From Paul Meyendorff
The December 12 issue of Jubilee (No. 8) contains a highly provocative and
misleading article by Hans-Georg Link entitled "Unmasking Orthodox claims." The
article is both aggressive and insulting, and I was astonished to find it on the pages of
an official WCC publication.
In particular, the author quotes an Orthodox representative at a padare hearing as saying
that most of the Orthodox churches did not really engage in the Apostolic Faith Study.
What Dr Link failed to mention was that this same Orthodox speaker continued, to state
that this was a problem of the ecumenical movement as a whole, that the same was true in
many Protestant Churches, and in the Roman Catholic Church as well. The problem of
reception is not specific to the Orthodox.
The same tendency to mislead is evident later in the article, when the author claims that
none of the "Orthodox dignitaries" who celebrated a resurrectional service on
Monday morning "felt it necessary to take part in Sunday evening’s vigil".
In fact, the Orthodox were present at the vigil in significant numbers, and the author
does not mention the fact that only a small percentage of Assembly delegates attended.
At a time when the Orthodox are striving to find a constructive way to continue their
membership and participation in the WCC, such remarks are not helpful, and can only play
into the hands of those who would like us to withdraw.
Meyendorff, a delegate from the Orthodox Church in America, is professor of liturgical
theology at St Vladimir’s seminary, New York, and chairs the Faith and Order
committee of the NCC in the USA. He is also a member of the assembly worship committee.
Editor’s note: Jubilee or e-Jubilee is not an official WCC
publication. It is a newspaper produced for participants in the assembly. With that
understanding, the council does not seek to control the contents.
