Bulgarian Orthodox Church to Elect New Patriarch in February

The Bulgarian Orthodox Church has announced that it will hold a council, comprised of the members of the hierarchy and representatives of the metropolises, stavropeghial monastic communities, and seminaries, this coming February to elect its next patriarch. Of the current hierarchy of the Sofia Patriarchate two members are ineligible for election, whilst two others have already stated that they will not allow themselves to be candidates for election. More here. H/t to Byzantine Texas for posting this.

UOCUSA Nominates Next Metropolitan

An extraordinary council (собор) of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA (UOCUSA) and the Diaspora has nominated Archbishop Antony (Scharba) of Hierapolis and the Eastern American Eparchy for election by the Holy Synod of the Constantinopolitan Orthodox Church as first hierarch of the UOCUSA. Axios! More here.

Georgian Orthodox Patriarch Fears Possible Schism

Upon returning from his recent visit to Constantinople Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II (Ghudushauri-Shiolashvili) of the Georgian Orthodox Church expressed reservations about the convening of a general council of the Local Orthodox Churches, saying that he feared holding such a council in the near future could lead to a schism within world Orthodoxy due to the assorted issues between the Orthodox Churches that remain contentious and unresolved. Patriarch Ilia also expressed disagreement with the Ecumenical Patriarchate's recent reinterpretation of the 28th canon of the Council of Chalcedon that would give the Church of Constantinople jurisdiction over Orthodox Christians living outside the canonical territories of the existing Orthodox Churches. More (in Russian) here.

Metropolitan Hilarion on the Pentarchy

In an interview Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) of Volokolamsk has reaffirmed his belief that preparations for a general council of the Local Orthodox Churches will continue and also noted the purely secular origins of the pentarchy, the ranking of the five (now four) ancient patriarchates in the Mediterranean world above the other Local Orthodox Churches that have been established after them, and of the notion of Moscow as a 'Third Rome' that has been popular in Russia. More here.

Yours truly is naturally hopeful that the ideal of the Third Rome will be abandoned by the Russian Orthodox Church so that the Fourth Rome can take its rightful place in world Orthodoxy ;-). And, of course, 'a fifth there shall not be'...

Betwixt East and West?

Although clearly outside the Orthodox Church, the situation of the Eastern Catholic Churches is a truly unique one. Check this out on the rejection by the Melkite Catholic Church of the post-Great Schism 'ecumenical' councils of the Roman Catholic Church.

Upcoming Meeting of the North American Episcopal Assembly

It has been announced that the next meeting of the member hierarchs of the Episcopal Assembly of North and Central America is to be held this May in Chicago, Illinois. Metropolitan John (Zizioulis) of Pergamum, who represented the Ecumenical Patriarchate at the recent inter-Orthodox meeting in Chambesy, may be in attendance to discuss the ongoing preparations for a "great and holy" council. More on the upcoming meeting of the Assembly can be found here.

Meeting of the Bulgarian Orthodox Holy Synod

At its first session in the New Year the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church approved the ongoing visit of Metropolitan Gabriel of Lovech to Russia and also appointed Metropolitan Kirill of Varna as its representative at an upcoming planning meeting in Chambessy for a general council of the Local Orthodox Churches. More on those decisions here. The Holy Synod also approved a previous decision not to include Metropolitan Simeon (Dimitrov) of Berlin and Western Europe and Metropolitan Joseph of New York and the USA, Canada, and Australia in its rotating membership due to the logistical issues involved. More on that and other decisions here.

Upcoming Meeting of the Armenian Orthodox Church of Cilicia

Please remember in your prayers the Armenian Orthodox Church of Cilicia as its hierarchs, clergy, and lay delegates will be meeting shortly at the seat of their catholicosate in Antelias, Lebanon, to discuss the place and mission of their Local Orthodox Church in the twenty-first century. The Catholicosate's press release on the upcoming meeting can be found here.