Atlanta, October 3, 2024
Photo: assemblyofbishops.org
The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America met for its 13th session in Atlanta from September 28 to October 1.
The Assembly includes the bishops of all canonical jurisdictions in America, though the Moscow Patriarchate and the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia suspended their participation when the Patriarchate of Constantinople created a schismatic church on the territory of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in 2018.
The hierarchs gathered for Divine services at various Atlanta churches over the course of its session, and Assembly agencies and committees presented updates on their work and ministries, the Assembly reports.
Representatives of the country’s theological schools and seminaries presented on “Clerical Formation and Contemporary Challenges,” discussing various topics related to seminary education and clerical preparation. This was followed by an open dialogue with the hierarchs about the future of clerical formation. The bishops expressed interest in a unified theological course syllabus across all schools and seminaries.
The Assembly also addressed those suffering from Hurricane Helene and the ongoing situations in the Middle East and Ukraine:
During their deliberations, the Hierarchs called to mind and lamented the immense loss of life and vast devastation in the wake of Hurricane Helene, whose aftermath from heavy rains and unprecedented floods leaves behind a crisis of disastrous proportions from Florida’s Gulf Coast to Virginia’s Appalachian Mountains, and especially the State of North Carolina. IOCC is coordinating deployment in response with the Hierarchy and local parishes for short- and long-term recovery efforts for those impacted. The Assembly encourages the faithful to support IOCC’s efforts.
Further, the Assembly of Bishops reflected on and decried the escalation of violence that now threatens to embroil Gaza, the West Bank, Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, and the wider region. On October 7, 2023, Hamas attacked Israel in an act of terror on civilians, amounting to numerous casualties and hostages, some of whom remain in captivity. Israel’s response, and the continuing devastation in Gaza, where tens of thousands of innocent civilians have been killed—while the physical and psychological wounding and crippling to upwards of one hundred thousand civilians—are as unconscionable as they are unacceptable. Israel’s recent attacks against Hezbollah in Lebanon further hurl the region into a spiral of onslaught and retaliation.
In this light, the Hierarchs prayed for the safety, especially of the Patriarchates of Antioch and Jerusalem, as well as for a speedy end to conflict, the return of all hostages, and for the rebuilding of Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, and the entire region in accordance with the standards of human dignity and international law, as well as a sustainable peace in the Middle East. Violence can never solve violence, and peace should be pursued at all costs.
The Assembly reiterated its “concern and profound sorrow for the ongoing invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation as well as the ecclesiastical challenges in the country” and continues to pray “for a peaceful resolution to this invasion that upholds the civil and human rights of all Ukrainians … calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities and the return of all captives.”
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