Page 150 - Orthodoxy Zizioulas

O r t h o d o x y
and gathering all into unity. He represents God before the
community and the community before God, and for this rea-
son he exercises full authority within his Church.
This authority, however, is inseparable from the commu-
nity itself. A bishop cannot exist in isolation; he is always the
bishop of a specific place, of a concrete eucharistic commu-
nity composed of laity, presbyters, and deacons. His identity
is relational and ecclesial, not individual.
Because the bishop is the icon of Christ, all bishops are
fundamentally equal. This equality cannot be diminished by
titles of honor that introduce a hierarchy among them. Epis-
copal authority does not arise from rank, but from the sacra-
mental and eucharistic function that each bishop shares
equally.
At the same time, because the bishop embodies the unity
of the community, there can be only one bishop in a given
place. This principle, affirmed by the First Ecumenical Coun-
cil, is not merely administrative but deeply theological, touch-
ing the very essence of the Church’s unity.
The bishop’s role, rooted in his presidency of the Eucharist,
extends beyond the local Church. Through his ordination,
each bishop participates in the universal life of the Church and
is called to take part in councils that address matters beyond
his own diocese. In this way, the catholicity of the Church—
already present in each Eucharist—is also expressed at the
regional and universal level. No bishop can be deprived of this
participation, for it belongs to the very nature of his ministry.
If we now look at the present canonical situation of Ortho-
doxy in the light of these principles, we become aware of cer-
tain fundamental problems. Some of these are inherited from
the past and continue to persist; others arise from the particu-
lar historical conditions of the modern world. Yet these prob-
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