Primacy in the Church: Theology and church practice

Abstract

In a conversation between Alexander Kyrlezhev and Andrey Shishkov, the issue of primacy in the Church at various levels of its organization is discussed, both from a theological (ecclesiological) and from a practical point of view. The theme of primacy arose simultaneously in the context of inter-Orthodox relations during preparations for the Pan-Orthodox Council and in the framework of the official Orthodox-Catholic dialogue. In the course of the pre-conciliar process, the theme of primacy in world Orthodoxy figured indirectly — as part of a discussion of the status of the Orthodox diaspora, the proclamation of autocephaly, and diptychs. In a dialogue with the Catholics, this topic was somehow connected with the primacy of the Roman bishop. During the conversation various concepts of primacy are considered, both among individual theologians (in particular, Alexander Schmemann and Sofroniy Sakharov, Nikolay Afanasyev and Metropolitan John Zizioulas), and in the official positions of the Orthodox Churches, especially the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Patriarchate of Moscow (the logic of the corresponding official document of the Moscow Patriarchate, as well as the texts of Constantinople theologians are described in detail). The concept of Eucharistic ecclesiology is critically evaluated. Finally, contemporary theological problems regarding the understanding of primacy in the Church are outlined, as well as areas for further research.