Quotes from OL IX Plenaries:
Archbishop Vsevolod of Scopelos – The Patriarchs of the Ancient Pentarchy (Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem) should jointly call for a worldwide Ecumencial Council of all the Apostolic Christian Churches of the world that adhere to the principle of my presentation – one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. Dare I suggest this be called an Eighth Ecumenical Council. Perhaps we should simply name it an Ecumenical Council of Christian Unity or for the Third Millennium? In any event, it's purpose would be to consider how to re-structure the Churches involved, consolidate where appropriate, de-centralize where appropriate, and combine where appropriate, trying to establish a balanced organizational structure not only in size and shape, but in authority and responsibility. In essence, we need to try and utilize the best of both worlds – counterbalancing central structure with local flexibility.
Bishop Salvatore Cordileone – “…we must understand governance in the Church not as an end itself, but at the service of the Church’s ultimate purpose which is the glory of God and the salvation of souls. While the Church must borrow models of governance from secular society precisely because it exists in the world in the form of a visible body, it must do so in accordance with its own ends, adapting what it can but never adopting wholesale any one form of government. After all, those who exercise governance in the Church are called “pastors,” and so they must rule their flocks not like kings of the temporal order but like shepherds, after the manner of the Good Shepherd himself who lays down his life for his flock (cf. Jn 10:11).”
Bishop Nicholas Samra – “To understand and to define the essence of the Church and its structure, it is first necessary to speak about the Holy Trinity—to search its depths and theological meaning, and to attempt to better understand the mystery of God. We call the Church the “Body of Christ.” We call it the “communion in the Holy Spirit.” To get a better understanding of these words we need first to speak of the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. When we get a better view of the Trinity—of course never totally understanding the mystery—we will better understand the love of God. By recognizing and knowing the love of God we must first know it, and in order to know it we must be participants of the living godly organism which we call Church – the Body of Christ.”
Photos:
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- The group poses outside the University Center building on the campus of the University of San Diego.
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- Bishop Nicholas Samra addresses the OL IX participants in the plenary hall.
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- The iconostasis of the Saint George Serbian Orthodox Church which hosted Vespers and the plenary session given by Archbishop Vsevolod of Scopelos.