Ecumenism: A Report to the Third All-Diaspora Council (September 1974)

Protopriest Rostislav Gan (+1975)

The Second All-Diaspora Council of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, with the participation of clergy and laity, held on August 1/14 to 11/24, 1938, in Sremski Karlovci, Yugoslavia, after a detailed report by the Bishop of Potsdam, Seraphim (Lade, later Metropolitan of [Berlin and] Germany) on the ecumenical movement, proposed a draft resolution, which the Council of Bishops on August 16/29, 1938, approved in the following form:

1. Orthodox Christians must recognize the Holy Universal Orthodox Church as the one and only true Church of Christ. Therefore, the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad forbids its children from participating in the ecumenical movement, which stands on the principle of equality of all Christian religions and confessions.

2. At the same time, although persons who are not only alien to Orthodoxy, but also close to anti-Christian Masonic societies, and even showing sympathy for Bolshevism, take part in the leadership of the ecumenical movement, but because at the same time, on the other hand, quite sincere people participate in this movement, seeking truth, loving Orthodoxy and striving for it, and the representation of the Orthodox Church existing in the ecumenical movement by persons from other jurisdictions often does not explain, but obscures the understanding of Orthodoxy, then to recognize the presence at conferences and meetings of the ecumenical movement of representatives of the Russian Church Abroad, by authorization of the church authorities, for the sake of missionary goals is desirable.

3. Representatives of our Church at these congresses must be guided by the decision of the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia of December 18, 1931, uncompromisingly explain the teaching of the Orthodox Church and its points of view on all issues arising in connection with the ecumenical movement, and, without taking part with the participants in its common prayer, or in voting and passing resolutions, to confine itself to missionary and informational activities.

4. Notify the heads of the autocephalous Churches about this ruling and ask them to instruct their representatives at ecumenical congresses, together with representatives of the Russian Church Abroad, to defend the uncompromising upholding of the Orthodox point of view and not allow deviations from it in any cases.

This resolution of the Second All-Diaspora Council has not only not lost its significance, but it also demonstrates the foresight that the members of the Council had regarding the present time. The 36 years that have passed (between councils) have not necessitated any amendments to this resolution.

Based on it, let us try, as much as possible, to briefly characterize those currents that strive to undermine the foundation of Christ's Church.

"Ekumeniya" – the universe – means the entire inhabited world or all the territories that were once part of the Byzantine Empire. That is why the Patriarch of Constantinople is referred to as "Universal" or "Ecumenical."

Currently, the term "ecumenical movement" or "ecumenism" refers to a movement aimed at creating Christian unity among people of different Christian confessions. The head of the YMCA, at a congress in Bulgaria (1922), stated that the organization's goal is to create a "unified world whole, governed by a single will." Orthodox Christians were invited to join this unified whole, alongside others from various confessions. As a result, questions arose: How can an Orthodox person or Orthodox organizations enter such a "unity"? Can true unity be achieved among different confessions? And at what cost can it be sustained?

There are two perspectives on this movement: 1) the possibility of witnessing to the truth of Orthodoxy among non-Orthodox, and 2) creating a practice of religious unity among people of different faiths, establishing an internal spiritual experience of such supra-confessional unity. They even discuss the creation of a spiritual experience of the "future church," claiming that there will be a revelation of the church and Christianity "coming in power." They assert that the psychological and spiritual unity achieved at such interconfessional congresses of the ecumenical movement is genuine unity in the Holy Spirit, i.e., church unity. They also discuss "inter-communion."

The idea of creating such a religious union in the name of Christ, from people who believe differently in Christ and have different understandings of Christ's relationship to people and people's relationship to Christ, is a false and deceptive idea – a surrogate for unity rather than genuine unity. In practice, such a union (but not unity) is possible only under the condition of people's incomplete confession of their faith, and by renouncing the full confession of their faith.

An attempt to create an organization on the basis of such incomplete unity, seemingly in the name of Christ, would be an attempt to create a "church" without Christ, to replace the true Church with a false one, and to substitute the Church of Christ with the church of the Antichrist ("many shall come in My name" - "they will come under My name" - Matthew 24:5).

And how clearly one can sense the "spirit of flattery" in the words of Fr. S. Bulgakov, spoken by him at one of the ecumenical congresses: "there was the wind of a new Pentecost." Pentecost (the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles) has already occurred; it is unique and unrepeatable because the Church of Christ is established, the Holy Spirit acts in it now, and will continue to act until the end of the age.

According to the words of St. John Chrysostom, the Church is a ship in the sea of life, and Christ is the Helmsman. All those who are on this ship are safe, despite the fierce storms and disturbances in this sea.

A "new Pentecost" - is it not the very same spirit that was active among the Khlysty and other so-called mystical sects? The "spirit of flattery" leads the ecumenical movement to the establishment of a false church, the substitution of truth with falsehood, and the replacement of Christ with the Antichrist. Ecumenism does not believe in Christ, who said, "I will build My Church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18). It does not believe that this Church has existed since the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles (the true Pentecost) and will continue to exist until the end of this age. There was the Church of the Old Testament, and there was even a "pagan" church, albeit a "barren church," but now a truly "church of the wicked" is being created, where everything is confessed except for the pure truth, because truth mixed with falsehood is no longer truth but falsehood. The principle of ecumenism is that each Christian denomination (including Orthodoxy) possesses only a part of the truth, and when all denominations are united, then a "new revelation of Christianity" will come, manifested in the "new church," and then the "Kingdom of God will come in power," but here on earth. The eschatological element - the eschatological expectation of the Kingdom of God - is absent. The ecumenical movement has forgotten the Lord's warning to His disciples: "In the world you will have tribulation," and it has forgotten that the Lord came to earth not for social transformations but for the rebirth and transformation of human souls. It has not overcome the temptation to influence the affairs of the world with worldly actions... Paradise on earth, heaven - is forgotten.

Communism deals with "the masses" or individual "collectives," but not with the individuality of a person. Personality is what distinguishes a person from the masses. A strong personality will never merge with the masses; it will always stand out from them. It will either resist or lead the masses, but never submit to them or merge with them. The goal of communism is to destroy the individual or subjugate it to the masses, to create an impersonal robot obediently carrying out all the dictates of the authorities. This depersonalization of the individual prepares the ground for the unhindered advent of the Antichrist, for whom a free individual is the "restraining" factor in his appearance in this world. Communism speaks of "the masses," "collectives," and only mentions the individual when it is devoid of any individuality, when its activities lack any uniqueness but instead conform to a standardized template required by the authorities (this is characteristic of communism's "cult of personality" - the personality that rules over the enslaved "collective" and the subjugated "masses").

Ecumenism gradually erodes the sense (intuition) of truth in a person. Truth is contained in all confessions, and therefore, each confession contains truth regardless of how it is perceived or by whom. The line between right and wrong, between truth and falsehood, between reality and illusion, becomes blurred. A person becomes accustomed to accepting lies as truth and truth as lies. This is the working of a "strong delusion... that they should believe the lie" (2 Thessalonians 2:11).

Communism levels all individuals to one standard, destroying any uniqueness. Similarly, ecumenism levels all confessions, placing them on a common plane of the "false church."

This "ecumenical temptation" was also appealing to the Russian state in the past. During the reign of Emperor Alexander I, the so-called "Bible Society" was formed in Russia with his sympathy and support. It aimed to create religious unity among people of different confessions, based on the principle of equality of all confessions (a principle also held by theosophists). Fortunately, this first attempt to establish ecumenism in Russia ended in failure, thanks to the genuine ecclesiastical consciousness possessed by both the hierarchy and the Orthodox people. However, it should be noted that this idea itself is enticing for sincere individuals seeking salvation for others. One such individual was the renowned Altai missionary and ascetic, Archimandrite Makary Glukharev, who, while a young hieromonk, participated in joint prayers with Quakers in St. Petersburg, as Quakers were popular among the upper echelons of society at that time.

Protestantism, sensing its ecclesiastical deficiencies, searches for the One True Church, leading to the theory of many branches within the One Church, an idea that is so unacceptable to Orthodox ecclesiastical consciousness. This same reason also led to the rise of the Pentecostal movement as the ultimate culmination of these quests.

The term "Antichrist" has two meanings: "anti" – against, "anti" – in the place of. In the communist world, the "Antichrist" is one who is against Christ. In the ecumenical world (particularly in Catholicism), the "Antichrist" is one who stands in place of Christ. However, it is the same spirit that operates both against and in place of Christ, the same spirit that tempted Christ in the desert. Good is replaced by evil, disguising itself with the appearance of good.

It is fair to acknowledge that among the proponents of the ecumenical movement, there were individuals who viewed its essence with sobriety and clarity. For instance, prominent ecumenical figure W. Visser 't Hooft pointed out that the mission of Orthodoxy is to preserve the ancient Christian tradition in doctrine, organization, and culture. Orthodoxy has managed to preserve itself from worldly influences and preserve the rich heritage of early Christianity.

Similarly, at one time, the well-known Czech reformer Jan Hus viewed Orthodoxy favorably, sending his loyal student Jerome of Prague to Vilnius to acquaint himself with Orthodoxy. If not for Hus's premature death, there would have been no doubt that the Hussites would have belonged to the true Church of Christ. Similarly, a prominent American philanthropist and missionary, Robert Gardiner, was an ecumenist in the best sense of the word. He was a fervent admirer of the Orthodox Church and an advocate of the ecumenical movement solely for the purpose of reuniting with the Orthodox Church, which he considered to be the only true Church of Christ and the Apostles. His dream was to come to Moscow, join the Church, and die at the feet of his teacher, Professor I. Sokolov of the Moscow Spiritual Academy. But alas! The revolution intervened. Anglican Bishop Gore (of Oxford and later of London) – a prominent ecumenical figure of the 1920s – always said: "The West needs to return to the East, although we are separated by centuries." Influenced by the former professor of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, and later of the Sofia Theological Faculty, N. N. Glubokovsky, the very prominent and active ecumenical figure, Archbishop Söderblom of Uppsala (1930), also became a supporter of Orthodoxy. Also, the Archbishop of Canterbury, William Temple, did not hide his desire (shared by other conscientious Anglicans) for the reunion of Anglicans with the Eastern Church. Anglicans and American Episcopalians who visited Metropolitan Anthony (Vadkovsky) in Saint Petersburg and earlier Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow also held similar views.

Regrettably, such distinguished figures, with their sincere and searching souls, have passed into the realm of history. The current ecumenical movement raises serious and legitimate concerns, as expressed above. The absence of eschatological aspirations leads the movement to engage in matters that are entirely alien to it: social, economic, and political… Moreover, the involvement of the unfree Moscow Patriarchate in the movement compromises its freedom and hinders the resolution of many issues. The fight against atheism and the struggle against the annihilation of the individual in countries behind the Iron Curtain are silenced and kept in silence. If at the so-called Pan-Orthodox Congress on the island of Rhodes in 1961, the question of combating the main enemy of religion - atheism - was silenced, what can we expect from ecumenists?!

What does the "dialogue" of Catholicism with atheism tell us? Has the world, both Western and partially Eastern, already reached a complete loss of both the criterion of truth and truth itself? When the Lord said to Pilate, "Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice," Pilate responded with bitter sarcasm, "What is truth?" (John 18:27-28). For Pilate, "truth" did not exist; it was merely a term without any content. What the ancient world reached, our contemporary world has also reached. If the first coming of Christ brought an abundant outpouring of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the unique and unrepeatable Pentecost, now we await not for the manifestation of some fantastically utopian, socially and technologically transformed world, but for the second, fearful, and glorious coming of Christ in glory to judge the living and the dead.

Russian source: 

https://sinod.ruschurchabroad.org/Arh%20Sobor%201974%203%20vsezarub%20doklad%20Gan.htm