Analytical Center of St. Basil the Great holds its first conference: “The Orthodox Church and the Ecumenical Movement: Analysis of Results and Prospects”

Source: St. Basil the Great Analytical Center

October 16, 2016

On October 15, 2016 the Analytical Center of St. Basil the Great held its first conference in Moscow in the House of Journalists, “The Orthodox Church and the Ecumenical Movement: Analysis of Results and Prospects,” organized by the center with the participation of well-known priests, public figures, Church and secular experts, and representatives of the academic community.

The conference opened with a prayer. Opening remarks were offered by the center’s co-founder M. C. Kozlov-Shulzhenko, who briefly acquainted those gathered with the goals, problems, and work of the new Orthodox organization of analysts from June 16, 2016, the date of the center’s founding, until today.

Fr. Andrew Philipps

The conference had an international character. Archpriest Andrew Phillips, rector of the church of St. John Maximovitch in Colchester, England, greeted the conference participants via video. Greek theologian Protopresbyter Peter Heers, rector of the church of the Prophet Elijah in Petrokerasa, Greece and doctor in dogmatic theology participated in the conference via Skype. Support and unanimity from Orthodox Georgia was clearly expressed by popular Georgian actor and director David Giorgobiani.

The forum was widely representative. Taking part in the conference were members of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation, Deputy Chairman of the Executive Committeee of the V. A. Alyoshin “Analytics” Association. Presentations were made by well-known pastors: Fr. George Maximov, Igumen Kirill (Sakharov), and Archpriest Maxim Kolesnik. The expert community was represented by such perennial actors in the anti-ecumenical movement as V. V. Voiko-Veliky, V. P. Semenko, and I. M. Druz. Representatives of Moscow State University and St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Humanitarian University O. A. Efremov and I. S. Vevyurko spoke on the problem of ecumenism from a socio-philosophical and hiostirical-political point of view. The situation of the anti-ecumenical movement in the Greek and Cypriot Churches was outlined by the representative of the Orthodox publishing house “Holy Mountain,” historian and translator A. G. Zoitakis.

Fr. Peter Heers

The experience and prospects of participants in the ecumenical movement from the Russian and other Local Orthodox Churches were analyzed at the conference. The conference concluded with an open discussion. The initiative of the Analytical Center of St. Basil the Great to consolidate all the healthy forces of the anti-ecumenical movement both in Russia and abroad was supported by the majority of the forum’s participants.

The center’s staff called on all those gathered to full support of the new public Orthodox organization and to close cooperation for the good of the Russian Church and its beloved Fatherland.

The organizers of the conference also announced preparations for a round table on the issues of modern spiritual education, intended for this fall. All present were invited.