A quest for the reform of the Ortodox Church

It is with pleasure therefore that we welcome the publication in an English translation of the acts and decisions of the 1923 Congress, prepared by the Reverend Dr. Patrick Viscuso, an expert in canon law. He deserves our thanks and commendations for the initiative to translate into English a difficult text from the original Greek. In his substantial and excellently researched introduction, Father Viscuso provides the background to that Congress, discussing the difficult international climate of the times, the uncertainties and dangers that the Church faced following World War I, the Russian Revolution, the rise of Turkish nationalism, European politics and national aspirations, all of which affected the lives of millions of Orthodox Christians in Europe and the Near East.