Congress of the Orthodox Youth of the South

This article publishes the resolution adopted by the Congress of the Orthodox Youth of the South (J.O.M.) held in Marseille in 1972, preceded by a note tracing the consultative process that led to its drafting. The resolution, developed from conferences on the priesthood and submitted to a vote by a large majority, constitutes a collective ecclesiological position. Its central idea is the uniqueness of the priesthood of Christ, exercised by the entire ecclesial Body, with clergy and laity participating in a complementary manner in the same royal priesthood. The document denounces de facto clericalism, the jurisdictional fragmentation of the Orthodox diaspora, and the insufficient involvement of the faithful in episcopal elections. It formulates concrete demands for the application of conciliar canons and the reform of synodal structures, thus providing a testimony to the Orthodox ecclesiological reflection in French-speaking circles during the 1970s.