A delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church set off for a Pan-Orthodox Council in Constantinople

A Council of Primates and hierarchs of Autocephalous Orthodox Churches opens on May 23, 2005, in Constantinople to find ways of settling the situation in the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem.

The crisis situation in the Patriarchate of Jerusalem has developed after the Holy Synod of this Church declared on May 6, 2005, by a majority the vote of no confidence in His Beatitude Irenaios, Patriarch of Jerusalem, and removed him from his office. Patriarch Irenaios however refused to recognize this decision as valid.

The secretariat of the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Constantinople announced on May 17 the convening of a Council of the Heads of all the Local Orthodox Churches. On the same day, an appropriate invitation was sent out by His Holiness Bartholomaios, Patriarch of Constantinople, to His Holiness Alexy, Patriarchal of Moscow and All Russia, and other Heads of the Local Orthodox Churches.

With the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy, the Russian Orthodox Church will be represented at the forthcoming Pan-Orthodox Council by an official delegation led by Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, Chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations. The delegation also includes Bishop Mark of Yegorievsk, DECR vice-chairman, Archpriest Nikolay Balashov, DECR secretary for inter-Orthodox relations, and Mr. S. Govorun, DECR staff member, who will act as interpreter.

The decision to send a delegation to the Council was made with due consideration for the written appeals that came to His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia from both His Beatitude Patriarch Irinaios and the commission representing a majority of the Holy Synod members of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, who confirmed their desire that the problem be discussed by representatives of the whole Orthodoxy. It was officially confirmed in Jerusalem that the Russian Orthodox Church was asked to take part in solving the problem at the forthcoming Pan-Orthodox Council and gratitude was expressed for her readiness to do so, voiced by His Holiness Patriarch Alexy.