Posted on 09/19/2006 2:30:47 AM PDT by kronos77
BELGRADE, Serbia — Top Roman Catholic and Orthodox dignitaries declared Monday that the time has come to close the ages-old rifts between the ancient branches of Christianity and bring East and West closer together.
Representing the world's 1.1 billion Catholics and more than 250 million Christian Orthodox, sixty bishops, metropolitans and cardinals — 30 from each side — convened in the Serbian capital Belgrade for a renewed "theological" dialogue while acknowledging that much wider issues are involved.
"East and West have been estranged from each other since the 11th century," said Orthodox Metropolitan John Zizioulas, referring to the historic schism in 1054 when the spiritual leaders in the Vatican and in Constantinople — now Istanbul, Turkey — severed ties over the rising influence of the papacy.
That split was sealed then with an exchange of anathemas — spiritual repudiations, which were lifted in the 20th century but only with halting progress toward restoring bonds.
"We experience in our time that European nations unite and create one family," he said. "It is time to recover the ancient unity. ... East and West meet now not only on the theological level, but also on the political level."
The venue of the present talks, the participants said, has symbolic importance. Belgrade was the capital of the former Yugoslavia, which broke up violently in the 1990s, including battles between Roman Catholic Croats and Orthodox Serbs. But its ethnic groups now strive for reconciliation.
"We have gathered in a country which is recovering from great difficulties, a country that is trying to resurrect itself," Zizioulas said after Serbia's Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica greeted the guests at the opening ceremony.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Just read an article about our Christian brothers in Indonesia who are too weak and ill-equipped to fight/defend themselves from almost daily muzzie attack.. I felt bad and furious that most aids sent are for the muzzie countries while none or perhaps very few reaches to our Christian brothers and sisters in Indonesia. It's sad to know that they have to endure killings, rapes and looting because of their religion. I know that they are willing to fight, they just don't have the stuff... if only i can send military supplies, it will be a fair fight!
Activism/Chapters not, this is news
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