World Council of Churches - News Release
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For immediate release - 26/06/2008 15:52:40
ORTHODOX WOMEN: CHURCH PARTICIPATION IMPROVED BUT CONCERNS REMAIN
Over the last decade, Orthodox women reached significant milestones
regarding their participation in church life, but many of their
concerns
have not yet been fully addressed, an international gathering of
Orthodox
women stated.
A long decade has past since the last inter-Orthodox women's
consultation
took place in Istanbul, Turkey in 1997. In the intervening years, the
participation of Orthodox women in the life of the church has
improved.
Significant milestones range from the recognition of women's issues
by
church structures to women's participation in some church ministries
and
decision-making processes.
Many of the concerns of women, however, have not yet been fully
addressed
within the life of the church. A list of them includes: access to and
funding for theological studies and subsequent employment
opportunities
within the church; supporting and equipping women for pastoral care
and
other church ministries; participation in church decision-making
processes;
taking a new look at prayers and practices associated with women's
biology.
These were amongst the main findings of a five-day long
consultation, which
brought together some 45 women from Eastern and Oriental Orthodox
Churches
in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australia and North America.
Meeting from
8-12 June in Volos, Greece, they discussed the participation,
ministry and
concerns of Orthodox women in the church and in the ecumenical
movement.
Participants at the consultation recommended undertaking a full
assessment
of the current situation and needs of Orthodox women, given the many
changes
that have taken place over the last decade, as well as the
development of a
framework for future action. "We see the need to identify, together
with our
church leadership, the ways and instruments to implement decisions
and
recommendations of women's consultations in our churches", the
participants
stated in a report on the deliberations.
The consultation took place at the Volos Academy for Theological
Studies and
was sponsored by the World Council of Churches Programme for Women
in Church
and Society and hosted by the Diocese of Dimitrias.
Full text of the Report of the Inter-Orthodox Consultation
<http://www.oikoumen e.org/index. php?id=6054>
http://www.oikoumen e.org/index. php?id=6054
WCC Programme for Women in Church and Society
<http://www.oikoumen e.org/en/ programmes/ the-wcc-and- the-ecumenical-
movement-
in-the-21st- century/women- in-church- and-society. html>
<http://www.oikoumen e.org/en/ programmes/ the-wcc-and- the-ecumenical-
movement-
in-the-21st- century/women- in-church- and-society. html>
http://www.oikoumen e.org/en/ programmes/ the-wcc-and- the-ecumenical-
movement-i
n-the-21st-century/ women-in- church-and- society.html
Diocese of Dimitrias, Church of Greece (in Greek)
<http://www.imd. gr/main/index. php> http://www.imd. gr/main/index. php
Volos Academy for Theological Studies (in Greek)
<http://www.acadimia .gr/index. php?lang= el>
<http://www.acadimia .gr/index. php?lang= el>
http://www.acadimia .gr/index. php?lang= el
Additional information: Juan Michel,+41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507 6363
<mailto:media@ ...> media@...
The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith,
witness and
service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of
churches
founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 349 Protestant,
Orthodox,
Anglican and other churches representing more than 560 million
Christians in
over 110 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic
Church.
The WCC general secretary is Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, from the
Methodist Church in Kenya. Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.