Posted on 04/04/2005 10:01:53 AM PDT by annalex
MOSCOW, April 4. (RIA Novosti political commentator Pyotr Romanov) - It seems the only place the pope wanted but could not visit was Moscow. His patience was boundless, but he did not live long enough to see changes in the Russian Orthodox Church.
He, however, was open to the whole world, including Russians. It turned out that establishing contacts with the secular authorities of the new Russia was much easier than with the hierarchs of the Russian Church. The pontiff received Gorbachev, Yeltsin and Putin, the latter of whom has sent the Vatican an unusual letter of condolences. More than a matter of protocol, it was warm and sincere, evidently expressing the President's respect for John Paul II.
Polish-born Karol Wojtyla was the first pope since the Apostles to enter a synagogue. He called Jews the elder brothers of Christians and prayed at the Wailing Wall. As the head of the Catholic Church, he visited a mosque and almost every country, including Orthodox ones, but was not allowed to pray in only one place, Moscow. The pope respected the Christian canons and waited for the Russian Church to change its mind. He has been waiting until his death.
It is not for me to reach a conclusion on the reasons behind the inflexibility of the Church leaders, but their formal explanations about Catholics seizing Orthodox houses of worship are not particularly convincing. In fact, the Vatican could make similar claims in many cases, as in the 20th century and even earlier many temples changed their terrestrial owners several times, all the while serving the same celestial Father. A papal visit to Moscow could have resolved half the contradictions.
I am almost certain that the first Slavic pope was not allowed to the Russian Church's congregation for the same reason that earlier had driven the Communist Party to cover up Western voices: the fear of comparison.
The point is that the Catholic Church was lucky: a man of the greatest moral authority andcharisma occupied its throne, whose personal influence was far greater than that of the Church itself. No matter how much the sick Russian Orthodox Church might have wanted, it could not find his equal, as it had still not made a full recovery after the decades of persecution under the Soviet authorities. Orthodox hierarchs could not bear the thought of the pope in a crowded Moscow square or, even worse, in the Christ the Savior Cathedral. After all, they are only human.
It also explains the unhealthy, not so much religious, as human, response to any movement of the Catholic Church in Russia, even though this competition is not about oil or aluminum, but human souls, which in a democratic country are expected to choose freely. The words "shepherd" and "flock" are just images, because people are obviously not sheep. People that have a right to choose, i.e., to enter the church they want.
I believe that Russia has missed a historic opportunity for rapprochement with the Catholics and, consequently, with much of Western culture. The last man of power in Russia who seriously preached ecumenism and rapprochement with the Catholics was Emperor Paul I of Russia. The last pontiff who perceived Russia, its contradictions and spiritual trials so shrewdly was John Paul II. It was not coincidence that he prayed before a Russian icon as well others.
There are few chances that an equal to the late pontiff will succeed him. After all, when he was a student, some jokers put a sign "beginner saint" - and it seems justly - on his door.
An ordinary archbishop will most probably succeed this rock of a person, who was not afraid to voice words of apology for the Catholic Church's previous sins. A person educated and worthy, but without the traits Karol Wojtyla had. There are people who cannot be replaced.
Certainly, the new pontiff will not be a Slav, and the relations between Moscow and the Roman throne will enter the usual bureaucratic dimension. Delegations will visit each other, agree on something, sign something and mark time.
In other words, a person of the 21st century, the late John Paul II, will be replaced by a person of the 20th century, who will hardly bring about any breakthrough in the future.
As a result, everyone will lose: the Vatican, whose authority will decline inevitably and quickly, Catholicism on the whole, Catholics in Russia and, naturally, the Russian Orthodox Church, which has lost a huge incentive for self-improvement. This is regrettable, as even many Orthodox priests admit that complete recovery is still a distant possibility.
Once John Paul II was asked whether he ever cried, and he said, "Never outside."
Today, a significant part of humanity, regardless of religion, is crying both inside and outside. Everyone in his or her own manner. Together and on their own. Karol Wojtyla deserved this.
Whoa! There's a huge amount of money! Actually I used to collect more in a day just by talking to random foreigners.
India doesn't have any Orthodox. They have Marthomites and Syrian Christians and Assyrians etc., but those are part of the Oriental churchs not the Orthodox churchs.
Really? That would be news to my priest's best friend the Metropolitan of India and SE Asia.
That's sarcasm if you didn't get it.
Or, maybe not.
Blessed Lent. No package here as of yet. Plenty of time.
Just like your other statement of brilliance about how we are not involved in humanitarian work.
These are mission churches but there is also a major unification drive with the Oriental Orthodox, like the St. Thomas founded Oriental Orthodox of southern India.
Haven't sent it yet, since the time limit got moved back. :0) We'll send it in about 2 weeks. :0)
Isn't there a "Metropolitan" of Sicily? You can fit all the Sicilian Orthodox into a telephone booth.
In Taipei there is about a dozen Orthodox, all of which are slav foreigners. A Catholic priest was gracious enough to lend them his church so they can serve Divine Liturgy. I wonder if the Orthodox would return the same favour in a city where there is only a dozen Catholics.
I'm not, but I do know a hell of a lot more about it than you do.
I see that the stricture against personal attacks doesn't apply to Orthodox. Well, my soul is indeed diseased, as is yours, since we are all sinners. Remember the theotokia from the Matins Canon? "Heal my diseased soul...". Nevertheless I got up and did something, unlike you.
Ahh, Mr. Apples and Oranges strikes again. Thanks for your input, now run along and play.
The Oriental Orthodox like the Syro-Malabar and Syro-Malankaras are already part of the Catholic church as separate, distinct rites.
Aside from Fr. Manalu, are there any Orthodox working hands-on in Sumatra, Thailand, Sri Lanka or thereabouts? I mean are they actually there, working on construction, as medics, setting up and running camps, missions, etc... you know, like what the Catholics, Protestants, Buddhists, and Muslims are doing? If so, how many, and where are they based?
The Orthodox have a poor record of missionary and humanitarian activity in all these areas.
Difference is, genius: while you had free reign to run around, first Russia spent 200 years under Mongol domination and another 300 reclaiming her lands from Catholic domination
This the kind of thinking that characterizes the Orthodox mind. It is a thinking based on excuses. "We don't/can't/don't want to/didn't do such-and-such because of the [insert one or more] Jews/Poles/Commies/Latins/Jesuits/filioque etc"
I won't ad "Mongols" to the list because you were their allies.
Next you'll be telling me that there are so few Orthodox working on Andaman relief because of the sack of Constantinople.
I never said you weren't involved in humanitarian work. In fact, here's some...
Greece sent wigs to tsunami victims
By Karolos Grohmann
ATHENS (Reuters) - A Greek church charity sent boxes of "inappropriate" aid to victims of the December tsunami in Sri Lanka, including fur coats and carnival wigs, Doctors of the World, the organisation that helped unload the shipment has said.
The aid, more than 600 tonnes, was collected in Greece by the Orthodox Church's charity organisation Solidarity and shipped to Sri Lanka using a cruise ship. The operation was coordinated by the Greek Foreign Ministry.
"We had a staff of eight on the ship travelling to Sri Lanka. When they arrived and started opening boxes containing the aid they were shocked and angered," said Elli Xenou, Doctors of the World director of foreign missions.
"There were boxes containing fur coats, carnival wigs and underwear thongs which were completely inappropriate," she told Reuters.
The Foreign Ministry said it was investigating the issue, which caused outrage in Greek media. The ministry planned to issue a statement.
The Indian Ocean tidal wave triggered an unprecedented outpouring of sympathy and aid from Greece which ranked as the fourth biggest contributor of aid in the European Union.
It was not clear how much of the 600 tonnes could not be used but Xenou said it was a lot.
"There was a considerable amount of stuff that should definitely not have been there. Even if just one box could not be used it is unacceptable."
Solidarity Director Dimitris Fourlemadis said there could have been some boxes containing suspect clothing but said the figure was very small.
"We sent 26,919 packages. Even if there were two, 10 or 100 boxes with some other stuff inside, it is a very small number and not worth mentioning," he told Reuters.
Reuters
Oriental Orthodox is a wide ranging title for many very divergent Christian strains. While those two groups might be affiliated with the Catholics, the Coptic Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, Assyrian Orthodox, etc are not.
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