A necessary response to Orthodox fanatics who sacrifice the truth for the sake of their schismatic sectarianism.

by Evagelos Sotiropoulos

As someone who traveled to Crete for the Holy and Great Council, who attended both Synodal Divine Liturgies (for Pentecost and the Sunday of All Saints) and who spoke with and heard from dozens of bishops, I am disturbed by the “malicious words” (cf. 3 John) that some are spewing against it. Having had the remarkable opportunity to see the deep faithfulness and reverence bishops have for holy Orthodoxy, I was motivated to write a few observations, responses, and questions, calling into serious question the credibility of the Council’s detractors.

• Those who condemn the number of participants fail to acknowledge that aside from the First, Fourth, and Seventh Ecumenical Councils (which each had significantly more bishops), the average participation of the other four Ecumenical Councils only slightly exceeds the number of bishops at the Orthodox Academy of Crete last year. Quoting Georges Florovsky: “The sacred dignity of…