Orthodox federation joins Germany's main ecumenical body
ENI-00-0093

By Frauke Brauns
Frankfurt, 15 March (ENI)--The main Orthodox organisation in
Germany has become a full member of the Association of Christian
Churches in Germany (ACK), the country's main ecumenical
organisation, which is based in Frankfurt.

The Federation of Orthodox Dioceses comprises eight Orthodox
churches in Germany. The eight churches, from the Eastern
Orthodox tradition, have more than a million members between
them. Four other Orthodox churches which do not belong to the
federation are from the Oriental Orthodox tradition.

Until now the only Orthodox representation in the ACK was the
Greek Orthodox Metropolitanate in Germany and the Russian
Orthodox diocese of Berlin and Germany. They will now be
represented by the Orthodox federation.

The Orthodox federation was founded in 1994. Until that time the
12 Orthodox churches had functioned only as dioceses of their
respective mother churches, according to Athanasios Basdekis, a
spokesperson of the Orthodox Church and of the ACK.

Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Augoustinos, who is based in Bonn,
represented the federation as "primus inter pares" (the first
among equals of its leaders), Basdekis told ENI.

However, Basdekis stressed that the Orthodox federation was not
a "bishops' conference".

At the start of this year the Orthodox federation applied for
full membership in ACK and they were accepted on 4 March. "We
want to speak with one voice, demonstrate our unity," Basdekis
explained to ENI.

The Orthodox Church is at present the third biggest family of
churches in Germany, after the Evangelical Church in Germany
(EKD) and the Roman Catholic Church, each of which have about 27
million members.

Orthodox Christians from Greece, Russia, Serbia, Bulgaria,
Romania, Ukraine and Antioch (Syria) had lived in Germany since
the 17th century, Basdekis told ENI.

The Orthodox dioceses were founded much later, after the Second
World War, when many Gastarbeiter - immigrant workers - arrived
in Germany, particularly from Greece and Yugoslavia, which have
substantial Orthodox populations, and from Turkey.

Most of Germany's Oriental Orthodox Christians, who now number
about 100 000, are from the Armenian, Ethiopian, Syrian and
Coptic traditions. Most of them came to Germany as refugees.

They are not represented in either the Orthodox federation or in
the ACK, Basdekis said, adding: "The differences are dogmatic."

However, the eight member churches of the Orthodox federation
share the same beliefs. "There is no difference in our beliefs.
We take communion together, share sacraments and canon law,"
Basdekis said. "If I speak the [relevant] language, I can attend
any service in any Orthodox parish."

ACK was founded in 1948. In the beginning it included only the
EKD, other Protestant Churches and the Old Catholic Church. In
1974 the Roman Catholic Church and the Greek Orthodox
Metropolitanate joined. It now has 17 member churches, four guest
members and three observers.