Posted on 04/05/2005 10:03:00 AM PDT by Ebenezer
Statement by His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew upon the falling asleep in the Lord of Pope John Paul II
His Holiness Pope John Paul II, having fulfilled the duty of life, which is common to all humans, has fallen asleep in the Lord. May God give rest to his soul in the place of the living, where there is no sorrow, grief nor mourning.
Pope John Paul II envisioned the restoration of the unity of the Christians and he worked for its realization. Thus, and in order to give the mark of his papacy, he visited the Ecumenical Patriarchate only a year after his election, and together with Patriarch Demetrios declared the formation of the Joint Committee for the inception of the Theological Dialogue between Orthodox and Roman Catholics. He did not hesitate before pains and sacrifices in order to bring the message of the Gospel to the entire world and to contribute to the establishment of peace. History will also recount his crucial contribution to the fall of atheistic communism. There are not many such brave men of vision, as the departed Pope. During his passage through the Hierarchy and especially through the leadership of the Roman Catholic Church, he drew deep his traces on her and on the history of all humanity, and he has left behind the indelible imprint of his strong personality. Many of his initiatives have been inception of developments, which still advance today. He was a pioneer in many issues. For this reason, his death is a loss not only to his Church, but to all of Christianity as well, and to the international community in general, who desires peace and justice.
We express our deep personal sorrow and on behalf of the Ecumenical Patriarchate for the resting of our beloved brother in Christ, and we share the mourning of the millions of our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters worldwide.
May his memory be eternal and may the Lord of life and death bring forth a most worthy successor, among the many personalities that adorn the hierarchy of the sister Church.
At the Patriarchate, 2 April 2005
Is there any sort of international ritual when the Patriarch dies? I don't recall anything.
Good question. I wonder if there are any fellow FReepers of the Orthodox faith who can answer this.
I can't find much written about the subject. I would imagine it's similar to what they're going through now except we probably wouldn't have as much TV coverage. :-D
I heard once though that the EP has to be a Turkish citizen. Athenagoras, of blessed memory, was born in Epires, Greece however.
The Patriarch of Constantinople is a "first among equals", the other equals being the patriarchs of the other autocephalous Orthodox Churches (Greek, Russian, Serbian, Bulgarian, etc.). His status among the Orthodox is nowhere near that of the Pope among the Catholics, neither while alive, nor in his death.
What you just said, used to be said about the bishop of Rome: "First among equals." Not for a long time, of course.
Unlike the case with the Patriarch of Constantinople.
That's correct. The Ecumenical Patriarch only has actual jurisdiction over a limited area, and I believe he must be a Turkish citizen. In relative terms, he is a rather obscure religious leader, at least to Western Christians.
The Orthodox recognize the Pope as Patriarch of Rome (or Patriarch of the West, which is another title the Pontiff is known by), but claim that his jurisdiction is only over the Roman Patriarchate and not the universal Church. This seems to be in line with the Orthodox concept of autocephalous churches.
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