Patriarchal Synodality and Cultural Policy of the 18th Century. The impo rtance of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in the development of pan- Orthodox missionary work

Patriarchal Synodality and Cultural Policy of the 18th Century. The impo rtance of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in the development of pan- Orthodox missionary work

13 January 2020

From a political, economic and cultural point of view, communication between the East and West of Europe existed since the farthest century. Between the eastern and the western parts of the European continent, a long and alive contact have been sustained, in which Orthodoxy was always the one who opposed for the Western, Roman Catholic and Protestant ideas, with its theological principles. The expression of the synodality of Orthodox local churches in the 18th century was closely linked to the territorial authority of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and to the geopolitical context. From this perspective we can talk about the manifestation of Pan-Orthodox unity in the 18th century, which was possible due to the active involvement of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in the territory, its role as mediator between the empires and the free circulation in the Orthodox world of ideas, documents and clergy.