Page 214 - Orthodoxy Zizioulas

O r t h o d o x y
Thus one of the most important challenges for contempo-
rary Orthodoxy is not to overlook or disguise but to confront
directly the jurisdictional issues created by the diaspora. The
ultimate goal must remain the only normative one from an
Orthodox perspective: one Orthodox bishop in each locality.
Linguistic and cultural diversity may be pastorally served
through distinct parishes, but all such parishes must remain
under one bishop; only in this way are cultural and ethnic
divisions transcended in the catholicity of the Church.
In this spirit, the Orthodox Churches have established
Episcopal Assemblies in the regions of the diaspora. These
assemblies are a transitional step toward canonical normaliza-
tion. Their purpose is to manifest Orthodox unity in each
place, to foster common pastoral care, to coordinate theo-
logical education, and to represent Orthodoxy with one voice
before the wider society. They do not abolish the existing ju-
risdictions, but they prepare the ground for a stricter canoni-
cal order.
A decisive step was taken by the Fourth Preconciliar Pan-
orthodox Commission in Chambesy, which unanimously es-
tablished these Episcopal Assemblies according to the order
of the Diptychs. In this way the Orthodox Church opened the
path toward a canonical solution of the diaspora on the basis
of the local Church, which is the fundamental cell of Ortho-
dox ecclesiology. The Holy and Great Council in Crete (2016)
confirmed this direction, sealing the Church’s commitment to
the restoration of canonical order.
Yet the Church is never sustained by structure alone. Ca-
nonical order protects communion, but it cannot give life
unless it is continually nourished by the living memory of the
Fathers, in whom the Church recognizes not merely teachers
of the past, but witnesses of the Spirit in every age.
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