On the invitation of His Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, following the unanimous decision taken by the Primates of the Orthodox Churches who have recently met in the premises of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, in Istanbul, the Orthodox Centre of Chambésy, near Geneva, is hosting the Fourth Pre-Council Pan-Orthodox Conference. The Conference - that began on June 7th and will end on June 13th - is attended by the delegates of the Orthodox Churches outside the canonical territories, escorted by members of the mother Churches. Guests include delegates from Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, Greece, Georgia. The delegation of the Patriarchate of Moscow is led by the archbishop Hilarion of Volokolamsk, president of the Department for external relations, and includes the archbishop of Germany, Mark (Russian Church abroad). The Conference is chaired by His Eminence the metropolitan bishop John of Pergamum (Zizioulas). In these days, the guests - states a release from Chambesy - are called to approve a number of documents on the problem of the Orthodox diaspora in the world, with a view to improving the coordination of the pastoral work, "in the spirit of the Council". The approval of such documents is part of a long preliminary phase (dating back to the Sixties) that should lead to calling "a holy, great Council of the Orthodox Church".

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