Editor’s Note: The present article consists of excerpts from Orthodox Diakonia Worldwide: An Initial Assessment (May 2009). It is based upon an International Orthodox Christian Charities survey of Orthodox charitable agencies and departments and broader-based charities in which Orthodox participate.
Historical Reasons for Limited Orthodox Diakonia
Orthodox theologian John Meyendorff has underlined the detachment of the Christian East from historical and social realities and its dedication to mysticism and contemplation. The Eastern Orthodox Church has often been criticized as being “other-worldly” and indifferent to the plight of social life. Eastern Orthodox mystical spirituality has typically looked inward and “above” the affairs of this world, placing more emphasis on salvation and the celebration of rites and sacraments and less on direct missionary action or social service .
Editor’s Note: In addition, East European and Middle Eastern Orthodox endured Ottoman domination from the 15th to 19th centuries, followed by the Communist assault on Russian and East European Orthodox in the 20th century.
This subjugation left very little opportunity for organized Orthodox diakonia (social ministry) for nearly six centuries. Also related to the weak presence of social action on an international scale is the predisposition of Orthodox Churches to national affiliation. National churches are often deeply connected to ethnic characteristics, thus blurring the dividing line between spirituality/ religion and ethnic/national characteristics. The propensity of Orthodox Churches towards identifying themselves with a specific nation means that they can set themselves apart in favor of maintaining strong ties to the state and local or regional institutions.
Growing Orthodox Emphasis upon Diakonia
After 1961, when the majority of Orthodox Churches joined the World Council of Churches (WCC), the WCC developed a program to assist in the development of Orthodox diakonia programs, including bishops and priests actively engaged in social problems and practical acts of philanthropy. An important milestone, which marked an overall change in Orthodox social theology and service, was the 1978 international conference on “An Orthodox Approach to Diaconia” at the Orthodox Academy of Crete, in Greece, upon the initiative of the WCC. This conference acknowledged the need for the Orthodox Church to engage more actively in social service.
After the fall of the Iron Curtain and the collapse of many Communist regimes [in 1989- 91], new opportunities opened for the revival and social involvement of national Orthodox Churches in their respective countries. National Eastern Orthodox Churches in many Central and Eastern European and Balkan countries and in the former Soviet Republics faced the opportunity of revitalization and greater social involvement in the public domain, but also the challenge to respond to poverty and other pressing socio-economic hardships by offering social assistance and humanitarian relief [but] with minimal resources.
The foundation of International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) in 1992 as the official international humanitarian organization of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA), was an important stepping stone in the establishment of an integrated, systematic, and global Orthodox humanitarian agency. In 2004 the International Conference on Orthodox Social Witness and Diakonia, organized by the WCC, IOCC, and Orthodox Church Aid from Finland (OrtAid), in Valamo, Finland, brought together leaders of Orthodox social service organizations, theologians, and other academic specialists, church hierarchs, and other representatives. They exchanged discussions and analysis, and shared practical experiences on current Orthodox social service worldwide. The conference mandated the organizers to strengthen the sharing of information, networking, and collaboration among the many Orthodox social departments, structures, and organizations. In 2007, to continue the work of the Orthodox diakonia conference in Valamo, the IOCC commissioned a survey of social service organizations worldwide.
Editor’s Note: Orthodox Diakonia Worldwide, excerpted here, is the product of this survey initiative
This study marks the aspiration of increasingly more Orthodox organizations and Churches to move from charity and philanthropy towards contributing to the ongoing development and humanitarian work by governments and international NGOs (religious and secular). The types of disadvantaged groups that are served by these organizations include the elderly, the poor, the homeless, the sick, people with disabilities, orphans, victims of human trafficking, and people displaced by war and conflict or natural disasters. However, beyond charity work, some [Orthodox] organizations have shifted their activities from charity, emergency relief, and general philanthropy towards development with a broader focus that aims to assist marginalized communities attain self-reliance and empowerment. Poverty reduction, agricultural production, rehabilitation, health, education, and vocational training are priority areas among these organizations. ♦