Introduction to the 10th Orthodox Congress of Western Europe

This article constitutes the introductory address delivered by Father Alexis Struve at the Tenth Orthodox Congress of Western Europe, organized by the Orthodox Brotherhood. In the form of a programmatic address, it raises the question of the witness of the Orthodox Church in the world at the dawn of the third millennium. The author structures his reflection in three parts: an assessment of the Orthodox twentieth century, marked by suffering, martyrdom and a paradoxical renewal; a meditation on the figure of Father Alexander Men as a model of creative fidelity to Tradition; and a projection toward the future, calling Western European Orthodox Christians to assume their specific responsibilities. The theological contribution lies in the valorization of a living and dynamic tradition, opposed to all immobility, and in the affirmation that the ecclesial freedom particular to the Western context constitutes a singular missionary resource.