Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of Latin America
The assembly began when delegates from the 14 autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches met at the Center of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Chambésy, Switzerland, on June 6–12, 2009.[1] At that time, the conference decided to sanction the establishment of episcopal assemblies in 12 regions of the so-called Eastern Orthodox diaspora which are beyond the boundaries of the autocephalous churches.This global initiative aimed at creating Assemblies of Bishops worldwide to enhance the visibility of Orthodoxy and coordinate collaborative efforts in areas such as education, catechesis, liturgical text translations, and relations with public authorities.Discussions at the assembly included the adoption of a Spanish version of the documents approved in Chambésy, and each Orthodox Church in South America presented its current situation.There, the Assembly expressed gratitude to the President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, for his support and his message conveying well wishes for the success of the meeting and its positive impact on communities across South America.