Posted on 02/13/2016 6:42:32 AM PST by marshmallow
There is so much that is better than good in the Declaration of Cuba that it seems churlish to carp. But ...
Paragraph 27: It is our hope that the schism between the Orthodox faithful in Ukraine may be overcome through existing canonical norms, that all the Orthodox Christians of Ukraine may live in peace and harmony, and that the Catholic communities in the country may contribute to this, in such a way that our Christian brotherhood may become increasingly evident.
I find this enormously strange. Unless the Russian Church is finally conceding that the Bishop of First Rome does have a general supervision of All the Churches so as to maintain or to restore unity and to resolve disputes, I completely fail to see what on earth it has to do with the Pope what the competing Ukrainian Orthodox jurisdictions do. What standing has Rome to prescribe upon what basis in Canon Law Orthodox should reconcile among themselves? I can't help feeling that Moskow has tricked the Vatican into, rather unwisely, taking sides in an intra-Orthodox dispute. No fools, these Russkies.
Paragraph 25: It is our hope that our meeting may also contribute to reconciliation wherever tensions exist between Greek Catholics and Orthodox. It is today clear that the past method of 'uniatism', understood as the union of one community to the other, separating it from its Church, is not the way to re-establish unity. Nonetheless, the ecclesial communities which emerged in these historical circumstances have the right to exist and to undertake all that is necessary to meet the spiritual needs of their faithful, while seeking to live in peace with their neighbours. Orthodox and Greek Catholics are in need of reconciliation and of mutually acceptable forms of co-existence.
If a group of Bishops with their Clergies and Peoples decide to seek formal links of Communion with the See of S Peter, I do not see upon what grounds of Catholic ecclesiology their request can be denied or rebuffed. Calling it Unia and then deeming that term to be a dirty word is just ecclesiastical spin-doctoring.
Could it be that Moskow is afraid that some of the Ukrainian Orthodox might seek shelter under a Roman, rather than a Muscovite, umbrella? Or is all this part of Moskow's unease that the Ecumenical Patriarchate might (as it has done before) take a 'primatial' hand in the canonical problems within the former Soviet Empire? Or do we have here a device to pre-empt some possible jockeying at this year's Pan-Orthodox Conference? Did Cardinal Koch check with Constantinople that these texts were unexceptionable?
A chap can get himself into trouble by flirting with two girls at the same time.
This is the fatal weakness of every such meeting and overture. Other Christians approach things with the idea they are equals with a goal of fellowship. The Roman point of view is that the only goal is that the other eventually submit to Rome again.
Until Rome gives up the idea that they are the only legitimate leader of all Christiandom, I cannot see that meetings will ever produce much success.
Rome is like a guy trying to get an old girlfriend back. At best she is open to be a friend, but he thinks she is going to walk back in and say she was wrong to leave him.
But I think any meeting between Christian branches is good. I find Cuba to be an odd location, unless the goal was to try to invigorate Christianity there. But I have a feeling it was to give socialism a hug.
I agree with your analysis.
” Fr. Hunwicke (who is a priest of the Anglican Ordinariate)”
Best take whatever these protestants swinging the thurifer say with more than a little skepticism. We have our share of them; more Orthodox than the EP....
The chances that we will “submit” to the Roman Pope are exactly zero! I doubt, however, that that is what this Pope is looking for. In any event, we CAN work together closely.
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