The "Chalcedonian" Orthodox Churches
The Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation, Lyon, France.
There are about 2000 members from among the Greek community.
This is the major group of the Orthodox Churches, including Greek , Russian and Serbian, who accept the decisions of the ancient ecumenical council of Chalcedon (451) where it was agreed that Christ had two distinct, but totally harmonious natures (divine and human). Together with many other national churches, they form a family of self-governing churches. Their unity comes, not from a central organisation, nor from the authority of a 'pope', but from the double link of unity in the Orthodox faith and of communion on the sacraments.
Each church, while being independant, is in absolute agreement with the others on all questions of doctrine and of full sacramental communion.
The Orthodox Church has always considered as its primary responsibility, the obligation to maintain unaltered the apostolic faith. If the church does not stay faithful to the truth of its existence, it cannot stay faithful to itself and will not be able to keep its identity.
Orthodoxy is both the content and the substance of the church.
The Orthodox Church and Ecumenism
The Orthodox Church is not opposed to church unity. On the contrary, in the daily liturgy there are prayers for the well being of the Holy Churches of God and the union of all. But it insists that all dialogue takes full account of the seven Ecumenical Councils of the ancient church.
In 1920, the "Ecumenical Patriarch" wrote proposing a gathering of Christians. As a result of this, the Orthodox Church was one of the founders of the World Council of Churches, with the aim of joint service to a suffering world and of shared theological reflection - but without compromise.