RESOLUTION OF THE GEORGIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH REGARDING ECUMENISM
October 8, 1998
Feast of Saint Arsenios the Great, Catholicos of Georgia (+887)

The Holy Synod of the Georgian Orthodox Church convened for its session on October 8 in the conference hall of the Patriarchal Residence. All 24 hierarchs of the Georgian Orthodox Church were present. The Holy Synod was presided over by His Holiness Ilia II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia.

Alongside other administrative and hierarchical decisions, the Holy Synod adopted an important ecclesiastical resolution. Together with the Resolution were included the conclusions of the Theological Commission, which formed the canonical foundation of the Synodal Decision.

The issues addressed in the Resolution are:

1. Documents adopted by Orthodox and non-Orthodox Theological Commissions:
   • a) The so-called Balamand Declaration (between Orthodox and Catholics)
   • b) The so-called Chambésy Declaration (between Orthodox and Non-Chalcedonians)
   • c) The so-called Antiochian Agreement (between the Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and the Syrian Monophysites)
2. The celebration of the Resurrection of the Lord according to the New Calendar by the Autonomous Orthodox Church of Finland
3. The new ecclesiological heretical teaching — concerning the existence of salvific Grace outside the canonical boundaries of the Church — the so-called Branch Theory
4. The performance of common prayers and certain instances of communion with heretics

The document that follows denounces the ecclesiological heresy known as the “Branch Theory,” which emerged within modernist theological circles. In this context, the teachings of the Holy Fathers and the Canons of the Church were taken into consideration. These teachings represent the confession of Orthodox ecclesiology.

The Holy Synod was informed that the Theological Commission, established in July 1997 under the blessing of His Holiness Ilia II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, had studied the issues that had recently caused scandal in some Churches.

The Theological Commission reviewed the documents from Chambésy (Switzerland) and Balamand (Lebanon), the 1991 agreement between the Orthodox Church of Antioch and the non-Chalcedonian (Oriental) Antiochian Churches, the celebration of Pascha in the Autonomous Orthodox Church of Finland according to the Gregorian reckoning, and the teaching on the existence of salvific Grace outside the canonical boundaries of the Church, the so-called “Branch Theory.”

The Theological Commission contacted the Patriarchates of Constantinople, Antioch, and Russia and received information regarding the positions of various Churches on the aforementioned issues.

It must be emphasized that a number of Autocephalous Churches — including the Church of Georgia — have never given synodal consent to the matters discussed above.

Taking into account that these issues have caused disturbances among our faithful, the Theological Commission of the Patriarchate of Georgia studied these materials and published its conclusions in three editions of the Patriarchate’s Informational Bulletin. The Holy Synod acknowledged and agreed with the conclusions of the Theological Commission of the Georgian Patriarchate.

The following document represents the position of the Georgian Orthodox Church — a position it has always upheld — which we now declare and reaffirm with conviction.

THE HOLY SYNOD OF THE GEORGIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH HAS DECIDED

I. The document (the so-called Chambésy Declaration) issued by the Theological Commission for theological dialogue between the Orthodox Church and the non-Orthodox (Oriental) Churches, whose sessions were held in Chambésy, is unacceptable.

II. The preliminary agreement between the Orthodox Church of Antioch and the non-Chalcedonian (Oriental) Antiochian Churches of 1991 is unacceptable.

III. The document adopted by the International Commission for Dialogue between the Catholics and the Orthodox Church on June 23, 1993, in Balamand (Lebanon), titled “Uniatism: Method of Union in the Past and the Present Search for Full Communion” (the so-called Balamand Declaration), is unacceptable.

IV. The celebration of the Resurrection of the Lord in the Autonomous Church of Finland according to the Gregorian Paschalion, which goes against the decision of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea regarding the date of Pascha, is unacceptable.
From an Orthodox perspective, this is considered a violation of the canons, not a heresy. It is also important to note that the Patriarchate of Constantinople (under whose jurisdiction the Autonomous Orthodox Church of Finland falls) reacted negatively to this canonical violation and suggested that Pascha must be celebrated in accordance with the decision of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea (see the letter of the Patriarch of Constantinople #1214/1997).

V. The doctrine regarding the existence of salvific Grace outside the canonical boundaries of the Church and its extreme expression — the Branch Theory, which recognizes all contemporary Christian denominations as equal parts of the one true Church of Christ, possessing the Grace of God and the Truth equally — is unacceptable.

VI. Common prayers and communion with non-Orthodox are unacceptable, as was also stated in the final document of the inter-Orthodox meeting in Thessaloniki (April 29 – May 2, 1998, paragraph 13, point b):

“Orthodox delegates will not participate in ecumenical services, common prayers, joint worship, or other religious ceremonies at such gatherings.”

A detailed analysis of the above-mentioned issues was published in the Informational Bulletin (#1, 2, 3) of the Patriarchate of Georgia.

CONCLUSIONS:

From all that has been stated above, the Theological Commission of the Patriarchate of Georgia has established that, at the beginning of the 20th century, within modernist theological circles, the following heretical teachings were formulated:

• The validity of the Holy Mysteries (Sacraments) outside the canonical boundaries of the true Church of Christ.
• The so-called “Branch Theory.”

All these teachings radically contradict Orthodox ecclesiology and are absolutely unacceptable to Orthodoxy.

Our Commission categorically condemns the aforementioned heresies and, as a result, rejects the practice of common prayer and — in some situations — even intercommunion. By taking this position, we align ourselves with the document adopted at the Pan-Orthodox Synod in Thessaloniki (April 29 – May 2, 1998), particularly paragraph 13b, which states:

“Orthodox delegates will not participate in ecumenical services, common prayers, glorification of God, or any religious ceremony within the framework of the World Council of Churches (W.C.C).”

As for the reception of heretics and schismatics into the Orthodox Church, the recommended procedure is based on the principle of economia (pastoral discretion) and in no way implies that any grace of the Holy Spirit — of Baptism, Chrismation, or Ordination — is operative in any group outside the Church.

The sole bearer of divine grace is the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Orthodox Church. Amen.

Official Sources:

https://patriarchate.ge/news/1522#:~:text=%E1%83%A1%E1%83%90%E1%83%91%E1%83%94%E1%83%A0%E1%83%AB%E1%83%9C%E1%83%94%E1%83%97%E1%83%98%E1%83%A1%E1%83%90%20%E1%83%93%E1%83%90%20%E1%83%99%E1%83%95%E1%83%98%E1%83%9E%E1%83%A0%E1%83%9D%E1%83%A1%E1%83%98%E1%83%A1%20%E1%83%94%E1%83%99%E1%83%9A%E1%83%94%E1%83%A1%E1%83%98%E1%83%90%E1%83%97%E1%83%90%20%E1%83%98%E1%83%94%E1%83%A0%E1%83%90%E1%83%A0%E1%83%A5%E1%83%98%E1%83%98%E1%83%A1,%E1%83%90%E1%83%A6%E1%83%9C%E1%83%98%E1%83%A8%E1%83%9C%E1%83%A3%E1%83%9A%E1%83%98%20%E1%83%A1%E1%83%AA%E1%83%93%E1%83%94%E1%83%91%E1%83%90%20%E1%83%A9%E1%83%95%E1%83%94%E1%83%9C%E1%83%98%20%E1%83%99%E1%83%9D%E1%83%9B%E1%83%9E%E1%83%94%E1%83%A2%E1%83%94%E1%83%9C%E1%83%AA%E1%83%98%E1%83%98%E1%83%A1%20%E1%83%A4%E1%83%90%E1%83%A0%E1%83%92%E1%83%9A%E1%83%94%E1%83%91%E1%83%A1

THE ORTHODOX CHURCH OF GEORGIA AND
THE ECUMENICAL MOVEMENT (BEFORE AND AFTER 1997)