GOC Head regrets split in Orthodoxy and hopes for reconciliation with ROC

The Primate of the GOC (center) with Russian and Greek officials. Photo: romfea.gr

The head of the Greek Orthodox Church, Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece, regrets the schism in Orthodoxy and hopes for the restoration of Eucharistic communion with the Russian Orthodox Church.

This was announced by the Chairman of the Interparliamentary Assembly of Orthodoxy (IAO), State Duma Deputy Sergei Gavrilov, following a meeting with Archbishop Ieronymos, RIA Novosti reported.

Gavrilov and Archbishop Jerome met on May 25, and, according to the Russian official, the conversation was, inter alia, "about what is happening to fellow believers in Ukraine, about the destructiveness of the split and its negative impact on relations between the two countries."

"And our task is to counteract this as much as possible, to restore relations and strengthen them on the basis of Orthodox values. I hope that this will also affect the mood in the church environment," the IAO Chairman told Archbishop Ieronymos.

According to him, the head of the IAO agreed with this position. "He made an unexpected statement. He said that, indeed, we make mistakes in sacred matters, and this leads to dire consequences, the afflictions of people. The Archbishop said he had been thinking about it a lot. He was in a very good mood, the morale was very good. He said that he hoped that with God's help, joint efforts, repentance, we would restore our communication," Gavrilov said.

He also said that Archbishop Ieronymos had invited not only Russian deputies but also Orthodox Russian youth to visit Greece, "so that they could communicate with Greek youth and strengthen relations."

"We spoke about Athos. The Archbishop said he would pray for us and that Athos, like many pilgrimage programs, strengthens our relations," the IAO chief said, adding that, in his opinion, Abp. Ieronymos cannot change his position on the Ukrainian issue at the moment.”

Earlier, the UOJ wrote that Greece hopes for an influx of Russian tourists.

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