Posted on 10/09/2004 6:57:42 PM PDT by Destro
Sunday, October 10, 2004 (Updated 4:46 P.M.)
Greek Orthodox leader postpones Vatican trip after Holy Synod's objections?
2004/10/9
ATHENS, Greece (AP)
The leader of the Greek Orthodox Church postponed a planned visit to the Vatican after a majority of senior clerics in its governing body voted against the trip, the church said Saturday.
Archbishop Christodoulos was seeking formal approval from the Holy Synod before moving ahead with plans to meet Pope John Paul II in a visit meant to reciprocate the pontiff's groundbreaking pilgrimage to Greece in 2001.
The proposed trip had angered conservative factions in the Greek Orthodox Church, Greece's state religion.
"On the issue of the invitation for a visit to the Vatican by Archbishop Christodoulos there was a vote and the Holy Synod in its majority voted in favor of postponing the trip for a more suitable time," the church said in a statement.
Some 42 senior clerics of the 80-member Holy Synod voted against the trip, expressing the will of opposition from Greek religious conservatives who strongly oppose overtures to heal the nearly 1,000-year schism between the two ancient branches of Christianity.
John Paul _ the first pope to visit Greece in nearly 13 centuries _ helped overcome Greek Orthodox suspicions by noting "sins of action and omission" by Roman Catholics against Orthodox Christians, including such "painful memories" as the 1204 sacking by crusaders of Constantinople, the ancient center of Greek Byzantium.
A possible visit by Christodoulos to the Vatican could have strengthened the ties between the two churches.
Nearly 97 percent of native-born Greeks are baptized into the Orthodox Church, which also has considerable influence over political affairs. The Greek church _ although not among the largest of the various Orthodox congregations _ carries added clout because of its links to early Christianity.
Very interesting! You think they, and the Greeks, saw the picture of JPII kissing the koran?
It's a slim majority (42:38), and it is curious that Taiwan carries this news. But there is no need to read into this. We don't know what the reasons are for postponing the trip. It is also false to conclude that the visit would have somehow "strengthened" the relations or that this would bring reconcilliation any closer -- the Patriarch does not decide for the church. With Russia, Serbia and Greece staying the line that has been unchanged since the Councils, I seriously doubt that there is a chance worth speculating that such a move would even be considered.
I suspect that the Archbishop is playing a game with Constantinople. +Christodoulos and +Bartolomeus are enemies. The EP just made the Archbishop back down publicly over the appointment of some Metropolitans in Northern Greece and the word is that +Christodoulos is seething, so he tries to play the Pope card. In the meantime, JPII is not a real popular guy in Greece for a lot of historical reasons and most recently because of some of the Vatican's actions on matters touching on recent Balkan history.
I can understand that. This would not be the first time the Church is unhappy with the EP (1920's come to mind). Greek Archbishop and EP are strange bedfellows, in that the EP has considerable control over the Greek Church, and given the EP's personal closeness with JPII (he studied in Rome), and his folloy with ecumenical movement in recent years (thank God most churches got out of it when the RCC started to pray with pagans and non-Christians). Frankly, some earlier actions by Rome were and always will be scandalous, and any EP or Orthodox patriarch playing along without proper changes in the Vatican will be considered scandalous too.
One such issue is the aggression Vatican supported against Serbia in 1999. When the Pope arrived in Bosnia's Serb administartive capital of Banya Luka two years ago, he invited the Serbian Patriarch to join him, and +Pavle flatly refused. What some people don't understand is that one must practice what he preaches -- until then, nothing will even move. Words are cheep. Show me your faith, says St. James. I agree.
To Catholics: The Spirit of Assisi at work. Causing more separation from our Christian brothers (the important ones.)
When Rome embraces her Tradition...then the Church's Eastern and Western lungs can breathe together. Let's pray for that.
I don't think you know what I was referring to. There is an event that took place that was absolutely scandalous, and it has been no more than four years since then. Got to think out side the box.
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