8,921
edits
Changes
m
→Post-Communist era (1991-Present)
*1991 Representatives of Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches meet in Chambesy, Switzerland, discussing relations with World Council of Churches.
*1992 Synaxis of primates of Orthodox churches in Constantinople.
*1993 Orthodox-Roman Catholic Joint Theological Commission meets in Balamand, Lebanon, issuing common document ''"Uniatism: Method of Union of the Past, and Present. Search for Full Communion"'' (the '''"[[Balamand document]]"'''); Lutheran-Orthodox Joint Commission issues statement ''"The Ecumenical Councils."'' *1993 [[Church of Cyprus]] condemns [[Freemasonry]]; ''' ''[[Orthodox Study Bible|Orthodox Study Bible: New Testament and Psalms]]'' ''' published; [[Church of Eritrea|Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church]] becomes autocephalous; martyrdom of [[New Martyrs of Optina Pustyn]].
*1994 [[Ligonier Meeting]] in Western Pennsylvania at [[Antiochian Village]] held by the majority of Orthodox hierarchs in North America votes to do away with the notion of Orthodox Christians in America being a "[[diaspora]]".
*1995 Patr. [[Bartholomew I (Archontonis) of Constantinople|Bartholomew I]] visits Vatican; Lutheran-Orthodox Joint Commission issues statement ''"Understanding of Salvation in the Light of the Ecumenical Councils"''; Pope John Paul II issues encyclical ''[http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_02051995_orientale-lumen_en.html Orientale Lumen]'', encouraging reunion between East and West.
*1996 Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America reorganized by the [[Church of Constantinople|Ecumenical Patriarchate]], dividing the administration of the two continents into four parts.
*1997 Establishment of dioceses of Bukoba, Madagascar, Ghana and Nigeria; Russian [[w:Law on Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations|Law on Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations]] declares [[Orthodox Church|Orthodox Christianity]] as Russia's predominant religion.
*1998 [[Church of Constantinople]], not recognizing Russia's right to issue a [[tomos]] of [[autocephaly]] in 1951, issues its own tomos for the [[Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia]]; [http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/ecumenism/thessaloniki_roc.aspx Thessaloniki Summit] held to discuss Orthodox participation in [[w:World Council of Churches|WCC]]; Lutheran-Orthodox Joint Commission issues statement ''"Salvation: Grace, Justification and Synergy."''
*1999 Numerous Serbian Orthodox sites in Kosovo and Metohia destroyed and desecrated during NATO peacekeeping presence.
*2000 Orthodox-Roman Catholic Joint Theological Commission meets in Baltimore, discusses text on ''"The Ecclesiological and Canonical Implications of Uniatism,"'' but is suspended; Lutheran-Orthodox Joint Commission issues statement ''"Word and Sacraments (Mysteria) in the Life of the Church"''.
*2001 '''Pope John Paul II of Rome [[Fourth Crusade#Papal Apology to Orthodox Church|apologizes to Orthodox Church]] for Fourth Crusade'''; [[Church of Alexandria|Chalcedonian]] and [[Church of Alexandria (Coptic)|Non-Chalcedonian]] Patriarchates of Alexandria agree to mutually recognize baptisms and marriages performed in each other's churches.
*2002 Patr. [[Bartholomew I (Archontonis) of Constantinople]] and Pope [[John Paul II]] co-sign Venice Declaration of Environmental Ethics; Lutheran-Orthodox Joint Commission issues statement ''"Mysteria/Sacraments as Means of Salvation."''
*2003 [[Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America]] granted "self-rule" (similar but not identical to [[autonomy]]) by [[Church of Antioch]]; Coptic priest Fr. [[Zakaria Botros]] begins his television and internet mission to Muslims in North Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and western countries, resulting in thousands of conversions.
*2005 Major controversy in Ukraine involving the almost exclusively western Ukraine-based [[Eastern Catholic Churches|Uniate]] Greek Catholic Church moving its administrative centre on from Lviv to Kiev, constructing a large cathedral there, and its plans to establish a patriarchate, criticized by the Orthodox [[Church of Ukraine]] and other Orthodox.
*2006 Pope [[Benedict XVI]] drops ''Patriarch of the West'' title; Pope [[Benedict XVI]] visits Ecumenical Patriarchate, drawing criticism from [[Mount Athos]]; Abp. [[Christodoulos (Paraskevaides) of Athens]] visits Vatican; Lutheran-Orthodox Joint Commission issues statement ''"The Holy Eucharist in the Life of the Church."''
*2007 Restoration of [[full communion]] between [[Moscow Patriarchate]] and [[ROCOR]]; 1600th anniversary celebration of the repose of [[John Chrysostom]]; the [[Roman Catholic Church|Vatican]] [[w:Vatican_abolishes_Limbo|formally abolishes doctrine of Limbo]]; synod of over 50 bishops of the [[Church of Ukraine]] announce that the UOC-MP is "an autonomous, historical part of the Russian Orthodox Church"; Orthodox-Roman Catholic Joint Commission meets in Ravenna, Italy, 10th plenary, led by co-presidents [[w:Walter Kasper|Cardinal Walter Kasper]] and Metr. [[John (Zizioulas) of Pergamon]], agreeing upon a joint document consisting of '''46 articles providing an ecclesiastical road map in discussing union'''; Russian delegation walks out of Ravenna talks in protest of presence of Estonian delegation ([[Church of Constantinople|EP]]). *2008 First Orthodox Liturgy [http://www.interfax-religion.com/?act=news&div=4495 celebrated at the North Pole]; '''[[Orthodox Study Bible]] (with [[Septuagint]]''') published;[http://www.ec-patr.org/docdisplay.php?lang=en&id=995&tla=en '''Pan-Orthodox meeting in Constantinople'''] in October of the Primates of the fourteen Orthodox Churches, signing a document calling for inter-orthodox unity and collaboration and "''the continuation of preparations for the Holy and Great Council''".