Istanbul (Daily Sabah) - Prelates of 14 Orthodox churches from around the world will meet in Istanbul for a three-day event running between March 6 to 9.

Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew will host the meeting. Participants will discuss theological issues as well as the situation of Orthodox Christian communities in the Middle East.

Archbishops and patriarchs of the Alexandria Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in Egypt; the Antioch Patriarchate in Syria; the Jerusalem Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in Israel; Russian, Serbian, Romanian, Georgian and Greece Orthodox churches; the Bulgarian Patriarchate; the Cyprus Orthodox Church; the Polish Orthodox Church; the Albanian Orthodox Church; and the Czech and Slovak Orthodox Church will attend the meeting.

Representatives of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church will be absent from the meeting. The Russian Orthodox Church and Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarchate have wrestled for control of the Ukrainian church in the past with both sides claiming jurisdiction over the church. Nevertheless, this conflict seemingly ceased to exist in recent years. In 2009, Bartholomew and Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill issued a message underlining the unity of the Fener patriarchate and the Russian church.

The meeting is held once every year on different dates. This year's meeting will conclude with an Orthodox liturgy on the occasion of Great Lent.