Official Eastern Orthodox Statements on Anglican Orders

The history of the Churches in the early-to-mid 20th century

Constantinople, 1922

July 28, 1922.

Your well-beloved Grace’s beloved Brother in Christ, and altogether well disposed,

+MELETIOS OF CONSTANTINOPLE.

Our Holy Synod studied this report of the Committee in repeated sessions, and took note:

1. That the ordination of Matthew Parker as Archbishop of Canterbury by four bishops is a fact established by history.

2. That in this ordination and those subsequent to it there are found in their fullness those orthodox and indispensable visible and sensible elements of valid episcopal ordination - namely, the laying on of hands and the Epiklesis of the All-Holy Spirit, and also the purpose to transmit the charisma of the Episcopal ministry.

3. That the Orthodox theologians who have scientifically examined the question have almost unanimously come to the same conclusions, and have declared themselves as accepting the validity of Anglican ordinations.

4. That the practice in the Church affords no indication that the Orthodox Church has ever officially treated the validity of Anglican Orders as in doubt in such a way as would point to the reordination of the Anglican clergy being regarded as required in the case of the union of the two Churches.

5. That, expressing this general mind of the Orthodox Church, the Most Holy Patriarchs at different periods and other Hierarchs of the East, when writing to the Archbishops of the Anglican Church, have been used to address them as “Most Reverend Brother in Christ,” thus giving them a brotherly salutation.

   Our Holy Synod, therefore, came to an opinion accepting the validity of the Anglican priesthood, and has determined that its conclusion should be announced to the other Holy Orthodox Churches, in order that opportunity might be given them also to express their opinion, so that through the decisions of the parts the mind of the whole Orthodox world on this important question might be known.

   Accordingly, writing to your well-beloved Beatitude and informing you of the considerations which, in this question, prevail with us, we have no doubt that your Beatitude also investigating this question with your Holy Synod, will be pleased to communicate the result of your consideration to us, with a view to a further improvement of our relations in regard to union with the Anglican Church, in the good hope that the Heavenly Ruler of the Church will supply that which is lacking through his all-strengthening grace, and will guide all who believe in Him to a full knowledge of the truth and to full union, that there may be formed of them one flock under a Chief Shepherd—-the true Shepherd of the sheep, our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory for ever. Amen.

Jerusalem, 1923

To His Grace, the Archbishop of Canterbury, First Hierarch of All England, our most beloved and dear brother in our Lord Jesus, Mgr. Randall. Greeting fraternally your beloved to us, Grace, we have the pleasure to address to you the following:

Yesterday we dispatched to Your Grace the following telegram: We have pleasure inform Your Grace that Holy Synod of our Patriarchate after studying in several meetings the question of Anglican Orders from the Orthodox point view resolved their validity! Today, explaining this telegram, we inform Your Grace that the Holy Synod, having as a motive the resolution passed some time ago by the Church of Constantinople, which is the Church having the First Throne between the Orthodox Churches, resolved that the consecrations of bishops and ordinations of priests and deacons of the Anglican Episcopal Church are considered by the Orthodox Church as having the same validity which the Orders of the Roman Church have, because there exist all the elements which are considered necessary from an Orthodox point of view for the recognition of the grace of the Holy Orders from Apostolic Succession.

We have great pleasure in communicating to Your Grace, as the First Hierarch of all the Anglican Churches, this resolution of our Church, which constitutes a progress in the pleasing-to-God work of the union of all Churches, and we pray God to grant to Your Grace many years full of health and salvation.

DAMIANOS

February 27/March 12, 1923.

Cyprus, 1923

To His All-Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch Mgr. Meletios we send brotherly greeting in Christ.

Your Holiness-

Responding readily to the suggestion made in your reverend Holiness’ letter of August 8, 1922, that the autocephalous Church of Cyprus under our presidency should give its opinion as to the validity of Anglican Orders we have placed the matter before the Holy Synod in formal session.

After full consideration thereof it has reached the following conclusion:

It being understood that the Apostolic Succession in the Anglican Church by the Sacrament of Order was not broken at the Consecration of the first Archbishop of this Church, Matthew Parker, and the visible signs being present in Orders among the Anglicans by which the grace of the Holy Spirit is supplied, which enables the ordinand for the functions of his particular order, there is no obstacle to the recognition by the Orthodox Church of the validity of Anglican Ordinations in the same way that the validity of the ordinations of the Roman, Old Catholic, and Armenian Church are recognized by her.

Since clerics coming from these Churches into the bosom of the Orthodox Church are received without reordination we express our judgment that this should also hold in the case of Anglicans—excluding intercommunion (sacramental union), by which one might receive the sacraments indiscriminately at the hands of an Anglican, even one holding the Orthodox dogma, until the dogmatic unity of the two Churches, Orthodox and Anglican, is attained.

Submitting this opinion of our Church to Your All-Holiness, we remain,

Affectionately, the least of your brethren in Christ,

CYRIL OF CYPRUS.

Archbishropic of Cyprus.

March 7/20, 1923

Alexandria, 1930

To the Most Reverend Dr. Cosmo Lang, Lord Archbishop of Canterbury and Primate of All England, Greetings in the New Born Christ, The Feast of the Nativity, according to the Flesh, of the Redeemer of our Souls being a most suitable occasion for us, as it were, to visit your Beatitude, our friend, by means of a letter, we come to you hereby with a heart that is filled alike with joy, that “unto us is born a Savior, which is Christ the Lord,” and with fervent prayers both for your health and for the peace and stability of the holy Churches of God over which you preside.

At the same time, together with our greetings for the Feast, we send you as our gift the news, which we are sure will be good news to you, that having derived the greatest gratification from the accounts which it has received, both of the marks of honor which were rendered in London, alike by your Grace and by the general body of your Church, to the office which is ours, and also of the happy results which by the favouring breath of the Holy Spirit have emerged from the contact of the Orthodox Delegation with the Lambeth Conference, our Holy Synod of the Metropolitans of the Patriarchal Throne of Alexandria has proceeded to adopt a resolution recognizing the validity, as from the Orthodox point of view, of the Anglican Ministry.

The text of that resolution is as follows: “The Holy Synod recognizes that the declarations of the Orthodox, quoted in the Summary, were made according to the spirit of Orthodox teaching. Inasmuch as the Lambeth Conference approved the declarations of the Anglican Bishops as a genuine account of the teaching and practice of the Church of England and the Churches in communion with it, it welcomes them as a notable step towards the Union of the two Churches. And since in these declarations, which were endorsed by the Lambeth Conference, complete and satisfying assurance is found as to the Apostolic Succession, as to a real reception of the Lord’s Body and Blood, as to the Eucharist being thusia hilasterios (Sacrifice), and as to Ordination being a Mystery, the Church of Alexandria withdraws its precautionary negative to the acceptance of the validity of Anglican Ordinations, and, adhering to the decision of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, of July 28, 1922, pronounces that if priests, ordained by Anglican Bishops, accede to Orthodoxy, they should not be re-ordained, as persons baptized by Anglicans are not rebaptized.”

We rejoice to see the middle wall of partition being thrown down more and more, and we congratulate your Beatitude that under God you have had the felicity of taking the initiative in furthering that work. May the Lord Who was born in Bethlehem give to you and to us the happiness of its completion.

In Alexandria upon the Feast of Christ’s Nativity, 1930

Your Beatitude’s Beloved Brother in Christ

MELETIOS OF ALEXANDRIA

Romania, 1936

Of the Sacred Synod concerning the Validity of Anglican Orders.

• Session of March 20th, 1936

The Patriarch, His Beatitude Miron Cristea, presiding.

Secretary: Bishop Veniamin

His All Holiness the Patriarch of Constantinople having notified the Sacred Synod that he had recognized the Validity of Anglican Orders, and having requested our Sacred Synod to examine that question and to inform him in reply of its opinion:

I. Accordingly, the Sacred Synod of the Orthodox Church of Rumania replied in 1925:

a. That from the historical point of view no obstacle exists to the recognition of the Apostolic succession of Anglican orders.

b. That from the dogmatic point of view the validity of Anglican orders depends upon the Anglican Church itself and especially upon whether or not that Church recognizes Holy Orders to be a Mystery (Sacrament).

In order to explain the doctrine of the Anglican Church concerning Holy Orders, a Delegation of four bishops and six theologians was sent to Bucarest by the Archbishop of Canterbury (Dr. Cosmo Lang) and from June 1-8, 1935, made such explanations to the Commission of Bishops and of expert professors of our faculties in theology appointed by our Sacred Synod.

The Rumanian Commission set before the Anglican Delegation a statement of Orthodox doctrine concerning the Mystery of Holy Orders.

In view of the fact that the Anglican Delegates accepted without reservation the doctrine of the Orthodox Church in regard to the Sacrament of Holy Orders after the Rumanian Commission had expressed it in all its points of importance and in its full sacramental character as one of the Seven Mysteries,

The Sacred Synod of the Orthodox Church of Rumania resolved the adoption of the recommendations of its Commission, viz:

“Having considered the conclusions of the papers on the Apostolic Succession, Holy Orders, Holy Eucharist, Holy Mysteries in general, and Tradition and Justification. And having considered the declarations of the Anglican Delegation on these questions, which declarations are in accordance with the Doctrine of the Orthodox Church, the Rumanian Orthodox Commission unanimously recommends the Holy Synod (of the Rumanian Orthodox Church) to recognize the validity of the Anglican orders.”

It is to be understood that the above resolution will become definitive as soon as the final authority of the Anglican Church ratifies all the statements of its delegation concerning the Mystery of Holy Orders in regard to the points of importance comprised in the doctrine of the Orthodox Church.

2. This decision is to be communicated to His All Holiness the ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople and the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Primate of the Anglican Church;

3. At the same time the Sacred Synod of the Orthodox Rumanian Church expresses its great joy inasmuch as Divine Providence prepared the way that the representatives of the Anglican Church might be able to show us what effective and definitive steps have been taken towards establishing clearly their teaching to be in harmony with that of the Orthodox Eastern Church which is the faithful depository. May this approach be of great use in the path shown by Our Common Saviour Jesus Christ in His words “That they all may be one.”

4. In conclusion the Rumanian Church prays from its soul that such exploratory meetings may be continued in the future until the Holy Spirit pour out His Grace to make clear the doctrines of the Anglican Church to be in complete agreement with the doctrines of the Orthodox ecumenical Church.

In confirmation the Seal of the Sacred Synod of the Orthodox Church of Rumania.

HIEROMONK CALLIST RADULESCU.

Greece, 1939

On September 21, 1939, the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece came to the following decision:

The Holy Synod has decided that it intends as before to follow in each individual case that may arise of the adherence of an Anglican cleric to Orthodoxy the practice of the Church and the unanimous conclusion of the Theological Faculty of the University of Athens, that the “Orthodox Church recognizes as valid without qualifications only those Sacraments which she has herself administered, but that nevertheless the Church, in so far as she considers it proper and useful, in particular cases, after previous investigation of the current circumstances, recognizes by Economy the Ordination of those who come over to Orthodoxy.”

The Holy Synod appreciates the desire expressed by His Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury to send a delegation of Anglican theologians under the chairmanship of the Right Reverend Bishop of Gloucester for common discussion of questions of interest. It remembers in this connection the bonds of affection which have long united the two Churches, and realizes that every opportunity of strengthening these contacts should be welcomed, and that every contact and interchange between the two Churches serves to strengthen their friendship and rapprochement. The Holy Synod will therefore look forward to welcoming the arrival of such a delegation after the difficulties caused by the present war are resolved, and will appoint a corresponding delegation to represent our (the Greek Orthodox) Church.

Finally the Holy Synod expresses its warmest thanks to the theologians for their memoranda.