BUENOS AIRES: December 6, 2011
Bishop John of Caracas and South America Takes Part in the 2nd Assembly of Canonical Bishops of South America

The 2nd Assembly of Canonical Bishops of South America was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on November 2-4, 2011. The bishops of the continent discussed the state of the Orthodox Church in the region.

The meeting was held under the chairmanship of His Eminence Metropolitan Athenagoras of Central America, the Caribbean, Colombia and Venezuela (Constantinople Patriarchate). Also participating were His Eminence Metropolitan Tarasios of Buenos Aires, and His Eminence Archbishop Jeremiah (representing the Constantinople Patriarchate); His Eminence Metropolitan Platon of the Moscow Patriarchate; His Grace Bishop John of Caracas and South America (Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia); His Eminence Metropolitan Amphilohije of Montenegro and the Coastlands, Administrator of the South and Central American Diocese of the Serbian Patriarchate), and His Eminence Archbishop Chrysostomos of Rio de Janeiro and Olinda-Recife (Polish Orthodox Church). Absent were hierarchs of the Antiochian Orthodox Church, who were participating in a meeting of their Synod in Balamand, Lebanon.

On November 3, the bishops jointly celebrated Divine Liturgy in the Serbian Church of the Nativity of the Theotokos. A reception was organized by the Greek Ambassador to Argentina to mark this occasion and to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the enthronement of His All-Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople.

Four committees were created at the forum which will concentrate on canonical and liturgical matters, establishing internal regulations for the Assembly, and catechization. In addition, a list of all parishes, clergymen and Orthodox organizations in South America will be compiled. The participants agreed that they must improve cooperation.

Hierarchal meetings such as this have been launched in various regions of the world where no Local Orthodox churches exist, by decision of the Inter-Orthodox Conference in Chambesy-Geneva, Switzerland, in 2009. They serve to coordinate all Orthodox jurisdictions in local regions and are led by the elder hierarchs of the Constantinople Church.

Photographs from the official website of the Montenegro and Coastland Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church.