The dignity of each person is found in their image and likeness of God.2 Man is not one in nature with the Holy Trinity but was made in the image, according to the likeness of the Holy Trinity. The three ‘Persons’ of the Holy Trinity inter-commune with one another in perfect Love and Humility. Because a single unit is egocentric and incapable of love, God created Man – the human being – as two persons (a male plus a female) with the intention that love should reign among people. And because the love in a dyad is not yet the perfection of love, for the one may dominate the other, God commands, ‘Be fruitful and multiply’’(Gen.1:28). From two human beings the third, their child, a triad is formed. This triad is the minimum number needed for the virtuous perfection of a community, which is intended to operate and cooperate like the three ‘Persons’ of the Holy Trinity, in perfect Love and Humility.5

The mystery of the Holy Trinity is also reflected in the conciliar or synodical governance of the Orthodox Church which began with the Apostolic Synod in Jerusalem (Acts 15:1-21). As the Apostles had first done, when all Orthodox Bishops (and clergy) prayerfully govern together in godly humility and love, relying on the guidance of the Holy Spirit with obedience to Christ, the whole Church stays on course, aligning herself “as one mouth and one voice” to proclaim the “unity of the faith.” This does not mean submitting to a single pope or heretical bishop, but to the will of God. Throughout history, the Orthodox Church has navigated through many storms, dogmatically staying on course, because of her adherence to the synodical system, which is part of Holy Tradition. If the Church is the Body of Christ with Christ as the Head (this is the Orthodox definition of Church), then there must be a decentralization of power within the Body, or the Church on earth. This contrasts with the Western Papal System which broke with Holy Tradition, giving all authority and supremacy to one man, the Pope. https://orthodoxreflections.com/part-ii-of-the-western-series-true-love-makes-truly-human/