February 12, 2026

PODCAST: Why are tensions running so high at the Pan-Orthodox Council?

Madeleine Teahan
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This week I spoke with Fr Mark Drew following the launch of the Pan-Orthodox Council in Crete on Sunday.

Before it kicked off Fr Mark Drew said that we were already witnessing, "a spectacle of division and bickering more akin to secular politics than to the deliberations of men of God."

I decided to find out why the synod was in such a precarious state and how Catholics should interpret and respond to the dramatic events. Enjoy!

0:47: Why has the Council unraveled before it even began?

2:00: Why did the Bulgarian church withdraw?

4:15: A very “Roman Catholic Question…”

5:27: What is the stated objective of the council?

7:50: What Catholics must not do

9:21 What can the Orthodox teach Catholics?

To read the magazine in full, from anywhere in the world, go here.

This week I spoke with Fr Mark Drew following the launch of the Pan-Orthodox Council in Crete on Sunday.

Before it kicked off Fr Mark Drew said that we were already witnessing, "a spectacle of division and bickering more akin to secular politics than to the deliberations of men of God."

I decided to find out why the synod was in such a precarious state and how Catholics should interpret and respond to the dramatic events. Enjoy!

0:47: Why has the Council unraveled before it even began?

2:00: Why did the Bulgarian church withdraw?

4:15: A very “Roman Catholic Question…”

5:27: What is the stated objective of the council?

7:50: What Catholics must not do

9:21 What can the Orthodox teach Catholics?

To read the magazine in full, from anywhere in the world, go here.

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