ATHENS, Greece (AP) – The spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians on Wednesday said a historic meeting of church leaders – the first in more than a millennium – will take place despite a pullout by Russia, the fourth Orthodox church to say it won’t attend the June gathering in Crete.
Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, who ranks as “the first among equals,” said he hopes the Russian church and three others who have chosen not to come will change their minds.
The weeklong Holy and Great Council, which is to begin on Sunday, was meant to bring together the leaders of the 14 independent Orthodox churches to promote unity among the world’s 300 million Orthodox Christians.
The gathering on the island of Crete has been 55 years in preparation and planning.
“I hope the churches, even at the last minute, revise their decisions and honor their signatures and come to Crete,” Bartholomew said as he arrived on the island.