Before addressing the new challenges of Canberra from the perspective of an Orthodox woman, I would like to say a few words on the status of the ecumenical debate between Orthodox and non-Orthodox women on the place and role of women in church and society.Without this historical background, it will be hard to appreciate the challenges identified by Orthodox women.

Undoubtedly, the ecumenical movement has contributed positively to the cause of women. Due to the World Council of Churches women's gifts are recognized and have become more visible on the ecumenical scene. WCC has also helped some churches to recognize the place of women in church and society. However, WCC failed to provide a process whereby all the member churches could engage themselves and rethink the rightful place of women in their midst on the basis of their own theologies and traditions. WCC did not become a forum of conviviality where different theological positions could co-exist and enrich one another Apparently the ecumenical movement is not ready to listen to different analysis. Both Orthodox churches and Orthodox women feel marginalized within the Council. This comment arises from my personal experience as an Orthodox woman and as a staff. I can also say that the Orthodox are not alone in making this criticism..

To make the participation of women a concern of the fellowship, WCC should address the following questions: One, is the issue of women's participation in the church a question of justice or unity and community? Two, are the recommendations of WCC meetings and WCC norms concerning women's participation in ecumenical events, relevant criteria for the members churches? Or, to what extent does WCC help member churches internalize these recommendations and norms and make them their own? Finally, how binding are WCC decisions over the churches?

The Seventh Assembly carried into its dynamics the debate implied in the first question and the tension implicit in the second. It is beyond the concerns of my presentation to go deeper on this matter; and yet these are some of the questions that are hindering dialogue between the Orthodox and non-Orthodox on the question of women.

In this paper I will address three issues that will demonstrate the nature of post Canberra challenges: 1) The Canberra experience and the ecumenical agenda of Orthodox women; 2) the agenda of Orthodox women in their own churches; 3) Orthodox women and social issues

Almost all Orthodox churches in Canberra had women on their delegation. The presence of women in ecumenical meetings is no more an issue for the majority of Orthodox churches. All the women were well qualified but had little ecumenical experience like most delegates in Canberra. The Orthodox women met regularly to monitor Assembly discussions; to understand the World Council of Churches; to understand the problems and struggles of non-Orthodox women within their churches and in their countries. These meetings were also valuable occasions for the women to know and discover one another, analyse the on-going debate and make common plans both on ecumenical and inter-Orthodox level.

As a result of these gatherings, a long list of issues emerged. These issues address to the main thrust of WCC and arise from the self-understanding of Orthodox women.

While recognizing the power of language in describing human relations, it was difficult for them to accept the use of inclusive language in all aspects of the life of the church. They strongly emphasized the peculiarities of different languages whereby semantic may or may not imply exclusivity; for example in Greek - and consequently in the patristic tradition of the undivided church - the word "anthropos" means both men and women. In Armenian, the word "man" is the equivalent of the word "creature", and does not communicate any gender. Further, in the Armenian language nouns in general and the third person pronoun are genderless.

In addition, changing the language of prayer will not answer the question of women's participation in the life of the church. While the question of participation of women in the life of the church remains a vital concern, Orthodox women want to articulate their own terms of reference within the framework of their own socio-political context and within the spirit of their understanding of their own faith. In Orthodoxy, participation is conditioned by the meaning of church and the nature of priesthood.

The Church is not a human association. It is the place where God revealed the Truth through His Son; it is also the place where the Truth is preserved by His Holy Spirit. Through Baptismal sacrament and Chrismation, the Christian becomes part of a community in which Salvation was announced to all (kings, priests, prophets) as part of the prophetic spirit. " in the days to come - it is the Lord who speaks - I will pour out my spirit on all humankind. Their sons and daughters shall prophecy." (Acts 2:17)

This image of the church is deeply rooted in the minds and hearts of Orthodox men and women. Within such an understanding all believers are recipients of gifts (prophetic spirit) and members of the community in which Salvation was announced. The organic view of the Church is strongly rooted in Orthodox faith. Liturgical language speaks about the "whole body of the Church" (pleroma) and theological language about "consensus fidelium." By virtue of this understanding of the Church, all issues and concerns are the concerns of all the church and should be discussed by all the church. Consequently the question of the participation of women in the life of the church should be seen in terms of the ways it could be appropriated by the church as a whole.

Women's access to the sacramental priesthood is not a priority for Orthodox women for two reasons. First, they are concerned with other urgent matters related to the question of ministry in the church and second, they have a different understanding of the sacramental ministry. The Old Testament understanding of priesthood was based on Moses, the Covenant, the sacrifices he offered, and the succession by his brother Aaron and Aaron's son.

Jesus's priesthood is exercised through the Passion (self-sacrifice) and succession is symbolized in the Last Supper (Eucharist) where he said: "go and repeat". Since Christ himself identified the bread and the wine with his very flesh and blood, it follows also that his sacrifice is repeated in it in a mystical, divine way, so that every time the Church celebrates it, following his command, it performs his high priestly office exactly the same way he performed both his sacrifice and sacraments. Therefore, through the Eucharist, Christ's sacrifice and priestly office are extended and perpetuated in history. The relationship between the Apostles and Christ is one of representation and dependence. "He who receives you receives me" (Matt.10:40).

Christ is the unique high priest of the new covenant, "one mediator between God and men" (I Tim.2-5). Eucharistic priesthood is not the only notion of priesthood that is dominant in the Orthodox Church. By virtue of our creation in God's image, by virtue of the renewal of that image through baptism and anointing with the Holy Oil, we are all clergy and laity, "a royal priesthood, a holy nation," (I Peter, 2-9) all set apart for God's service.

This royal priesthood recognizes above all the power each human being has because of being created in God's image. It also recognizes the mandate he/she has to act as creator after the likeness of God the Creator. 'Each person is capable of offering the world back to its Maker in Thanksgiving, presenting his or her sex, body and soul together as a living sacrifice to the Holy Trinity". (Romans.12:1)

Therefore, in Orthodoxy the distinction between sacramental priesthood and the royal priesthood is clear.

Sacramental priesthood is part of the royal priesthood. The royalty of Christ is that of suffering servant. All Christians participate in the servant's vocation and all must endure suffering in order to attain glory (Rev. 7, 3-4).

This image of Jesus as the Head and everybody else under His serving gives responsibility to men and women to exercise this "priesthood". It is true that in some instances the vision of royal that in some instances the vision of royal priesthood is distorted. In such cases the churches are called to restore the community of royal priesthood. In the tradition of the Early Church, some of the functions of the women were : teaching women the faith, assisting in the baptism of women, diakonia and healing through prayer. Historically, ministry of women in the church has taken different forms in different churches depending on their situation and cultural context. In view of the present times and current needs, Orthodox churches and more particularly women are in search of new forms of ministry that will respond to the problems of their societies.

Since 1976, the question of the renewal of the church is being discussed through the renewal of different manifestations of ministry in the church. In this regard women are concentrating primarily on the renewal of the diaconate for both men and women. Currently the female diaconate has disappeared in almost all churches and the male diaconate has been reduced to a liturgical function. Depending on the needs of individual churches, the specific gifts brought to such a ministry by each person will include : "engaging in catechetical work; establishing regular pastoral relations with the community; reading prayers of blessing for special occasions; engaging in youth and college ministry and leadership training; performing social work; counselling the faithful in spirituality-related matters; anointing the infirm; carrying out missionary work; ministering to the sick, imprisoned and confined, and bringing them Communion when it is needed; assisting the bishop or presbyter in the liturgical services." (Church and Culture: Orthodox Women's Consultation, 1990)

Ecumenical worship and Bible studies by women or for women are primarily based on Old Testament women. This was also the case in Canberra both during the pre-Assembly Women's meeting and at the Assembly. It is a painful experience for Orthodox women to see the absence of Mother of God and Women saints and martyrs in these prayers/reflections.

In the Orthodox Church there is a strong relationship between the motherhood of the Church and the Motherhood of the Virgin Mary. Both received the Holy Spirit and both play a key role in salvation: the Virgin Mary through Christ's birth and the Church through Pentecost. The one is the foundation of the New Covenant - by saying "yes" to the Angel - and the other is the " arch" of the New Covenant.

Orthodox liturgy also presents Mary as the fulfilment of the Old Testament manifestation of the divine. In Mary it is known that God's perfect image and dwelling place is Man, male and female. In Orthodox churches icons or pictures of Mary with the Child adorn the altar. She is present in the Holy Liturgy. She is continually called to intercede and pray. She is not a co-redeemer but a helpmate. In one of the annunciation hymns of the Armenian church we sing: "We beseech thee, 0 holy virgin Mary, bearer of God, overshadowed by the power of the Most High, and enlightened by the descent of the Holy Spirit: Thou didst ineffably conceive and bear the creator of all things; intercede with him who has incarnate of thee that he may be pleased to save our souls" (Divine Liturgy)

The person who expressed the royal priesthood most beautifully is the Mother of God. She manifested it through self offering, starting with the annunciation and then throughout her life. In addition, she was entrusted with all of humanity when Jesus entrusted John to her. In Mary, the aim of Christian life is attained. It is the image of such a woman that Orthodox believers (men and women) carry with them. It is true that the Virgin Mary- Mother of God- represents the feminine figure in the life of the Christian community and inspires women and men to carry out their vocation as members of the royal priesthood. It is this image of the woman that Orthodox women missed at the Seventh assembly.

Orthodox women also regretted the absence of reference to women saints, martyrs, preachers, evangelists and ascetics. The lives of these women reflect the feminine response to the Holy Spirit. The women saints, martyrs, preachers, evangelists and ascetics had an important role in the life of the early church and continue to be a source of inspiration for role models. Women saints are also part of the Holy Tradition of the Church. They are called to intercede before God not only by women but also by men.

This issue has been on the WCC agenda since 1983. It came once more very strongly in Canberra and was discussed by Orthodox women. The inter-action of faith, church and culture and the tensions arising from such interaction is an integral part of the daily experiences of Orthodox men and women. The Orthodox churches built their life and liturgy on the inherited non-Christian cultures of their societies. Some of the questions Orthodox women are raising today in relation to sexuality and participation arise from the cultural as the mystical aspect of God is not forgotten and these cultures are interpreted within the Trinitarian relationship of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

The question of new forms of family structure has been on the WCC agenda as one response to secularization and modernization. For Orthodox churches the family is born out of the sacrament of marriage; it is a microcosm of the Church. The grandmother and the mother are the first teachers of religious education and the bridge between church and society. Whenever Orthodox nations were subjugated by non-Christian nations and were prevented from worshipping openly, the women transmitted the faith to the children and adults. In most recent times, the same experience was repeated in communist countries.

Today, the majority of Orthodox women continue their role as initiators into the faith, despite their obligation to go out and work. The implicit tension in these two roles is very strong and the challenge to the family is soon to come. Orthodox women are also not excluded from facing some of the social problems implied in family life such as domestic violence, sexual abuse, separation and divorce. They are suffering like other women; their struggle is similar to that of their sisters but the expression of their struggle varies from one context to another.

In Canberra, Orthodox women affirmed their positive contributions into the life of their churches through assistance in the administrative work of the churches; teaching in Sunday Schools; engagement in catechetical work; in diakonia; in membership in the choirs. They also expressed their profound desire to find new ways to use their gifts and manifest their ministry in the life of their churches. They identified the following problems which the churches still need to address: voting rights in the church; the issue of clean and unclean and discrimination of women in the church; access to theological education and employment opportunities in church institutions; membership in parish councils and other committees of the church. They all agreed that the form of participation and the priorities will vary from church to church.

For Orthodox women the struggle for social justice in this world is the beginning of a long journey towards the fulfilment of the Heavenly Kingdom. All Christians are called to work for the Heavenly Kingdom which is the perfection of the principle of equality. This vision of the world emphasizes the dynamic interrelationship and continuity between the past, the present and the future or, the interrelationship between the Old Testament, the New Testament and the subsequent life of the Church and the Holy Tradition. Respect for this dynamic inter-relationship and continuity moulds the self-understanding of Orthodox women.

The commitment of Orthodox women to issues of social justice and freedom depends once more on the context in which they live. In India women are actively struggling against inheritance laws which discriminate against them. In the Middle East, the struggle varies from country to country; Palestinian women are fighting for their right to a homeland and self-determination; in Lebanon (where the civil war of the past fifteen years has devastated them), the women continue to struggle for peace and the territorial integrity of their country; in Egypt, women are challenged by the extreme poverty of their country and the debt crisis; in Cyprus they are struggling for the re-unification of their island; in Greece women are actively involved in all aspects of political and social struggles of their country. All Orthodox women in the Middle East live the Christian/Moslem dialogue daily.

In Ethiopia, Orthodox women are suffering from the tragedy of war and drought in their country. In the rest of the African countries, women belonging to the young African Orthodox churches, are carrying the burden of debt crisis like their other African sisters. In the former Soviet Union (C.I.S.) and former countries of the Eastern Europe bloc, women are in search of new democratic values to fill in the vacuum created by the downfall of communism. In Armenia, women are working equally with men in rebuilding their country devastated by the earthquake in 1988; they are facing the challenges of perestroika and the blockade imposed on them by their Afghan neighbours. In the United States, Orthodox women are challenged, among other things, by environmental problems, drug abuse, issues related to bio-technology and genetic engineering.

The struggles of Orthodox women as citizens are the same as the struggles of all other women within the ecumenical family. They are, with their children, victims of war; victims of human rights abuse; they are refugees; asylum seekers; they suffer malnutrition; they are subject to sexual harassment; just to mention a few examples. Unfortunately, the deep gap which separates them from non-Orthodox women on issues of participation in the church has been a stumbling block in building solidarity and community to face their common struggles. Unfortunately, the deep gap which separates them from non-Orthodox women on issues of participation in the church has been a stumbling block in building solidarity and community to face their common struggles.

CONCLUSION: Orthodox women left Canberra with a strong recommendation that WCC begins a study process with Orthodox and non-Orthodox women to explore together women's issues in church and society. It is my personal hope that with the Seventh Assembly a new period will begin. The ecumenical movement will become a real forum where women's place and role in church and society is discussed in a positive way by the whole people of God; where mutual accusations will be replaced by a mutual effort of listening to one another in humility, and learning from one another. The new challenge of Canberra' is to learn to listen to one another., which is also a key element in our search for unity.