Constantinople's acceptance of Bishop Basil Osborne is a threat to inter-Orthodox peace, according to Primate of the Church of Greece
Moscow 31 January, Interfax
Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens and All Greece has deplored Constantinople's decision to accept Bishop Basil Osborne into its jurisdiction.
In a reply to Patriarch Alexis II of Moscow and All Russia, he expressed regret at emerging threats to constructive co-operation between local ethnic diasporas in common efforts to solve burning pastoral problems.
The Archbishop noted that this situation has been aggravated by violations of Church order and troubles, harmful primarily to the unity of the Holy Orthodox Churches.
He also stressed the commitment of the Greek Orthodox Church to the canonical tradition established through long Church practice.
The Primate of the Greek Church believes that burning pastoral needs can be met and a dangerous divisive situation can be prevented from developing in the Orthodox diaspora, if the Churches followed proposals which were worked out by the Inter-Orthodox Preparatory Commission for a Holy and Great Council at its meetings in 1990 and 1993.
Archbishop Christodoulos cited the following proposal of the Commission: that the Orthodox Churches pledge to avoid any action which may affect a canonical solution to the problem of the diaspora, including establishing new dioceses in the diaspora alongside already existing ones.
The official website of the Moscow Patriarchate recalls that despite this proposal made by the Inter-Orthodox Preparatory Commission in 1993, the Church of Constantinople has since established the following sees: Toronto 1996, Buenos Aires 1996, Hong Kong 1996, Panama 1996, Spain and Portugal 2003 and Korea 2004.
