Autocefalia în dialogul interortodox contemporan: Poziția Bisericii Ortodoxe Române
Autocephaly in Contemporary Inter-Orthodox Dialogue: The Stance of the Romanian Orthodox Church

Author(s): Gabriel-Viorel Gârdan
Subject(s): Christian Theology and Religion, Theology and Religion, Other Christian Denominations
Published by: Ideas Forum International Academic and Scientific Association
Keywords: autocephaly; dialog; inter-Orthodox; unity; communion;
Summary/Abstract: Contemporary inter-Orthodox dialogue seeks to find pragmatic answers to the challenges facing the Orthodox Churches. This dialogue has created the conditions for new fruitful and hopeful encounters both for Christian unity and for a more articulated Orthodox vision of the challenges of Christian witness in contemporary times. In this study, we aim to take a look at the history of inter-Orthodox dialogue on the topic of autocephaly and highlight the contributions of the Romanian Orthodox Church to this dialogue. In order to understand the stakes of this dialogue, we also offer a brief overview of the issue of autocephaly, with direct reference to our Church's contribution to clarifying certain theological aspects related to this principle of church organization. It should be noted, however, that the subject of the debate was neither the unity of the Church nor the legitimacy and content of the principle of autocephaly. The discussions focused on two main questions: what happens to Churches that proclaim themselves autocephalous against the will of the Mother Church? And how can autocephaly be canonically proclaimed with the consent of a Mother Church? Two new questions were immediately raised: who is the Mother Church? And can Churches in the Orthodox world act without the consent of the Ecumenical Patriarchate? The main points of disagreement among the participants in the dialogue concerned two issues: canonical competence for proclaiming the autocephaly of a Church and the canonical procedure for proclaiming autocephaly and obtaining Orthodox consensus. The theses presented during the dialogue between the Orthodox Churches clearly show that the main points of divergence do not concern the substance of the institution of autocephaly, but rather the manner of its proclamation, the procedure to be followed, and the ecclesiastical authority competent to initiate and manage this procedure.

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