Although they did not manage to convince all the Orthodox churches to send representatives to the Great and Holy Council in Crete, participating Orthodox leaders supported the idea that the council should become a regular institution and meet every seven to 10 years.
In the final message from the June 19-26 gathering, more than 200 bishops from 10 Orthodox churches affirmed their full unity with one another and with the four Orthodox churches that refused to attend.
"The key priority of the council was to proclaim the unity of the Orthodox Church," the message said. "Founded on the Eucharist and the apostolic succession of her bishops, the existing unity needs to be strengthened and to bear new fruits."
