A meeting of some 50 official Orthodox women delegates of their churches has come up with a list of recommendations concerning the role of women in the life of the Church.

The recommendations deal, among other things, with theological education, the re-evaluation of some prayers and church practices, encouraging women's ministries, full participation of Orthododox women in the life of their church and the ecumenical movement, women's contribution to the spiritual growth for all, the role of priest's wives, sexism, and women's ordination.

The meeting took place in Istanbul, Turkey, 10 -17 May under the title 'Discerning the Signs of the Times: Women in the life of the Orthodox Church' and was hosted by the Ecumenical Patriarch, Bartholomew I of Constantinople. The meeting was held within the context of the Ecumenical Decade of Churches in Solidarity with Women, which will culminate at the World Council of Churches (WCC) Eighth Assembly in Harare, Zimbabwe in December 1998.

This was the third meeting of Orthodox women held in connection with the Decade. It was organised by Aruna Gnanadason of the WCCs Women's Desk and Orthodox theological consultant, Dr Kyriaki FitzGerald. After the meeting, Aruna Gnanadason said 'Up to now Orthodox women felt their concerns had not been taken seriously and did not feel part of the Decade. But now they see their work very much in terms of the Decade and they have come up with some very strong recommendations.

One of the recommendations concerns theological education for women, which is seen as a priority. It should include education at the highest level and be open to all women.

The meeting called for a re-evaluation of some church practices. It particularly cited the tradition of mothers not going to church for 40 days after childbirth and certain prayers... for miscarriages, abortions and post-partum mothers. Some of the women present said they felt these practices and prayers do not properly express the theology of the Church regarding the dignity of God's creation of woman and her redemption in Christ.

The women also called for new hymns to be written to reflect the lives of modern women martyrs and the sacrifices which Orthodox women continue to make.

The sensitive subject of the ordination of woman was also addressed in a carefully written recommendation: Some participants at the consultation welcomed the idea than an inter-Orthodox conference on the ordination of women to the priesthood be organised where women and men will have the opportunity to examinine this topic in greater depth from both theological and spiritual perspectives.

At a time when some within the Orthodox churches are questioning their involvement in the World Council of Churches, the Istanbul meeting recommended that the Orthodox Church appoint women delegates as representatives to the various aspects of the ecumenical movement, whether on the international, national or parish level. The women asked their churches to seriously consider complying with the WCC request that at least 50% of their representatives at the Eighth Assembly be women, and to bestow their blessings on those women who will attend an Ecumenical Decade Festival to be held in Harare just before the Assembly.

'I have never seen such a strong affirmation of a commitment to the ecumenical movement as came from these Orthodox women', said Aruna Gnanadason.

In Istanbul, conference members attended a worship service led by the Ecumenical Patriarch, who also opened the gathering. Later, the Patriarch, wrote to the WCC General Secretary, Rev Dr Konrad Raiser, that it had been a blessing and a joy to receive the participants. 'Their discussions were very valuable and will prove beneficial for our holy Orthodox Church', he added.

Those attending the conference came from Australia, Armenia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Czech Republic, Egypt, England, Finland, France, Georgia, Greece, Lebanon, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Syria, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the USA.