COMMON DECLARATION BY THE HEADS OF THE ORIENTAL ORTHODOX CHURCHES
THE MEETING OF THE HEADS OF THE ORIENTAL ORTHODOX CHURCHES
Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate
Cairo, Egypt
14 November 2011
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
H.H. Pope Shenouda III, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, H.H. Patriarch Mar Ignatius Zakka I, Patriarch of Antioch and all the East, H.H. Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Holy See of Cilicia of the Armenian Orthodox Church and H.H. Abuna Paulos, Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, give thanks to God for bringing us together here in Cairo, Egypt, on Monday, 14 November 2011, to pray together and to reflect together on matters and concerns pertaining to our Churches and the Oriental Orthodox Family in general. We were accompanied by metropolitans, archbishops and bishops of our Churches.
In fact, the Churches of the Oriental Orthodox Family are united in faith, theology, doctrine, tradition and spirituality. This strong bond of unity has sustained this Family and became a source of spiritual strength, missionary outreach and social action in spite of tremendous challenges and crisis which surrounded these Churches in the course of their long history. The unity of faith of our Family is grounded on Apostolic Tradition and the teachings of the first three Ecumenical Councils of Nicea (325), Constantinople (381) and Ephesus (431). We developed our theological teachings and shaped our doctrinal positions on the basis of the teachings of these Ecumenical Councils, and adopted a common position in respect to heresies and heretics.
It is vitally important that we re-affirm and re-strengthen our unity, and re-invigorate our Christian witness. In a world which is constantly threatened by secularistic and materialistic ideologies and different sort of heresies which may jeopardize the integrity, identity and unity of our faith, therefore, re-organizing and re-revitalizing our intra-family collaboration is of decisive importance. The Oriental Orthodox Family has a long and rich history. Its relevance needs to be re-affirmed and its common witness to be re-activated in those regions and countries where the faithful of our Churches have organized their church and community life.
For H.H. Patriarch Mar Ignatius Zakka I, H.H. Catholicos Aram I and H.H. Abuna Paulos, participating in the 40th anniversary celebration of the enthronement of H.H. Pope Shenouda III was indeed a source of spiritual joy and a unique opportunity to express our brotherly love and unity. The pontificate of His Holiness has been one of dedicated service to the sister Coptic Orthodox Church; a committed service marked by so many achievements in different spheres of the life and mission of the Church. We pray the Almighty God to strengthen H.H. Pope Shenouda III to carry on his pontifical ministry with renewed commitment and vision.
We appeal to our faithful to remain firm in their Christian faith and participate fully in the witness of our Churches. May God lead our Churches in faithfulness to the command of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Glory be to God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
14 November 2011
Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate
Cairo, Egypt
Pope Shenouda III Patriarch Ignatius Zakka I
Catholicos Aram I Patriarch Paulos
God will never forget his people in India ,eventhough all patriarchs forget.
We Indian Orthodox people will be the shining stars in the Celestial hierarchy (may not be in the ecclesiastical
hierarchy).Those who are playing dirty politics with Church,God will destroy their darkness soon,
the injustice will not last forever .
[…] 18 ноября. ПРАВМИР. В понедельник, 14 ноября 2011 года главы Восточных Православных Церквей: Его Святейшество Папа Шенуда III, Папа Александрийский и Патриарх Престола Святого Марка, Его Святейшество Патриарх Мар Игнатий Закка I, Патриарх Антиохийский и всего Востока, Его Святейшество Католикос Арам I, Католикос Святого Престола Киликии Армянской Православной Церкви и Его Святейшество Абуна Паулос, Патриарх Эфиопской Православной Церкви в сопровождении митрополитов и епископов их церквей – собрались в Каире, чтобы помолиться вместе и обсудить вопросы, относящиеся к их Церквям и всей Восточной православной общине, сообщает Theorthodoxchurch.info. […]
ha ha IOC losers.. Non canonical division of SOC.
Indian Orthodox Church must express its grievens and disagreement against to this dirty politics and also rethink about the role of our church in the Oriental community. Try to make relationship with other Easten Othodox Churches and invites the heads of those churches to our Church. fr.shaji chacko,Mumbai.
Fr.Shaji, I don’t understand your logic. Throw away the ‘oriental orthodox’ faith ? So as per you the autocephaly and prestige is more important than the faith. That is what Mar Ivanios did, by creating the Malankara rite with in RC in the 30s. So if the Indian Church does what you suggest, what happens to St. Severus? St. Diascorus? or even St. Gregorious of Parumala. As per the Eastern Orthodox these fatierhs are not saints, they are monophysiite heretics.
Indian Orthodox Church is an integral part of the Syrian Orthodox Church with its head as a the Patriarch. So it is nonsence to say that IOC was not represented. Our Patriarch was there.
We Indian Orthodox Church will only recognise the heads of the Oriental Orthodox Church as per the 1934 constitution. H.H. Pope Shenouda III, H.H. Patriarch Mar Ignatius Zakka I, H.H. Catholicos Aram I, and H.H. Abuna Paulos were not elected according to the 1934 Constitution and the approval of the Malankara Synod. So these fathers will not be recognised by IOC. They have to give their written agreement to accept the 1934 constituion.
The people who post here faking as IOC member lamenting are the cunning jacobites…. Ivanmarude oro thamshakale 🙂
We were represented by our Spriritual Head, Zakka…. 🙂
John (Indian), <- The Indian proves, your are Nurse Metrans crony
Very Upsetting to see Malankara Orthodox Church not being represented.
Non-canonical? That’s a laugh. In the immediate past, Abuna Paulos, Catholicos Aram of Cilicia, Catholicos Karekin II of Ejmiadzin and Abba Seraphim of the British Orthodox Church made Apostolic visits to Malankara. All were guests of the Malankara Orthodox Church. Except for Catholicos Aram, who received a delegation of Jacobite Bishops due to his Middle Eastern connections, the other three prelates came and went without any interaction whatsoever with the Jacobites. It would seem that it’s their destiny to remain bystanders and shower abuses on all and sundry. They deserve better because they are our own brothers. Please shed divisiveness and embrace unity.
For the information of all you quarreling IOC and SOC and what-not members, this meeting was convened for the Oriental Orthodox Churches in the Middle East. Such meetings have been held previously and it has been explained time and again that when there is a need for the whole Oriental family heads to meet, the supreme head of the IOC shall also be informed beforehand. But needless to say, both the Indian and the Syriac Orthodox churches will continue to be a disgrace to Orthodoxy and Christianity as a whole unless they stop bickering round the clock.
Dear Dad
how much u are enjoying. if you get true happiness by laughing at your own son
then I am so sad to get such a dad.I agreed Dad,You are the winner. But same time I can say that you failed, not the IOC but the true tradition of the undivided church.
Even Christ is outside IOC church as he never accepted 1934 constitution.
The color of the skin and having native bishop: The Alexandrian
Church till being recently did not allow the Ethiopians to have a bishop
of their own. The Syrian and Persian churches did the same to St.
Thomas Christians of India . It was always White versus Black or White
versus Brown. So the color of the skin was the deciding factor to get a
bishop.
The power of a church and the political power of the city are
closely related. Examples are the city of Antioch and Syrian Church ,
the city of Alexandria and Alexandrian Church and the city of Rome and
the Roman Catholic Church. The different points in history, these
churches came to dominate the world Christianity along with those
connected cities, which were dominating the world at that time.
What is the problem, if they didnot invite us . Why our church and church affairs are running because of the help of any of these churches. What our existence will be in danger if they didnot invite us for a meeting. Let them go to hell if they dont invite us. we also dont invite them to our church. what for we need their recognition.
But there might anothe reason for not inviting us for that meeting .
Poor Jacobites :The color of the skin and having native bishop: The Alexandrian
Church till being recently did not allow the Ethiopians to have a bishop
of their own. The Syrian and Persian churches did the same to St.
Thomas Christians of India . It was always White versus Black or White
versus Brown. So the color of the skin was the deciding factor to get a
bishop.
727446 788171wonderful . Thanks for informations . Ill be back. Thanks once more 539046