitation of the Patriarch of Jerusalem who, despite the intense concern raised by his initiative, seems to insist on it”.
