Bulgarian Church to Quit World Council

The Bulgarian Orthodox Church has announced that it will withdraw from the World Council of Churches, the Geneva-based international ecumenical body, citing the organization’s style and direction.

“We have no intention of ending ecumenical church contacts or cutting links with other Christian organizations,” a spokesman for the Bulgarian church told Ecumenical News International, the Geneva-based religious news agency. “But our church took the decision to leave last April and will circulate its explanation shortly.

“We have not consulted other Orthodox churches about this announcement and cannot comment on their intentions,” the spokesman added.

The world council counts more than 330 Protestant, Anglican and Orthodox churches as members.

In recent years, however, a number of the Orthodox denominations have expressed unhappiness with what they see as Protestant domination of the council’s agenda and the ecumenical body’s preoccupation with what the Orthodox consider Western liberal issues such as women’s ordination, sexuality and modern, ecumenical liturgies.

The flooding of Eastern Europe by Protestant missionaries has also exacerbated tensions, although not all of the evangelical churches are members of the council.

Meanwhile, Archbishop Jeremiasz, a leader of the Polish Orthodox Church, has denied reports that the Polish church will quit the council.

“The WCC needs to reform its approach to theological dialogue, the life of member churches and other issues,” he told Ecumenical News International. “But criticizing the WCC doesn’t mean rejecting ecumenical contacts. No Orthodox church will ever wish to abandon the challenge of seeking Christian unity.”