The Orthodox Episcopal Assembly of Benelux (CEOB-OBB) convened an extraordinary coordination meeting today on Thursday the 11th of March 2021.
As reported by fanarion.blospot.com, the meeting was held via teleconference due to the sanitary situation and led by the Metropolitan Athenagoras of Belgium. Metropolitan Seraphim (Romanian Patriarchate), Bishop Marc of Neamț, as representative of Metropolitan Joseph (Patriarchate of Romania), Bishop Dositheus (Patriarchate of Georgia) and Bishop Ioakeim of Apollonia (Assistant Bishop to the Holy Metropolis of Belgium) also attended the meeting.
Moreover, Metropolitan Athenagoras of Belgium provided information to the members of the Episcopal Assembly about the difficulties that the sanitary situation has caused to the proper celebration of the Divine Liturgy and to the restrictions according to which the presence of the faithful at the churches of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg is not allowed. The bishops exchanged views on the issue and hoped that the spread of the pandemic would soon be stemmed. The bishops also discussed the matter of the safety of the faithful inside the churches and other religious buildings.
In addition, the inter-orthodox concelebration of the Feast of Orthodoxy will not take place and, therefore, the Hierarchs addressed a letter to the faithful on behalf of the Orthodox Episcopal Assembly of Benelux to emphasise the great importance of the feast. In the letter, they expressed wishes for a blessed period of Lent, their hope for the improvement of the situation and they asked the faithful to be patient. They also expressed their gratitude to the doctors and health workers.
The bishops wished for the rest of the soul of late Patriarch Irinej of Serbia and wished all the best to newly-elected Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia. They also prayed for the unity of the Orthodox Church.
The Hierarchs discussed the text of a “Commitment Pact” intended for priests in charge as well as for those responsible for managing the material or finances in Orthodox parishes. The pact is about the proper management of the assets of the Orthodox parishes according to specific criteria which are mentioned in the “Charter of the Representative Bodies of the Recognised Worships”. They also referred to the situation in the Netherlands and Luxembourg.
The bishops shared news and information about the dioceses.
Finally, the next meeting of the Orthodox Episcopal Assembly of Benelux is scheduled for the 15th of June 2021.
