We really, really, REALLY need to pray for the patriarchs, for this meeting, and for the success of any pan-Orthodox council that will (or not) be held. The Orthodox churches are VERY nationalistic, and can (and frequently have) had strong divisions along national lines. For example: for a couple of decades there have been pushes in America to develop an American Orthodox Church. This is based on the growing number of marriages between members of different Orthodox churches, i.e., between a Greek Orthodox man and a Coptic Orthodox woman. Which parish will they attend? This move has been stymied by the politics of the Orthodox world, particularly over whether or not said Church would be autocephalous (i.e., independent) or aligned with either Moscow or Constantinople. Currently, there are two main poles in the Orthodox world: those Orthodox churches aligned with Moscow, and those Orthodox churches aligned with Constantinople (Greek Orthodox), autocephalous Churches forming a large but weak minority. The last time a major pan-Orthodox meeting was held things were great until the Russians arrived. (This was back in the 90's so I may have some details wrong -- apologies.) One of the Orthodox churches in attendance (Latvian, I believe, but don't quote me) was in the process of changing their alignment from Moscow to Constantinople. All the other Orthodox churches present (including those currently aligned with Moscow) were OK with the idea, until representatives from the Moscow Patriarchate arrived. The Latvian Orthodox Churche (so they said) had historically been aligned with Moscow and there was no need and no ability for them to change their alignment. In fact, it was the Patriarchate of Constantinople (i.e., Greek Orthodox) who needed to change their orientation and align themselves under the Patriarchate of Moscow. Keep in mind that the origin of the Moscow Patriarchate dates back to the conquest of Constantinople by the Muslims. Fearing that the conquest would mark the destruction of Orthodoxy, the Constantinople Patriarchate established Moscow as a separate and equal Patriarchate. When Constantinople fell, the Tsar at the time said that "Moscow is the Third Rome. There will not be a fourth." Since then, the Russian Orthodox Church has held itself to be the first, last, and only arbiter of what is and is not Orthodoxy. Those Churches that are aligned with Constantinople are in grave error. Ecumenism, particularly with the Latin Patriarchate (i.e., Roman Catholicism) is a slippery slope opening the door to heterodoxy and heresy. Most of the other Orthodox patriarchies recognize the validity of Roman Catholic sacraments and permit intercommunion with Roman Catholics when there are no other Orthodox churches available (and vice versa). The Russian Orthodox Church holds that the Roman Catholics are an apostate and heretic Church that teaches and practices heterodoxy. No intercommunion at all is permitted. It is against this backdrop that the meeting in Geneva will be held. The Russians may throw a wrench into the whole thing insisting that ONLY their agenda be discussed -- if not, then no pan-Orthodox council. Or, they may sit on their hands and wait for the Council to start before trying to take over the Council. Here in the West, we tend to think of only the Protestant churches as being "separated brethren" and ecumenism is something you do only with them. There is a much, much wider world that may prove to be more intractable than any arguments between Catholics and Evangelicals. Considering its level of cooperation with and subservience to the Communist Party during the years of the Soviet Union, the Russian Orthodox Church has decades of experience of cooperating with evil (and centuries of experience with caesaropapism in dealing with the Tsars). Our greatest enemy might not be Islam per se; it might be with other Christian Churches who see this cooperation as the only way to maintain independence and survival under evil regimes.
