We are grateful to God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit for the special opportunity we had to meet together as Orthodox women. The theme of the conference was "Discerning the Sign of the Times (Mt 16:3) : Women in the Life of the Orthodox Church". We met together in Damascus, Syria from 4-10 October 1996.

Most of the sixty-five participants were official women delegates sent by their churches at the invitation of the World Council of Churches. This meeting took place in the context of the Ecumenical Decade of Churches in Solidarity of Women. This meeting focused especially upon the concerns of women from the Orthodox churches of the Middle East, Africa and Asia. A small number of lay and ordained Orthodox men also attended the Conference. Their support and encouragement for our efforts were a welcome resource.

We benefited greatly from the rich hospitality of His Beatitude Ignatius IV, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and all the East. He graciously received the participants and opened the conference with an address. He affirmed that the Church in Syria wanted the event to be an "important one, a significant one so than we can understand more and do more for women". We were also graciously received by His Beatitude Ignatius Zakka Ilwas, Syrian Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East. He also offered the closing message for the Conference. In his presentation, he affirmed the many important ministries women have had and continue to have in the life of the Church.The fact that we were so warmly greeted by both Patriarchs not only greatly enriched our meeting, but also reminded us of the growing reconciliation between our two families of Orthodox churches. Since our meeting had included participants from both families of churches, we believe that we have also made a contribution to this reconciliation.

We gathered in a land rich in Christian history. In addition to our regular opportunity for worship, we visited: the women's monasteries of Baydnaya and Maaloola; the men's monasteries of St George and St Ephraim, as well as the famous site of the Krak des Chevaliers. During our stay we were reminded of St Paul's baptism in the city of Damascus and the witness of so many saints, especially St Thekla and St John of Damascus.

Our conference focused on a variety of topics about women in the life of the Orthodox church. Each day had its own theme that was articulated in the presentations and panel discussions. Among our topics, we reflected upon the themes: "The Holy Spirit in the Life of the Church", "Discerning the Tradition Today", and "Reflecting on Orthopraxia".

We have been richly blessed by our time together. As we prayed, discussed the themes and met together, we recognized that we serve the same Lord and share the same Orthodox faith. It is our common faith which has guided our reflection and which has inspired us to deepen our service to the Orthodox Church and our witness in the world.

We were very happy to learn from each other about the many forms of ministry in which women in our churches are already engaged. We witnessed to a wide range of ministries from the women present at our meeting; some women for example, were active in monastic life, others were active as single women, wives or mothers, a number were serving within their local parish or diocese, other participants were active in the ecumenical movement, some were involved with the study or teaching of theology, and many were involved in philanthropic, medical and/or educational service in association with the Church or a respected regional or national institution. Undergirding this variety, we observed a high level of competency, intelligence, dynamism, commitment and, most of all, a deep love of the Church and of God. This range of ministries manifested among us was truly inspiring. This variety reminded us how throughout the history of the Church, women have been active in many forms of ministry in response to the same Lord, in the Holy Spirit.

At the same time, we came to see that the Church continues to need the service of faithful women as well as men, who feel called to serve the Lord and his Church. These women, deserve the encouragement of our Church leaders.These women deserve to receive appropriate theological education and spiritual formation which will assist them in their ministry. These women deserve to have their vocations recognized and blessed.

In our discussions together, we also came to deeply appreciate the ministry of the wife of the priest. We believe this ministry is tantamount to the ministry of the priest. The wives of priests, especially deserve the recognition of the Church, as well as our encouragement and support. This support is necessary so that the ministry of priest's wives' may continue to be life-giving to their communities and families.

Through the intercession of the Holy Theotokos, who is our role model, we recognize that all Christians are invited to emulate her example as a person of faith. We are all, women and men, called by the Lord, to grow in our relationship with Him and others, so that there will be integrity between our faith and our actions.

In our discussions we came to affirm the importance of the witness of the Church in today's world. We also came to sense the challenge of relating our theology more directly with our church practice.

Through our discussions together, we recognize that some of our churches have made a concerted effort to involve women in the different ministries in the Church. Others, have indeed made significant progress in this direction. Yet, there are still some churches who have not yet considered the needs of their women and therefore the whole Church itself.

We are concerned that some women have expressed deep disappointment that they have not had the chance to study theology in a formal setting such as a seminary or theological school. This hinders our role and work within the Church. Furthermore, we feel that we must encourage Orthodox women theologians, especially, to study the interpretation of the Scriptures so as to be able to discern their meaning more fully.

We also recognize there are sacramental practices which need study in depth, by both men and women, as they appear to run contrary to our theological affirmations regarding the dignity of women. We specifically call to mind here, certain liturgical practices which need immediate attention as we believe they do diminish the dignity of women. We note, for example, the practice of churching female babies differently from male babies, and the practice in some of our churches of depriving women of the Eucharist during their period of menstruation.

We note as well, with remendous sadness, how easily it is for the presence of women to be forgotten. From our discussions together, we realize that there are some occasions when the role and presence of women, as well as their work, is not always validated for the value it has in the every day life of the church. Rather women may be seen by some as more readily dispensible.

Women have also been easily dismissed in other ways as well. We recognize with deep concern how social injustices such as poverty, illiteracy and invisibility may effect both Orthodox women and women in general, in our part of the world. Wherever possible, we must strive to assist them and open our lives and our hearts to them, as our Lord would have us do.

This Conference also recognizes the important ministry of deaconesses as a response to the Holy Spirit for various needs of this present age. Nevertheless, we must emphasize that we still wait for the application of the recommendations from the 1988 Inter-Orthodox Rhodes Consultation on : 'The place of Women in the Orthodox Church", to rejuvenate this order of ordained ministry.

In light of the above, we prayerfully recommend to the leadership of our churches:

- that our leaders encourage women's involvement and participation in the every day decision-making process of our local churches; we note this after having recognized the differing practices regarding women among the various Orthodox churches.

- that efforts begin which will raise the theological and spiritual awareness among women concerning their role in the Church, their families and society, through: spiritual retreats, on-going study groups, seminars, lectures and workshops.

- that women receive both spiritual and financial support, in order to pursue studies in theological education; in addition more informal opportunities to study and grow in he theology of the Church be created;

- that more research, presentations and community wide discussions on the Theotokos be encouraged, so that we will grow in authentic relationship and appreciation of her;

- that the sacramental practices which appear to diminish the dignity of women be studied in depth and changed wherever needed, in order to reflect a fuller Orthodox understanding in regard to women ;

- that lay theologians (women and men) be encouraged to direct Bible studies in local parishes, as this form of adult education may help inspire confidence to witness to the Orthodox faith.

- that a space in the life of the Church be provided where Eastern and Oriental Orthodox women may come together regularly, so we may learn from each other especially in sharing of Bible studies as an example;

- that our leadership encourage women's informal and formal ministries in pastoral care, so as to reach out to others who may be spiritually isolated, in material need, grieving the loss of a loved one, survivors of abuse or violence etc. These persons deserve particular attention, as they require the healing presence and assistance of the Church through prayer, counselling and support;

- that our leadership develop more ways for the wives of priests to come together for support and opportunities for enrichment;

- that more frequent dialogue take place, both formal and informal, with our surrounding societies, as this will facilitate more focused and appropriate pastoral care and witness; this dialogue also involves taking seriously the presence of Orthodox christian women who are engaged in various forms of work and service in the world. We desire the ongoing support and encouragement of our leadership in this effort; similarly, as society changes, we recommend that extra care must be paid to understand the concerns of our young people;

- that a qualified woman spiritual advisor and/or canonist be included as an advocate on Spiritual Courts for all our churches;

- that our church leaders discern prayerfully and courageously the presence of the Holy Spirit in those many places where the ministry of ordained deaconesses, as well as other forms of ministry, are needed;

- that more opportunities for ecumenical dialogue and relationships be encouraged; this would be both beneficial for Orthodox witness and for strengthening of our relationships with other Christian women in our common work;

- that more clergy, and male lay leaders, be encouraged to attend these conferences in order to increase their pastoral awareness regarding women's concerns;

- that valuable conferences such as "Discerning the Signs of the Times" be sponsored, making participation open to all women in our churches.

In conclusion, we affirm that holding and participating in this Conference on "Discerning the Signs of the Times" is a direct result of the work of the Holy Spirit and our responses to His call. We understand that through baptism and chrismation, women also, are called to be a vital part of the Church. Women are also called to communion with God, and that women also have the vocation of manifesting the presence of the Kingdom even in this life.

The Church is comprised of both men and women called to continue the saving acts of Jesus Christ for the salvation of humanity and the whole of creation. "There is one body and one Spirit.... but to each one of us grace was given, according to the measure of Christ's gift. And he Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers... every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love" (Eph.4:4, 11, 18). Therefore, we believe we have a responsibility to fulfil our calling as disciples and apostles, which is to communicate the gospel to the whole inhabited earth and strive towards the sanctification and well being of the Body.

Finally, we bear witness to the fact that each member of the Body of Christ is essential for the proper functioning of his church. We hold fast to the Holy Tradition of the Orthodox Church in which clergy and laity have constituted an organic whole since the time of the Apostles. Throughout the history of the Church, we have the testimony of countless women saints who responded to Christ in many ways, such as apostles, evangelists, confessors, martyrs, ascetics and nuns, teachers, mothers, spiritual and medical healers and deaconesses. We Orthodox women of today, inspired through the prayers and example of these women saints, now endeavour to continue in their footsteps, as we too strive to respond to our Lord's call: "Follow Me". Amen.