The Pan-Orthodox Council

This article by Georges N. Nahas deals with the preparation of the Pan-Orthodox Council and the place of the faithful in this process. It presents itself explicitly as a personal testimony rather than an academic study, informed by the author's experience within the Patriarchate of Antioch and Pan-Orthodox youth. The main idea is that the conciliar agenda, dominated by administrative and organizational questions, neglects the apostolic dimension of the Church and marginalizes the People of God as bearers of charisms. The author argues that the faithful — young people, women, intellectuals — must be involved in the preparatory reflection. On the theological level, the article recalls the principle of the royal priesthood as the ecclesiological foundation of lay participation, and proposes concrete measures to establish a renewed Pan-Orthodox dynamic before the holding of the Council.