A P P E A L From the Church National Assembly [General Synod] of the Orthodox People of the Republic of Abkhazia To the Primates and the Holy Synods of the Autocephalous Orthodox Churches : His Holiness, Bartholomew I, Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch and to the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Constantinople. His Beatitude, Theodore II, Pope and Patriarch of the Great City of Alexandria, Libya, Pentapolis, Ethiopia, All Egypt and All Africa and to the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Alexandria. His Beatitude, Ignatius IV, Patriarch of the Great City of God - Antioch, Syria, Arabia, Cilicia, Iberia, Mesopotamia and All the East and to the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Antioch. His Beatitude, Theophilus III, Patriarch of the Holy City of Jerusalem and all ссылка скрыта , ссылка скрыта , Arabia, Jordan, ссылка скрыта of ссылка скрыта , and Holy ссылка скрыта and to the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem. His Holiness Cyril, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia and to the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Russia. His Holiness Irinej, Archbishop of Peć, Metropolitan of Belgrade and Karlovci, Patriarch of Serbia and to the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Serbia. His Beatitude Daniel, Archbishop of Bucharest, Metropolitan of ссылка скрыта and ссылка скрыта , Locum tenens of the throne of ссылка скрыта , Metropolitan of Hungaro-Walachia and Patriarch of All Romania, and to the Holy Synod of the ссылка скрыта . His Holiness Maxim, Patriarch of Bulgaria, Metropolitan of Sofia and to the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Bulgaria. His Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Archbishop of ссылка скрыта - ссылка скрыта and to the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Georgia. His Beatitude ссылка скрыта , ссылка скрыта of Nea Justiniana and All Cyprus, and to the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus. His Beatitude Hieronymos II, Archbishop of Athens and All Greece and to the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Greece. His Beatitude Anastasios, ссылка скрыта -Durrës-Elbasan and to the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Albania. His Blessed Eminence Sawa, Metropolitan of Warsaw and All Poland and to the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Poland. His Blessed Eminence Christopher, Archbishop of Prague, Metropolitan of the Czech lands and Slovakia and to the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia. Respected Primates and Members of the Holy Synods of the Autocephalous Orthodox Churches! On May 15 th 2011 a gathering of the Church National Assembly of the Orthodox Church of the People of the Republic of Abkhazia took place at the Cathedral of the Monastery of the Apostle Saint Simon the Canaanite in the city of New Athos (Anakopia). Representatives of the Abkhazian clergy, monks, members of the National Assembly (Parliament) of the Republic of Abkhazia, other representatives of the State government, of various parties and [political] movements, a wide circle of public organisations, the intelligentsia and young people took part in the Assembly. The total number of participants at the Assembly came to more than 1500 people, 1107 of which were registered. 753 people practising the Orthodox faith took part in the voting. The Acts of the Assembly and the Book of Registration of those participating are kept at the Monastery of the Apostle Saint Simon the Canaanite as evidence of this historical event in the life of our nation. This is the first time since the years of Soviet power that such an Assembly has taken place in the modern history of Orthodoxy in Abkhazia. The last time there was a similar Assembly was in May 1917 in Sukhum, when members of the clergy and elected laity of the Abkhazian Orthodox population took part. Distinguished Abkhazian clerical, political and public figures were present there and they passed a resolution to reconstitute an autocephalous Abkhazian Orthodox Church. Subsequent political events, specifically the revolution of 1917, prevented this resolution of the congress of such a historical meaning for the Abkhazian Church people from being implemented. On May 15 th 2011 the position of the Orthodox Church in Abkhazia was discussed at the Church National Assembly. For eighteen years there has been no Bishop in the country – i.e. since 1992-1993 (after the end of the Patriotic War of the people of Abkhazia). In other words, there has been no establishment or development of the institution of the Orthodox Church neither ministering to the pastoral needs of the Abkhazian Orthodox people. The participants of the Church National Assembly [General Synod] made the following decisions: To accord the Church National Assembly of the Orthodox People of Abkhazia with the status (until the institution of the Orthodox Church is properly formed) of the Highest Executive Body of the Orthodox Church in Abkhazia. Starting from May 15 th 2011 all of the most important decisions concerning the Orthodox Church in Abkhazia, the fate of churches, monasteries and Christian shrines across the whole of the Republic of Abkhazia should be made at the Church National Assembly exclusively. These decisions must be made by open debate and voting, with the participation of the Abkhazian clergy, monks, the laity and representatives of the state authorities, a wide range of public organisations, the intelligentsia and young people, all of the Orthodox people in Abkhazia. To set up a Holy Metropolis of Abkhazia with its See (centre) in the city of New Athos (Anakopia) that would gradually transform into an independent Abkhazian Orthodox Church. To approach the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Abkhazia on behalf of all the participants of the Church ’ s National Assembly in order for the Ministry to recognise and register a new ecumenical institution on the territory of Abkhazia – the Holy Metropolis of Abkhazia. To set up a Council of the Holy Metropolis of Abkhazia that would be an operational executive body for the Holy Metropolis of Abkhazia until the canonical status of the Orthodox Church in Abkhazia is recognised and proper institutions for its management are formed. The Council of the Holy Metropolis of Abkhazia will consist of 12 people, six of them – representatives of the Abkhazian clergy and the monastics, the other six – from the Orthodox laity (men). After the list of candidates to the membership of the Council had been approved, the members of the Council of the Holy Metropolis of Abkhazia were elected by secret poll by the participants at the Church National Assembly. To elect the Chairman of the Council of the Holy Metropolis of Abkhazia, who would organise the work of the Council of the Holy Metropolis of Abkhazia and represent the Holy Metropolis of Abkhazia. The Chairman of the Council of the Holy Metropolis of Abkhazia will be a Bishop candidate of the Holy Metropolis of Abkhazia during the process of deciding on the canonical status of the Holy Metropolis. The Chairman of the Council of the Holy Metropolis of Abkhazia is elected from amongst ministers of the monastics mentioned in the list of candidates for 6 places in the Council of the Holy Metropolis of Abkhazia from amongst the clergy, elected by secret poll by all the members of the Church ’ s National Assembly. After the list of Chairman of the Council candidates as well as the list of Bishop candidates were approved, the Archimandrite Dorotheus (Dbar) was elected from 3 candidates by secret poll. To approach the Primates and Holy Synods of all the Autocephalous Orthodox Churches on behalf of all the participants of the Church National Assembly with the request to set up a special Commission under the chairmanship of the representative of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, with the mandatory participation of representatives from the Council of the Holy Metropolis of Abkhazia to begin discussing the question of regulating the canonical status of the Holy Metropolis of Abkhazia at the first stage; at the second stage – determining the status of the Orthodox Church of Abkhazia, i.e. reviving the autocephalous Orthodox Church of Abkhazia.
