From March 2-9, 2011, Professors Peter Bouteneff and Paul Meyendorff traveled to Aghia Napa, Cyprus, to participate in an Inter-Orthodox Consultation hosted by the Orthodox Archbishopric of Cyprus. The consultation, sponsored by the World Council of Churches (WCC), was convened to prepare a common Orthodox response to a Faith an Order statement on "The Nature and Mission of the Church."
Nearly forty Eastern and Oriental Orthodox representatives from across the entire globe, including hierarchs, clergy, and scholars, attended the meeting. Professors Bouteneff and Meyendorff each presented papers, and Dr. Bouteneff was the primary drafter of the Orthodox response. The final text of the response will soon be posted on the website of the World Council of Churches: www.oikoumene.org.
"The fact that two representatives from St. Vladimir's Seminary were invited testifies to the important role of the seminary in both the Orthodox and ecumenical worlds," noted Dr. Meyendorff.
Also attending the meeting were two SVOTS alumni: Dr. Tamara Grdzelidze, who serves as Program Executive of the WCC Commission on Faith and Order in Geneva, Switzerland; and Dr. Antonios Kireopoulos, Associate General Secretary of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA, responsible for Faith and Order and Interfaith relations.
