A few concluding reflections at the end of the conference

This article presents the concluding reflections of Pantelis Kalaitzidis following an international colloquium entitled "Understanding the Stakes of the Forthcoming Council of the Orthodox Church," jointly organized by the Saint-Serge Institute, the Catholic University of Louvain, and the Collège des Bernardins. In the form of a critical synthesis, the author recapitulates the main themes debated — liturgical calendar, autocephaly, diaspora, ecumenism, ethical questions — articulating them around four cross-cutting issues: Orthodoxy's non-reception of modernity, the legitimacy of ecclesial reform, religious nationalism, and the rise of anti-ecumenical fundamentalism. The theological contribution of this text lies in its highlighting of the structural tensions that condition the preparation of the Great Pan-Orthodox Council, notably the gap between an agenda predominantly focused on canonical matters and the expectations of a secularized world, as well as the necessity for Orthodoxy to engage in a critical and deliberate dialogue with modernity.