Tamara Grdzelidze

This article by Tamara Grdzelidze examines the engagement of Orthodox Churches in the ecumenical movement, with the forthcoming Pan-Orthodox Council as its horizon. Drawing on analytical and documentary research, it relies on Orthodox statements produced at major assemblies of the World Council of Churches and Faith and Order conferences, as well as on the work of the Pan-Orthodox pre-conciliar process. The article shows that the Orthodox Churches struggle to bear witness with a single, coherent voice in the ecumenical movement, due to internal tensions, sometimes contradictory assertions, and a lack of reception of ecumenical agreements within local Churches. Its main contribution is to demonstrate that the Pan-Orthodox Council constitutes a necessary instrument of reception and regulation, capable of clarifying Orthodox ecclesiological doctrine and harmonizing the positions of the various local Churches in relation to their Christian interlocutors.