St. Philaret the New Confessor: “Fear Not, Little Flock…”

 And I will only say in conclusion of this brief word of mine, that the Pre-Council Commission must not lose sight, but must constantly keep in view, the particularity of our situation, our isolation due to our principled, unyielding stance. The All-Diaspora Council must clearly proclaim to the whole world that for us—though weak, sinful, and frail, yet standing in the pure truth of Orthodoxy—it is absolutely inconceivable even to speak of the possibility that we might agree to any concessions in regard to Truth, that we might go along with any agreements or compromises, whether it be Ecumenism in its crude, primitive form or in its more subtle, poisonous form, or any other kind of heterodox thinking. In any case, our Church will never walk this path. Therefore, I repeat, Her distinctiveness lies in this very isolation. This does not at all mean that we shut ourselves off from other confessions, or from people in general who are seeking the Truth—not at all. We joyfully call all for whom the Truth is dear, who desire to stand in the Truth—we are always ready to say: the door is open, come and see. But at the same time, we ourselves remain unbending in our position. If anyone is frightened by the fact that we are so alone and isolated, that essentially with our episcopate of 22 persons and, so to speak, with our clergy and laity we are but a small handful in the boundless ocean of humanity, and if anyone is troubled by this, then we have long read in the Gospel the words of the Savior to His disciples: “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”

- Metropolitan Philaret of New York, from his Address to the Pre-Council Commission in preparation for the Third All-Diaspora Council, April 30/May 13, 1969.

 

Russian source:

https://sinod.ruschurchabroad.org/Arh%20Sobor%201974%20Prot-Predsob-Komissii.htm