A Quest For Reform of the Orthodox Church: The 1923 Pan-Orthodox Congress, An Analysis and Translation of Its Acts and Decisions

A Quest for Reform of the Orthodox Church is a translation of the acts and decisions of the Pan-Orthodox Congress of 1923, which was held in Constantinople. The book contains the full transcript of the discussions held during the sessions, including reports to the Congress. The 1923 Congress was called by Ecumenical Patriarch Meletios IV (Metaxakes) to deal with the issue of calendar reform for the entire Orthodox Church. This congress recommended the adoption of a Revised Julian Calendar, which is in use in many Orthodox Churches today. The Congress also discussed the remarriage of widowed clergy, the appropriate ages for ordination, attire of clergy, fasting guidelines, the situation of the "diaspora" in North America, and the still unfolding events in the Russian Orthodox Church in light of the aftermath of the Bolshevik Revolution. Fr. Viscuso also provides an excellent and thorough introduction, overview, and analysis of the Congress, the attendees, the issues it discussed, and the reception of the Congress' decisions by the Orthodox Church worldwide.