"All that having been said, I must sadly admit that, every time I come to Free Republic and read the Orthodox postings, I wonder why the Holy Father would even bother? We surely don't need the "numbers" or the money. And do we need the grief?"
Something to remember about Free Republic and really any forum where debate is public: the debate is not about the debaters. It's about the audience. Or in net-speak, it's all about the lurkers.
You see, far more people are reading this thread than those actually posting it. And often times how we conduct ourselves tells far more about us than the content of what we actually say. You will know a tree by the fruit that it produces.
In my view, Pope Benedict is pursuing ecumenism for one reason: he thinks it's the right thing to do and what our Lord wants.
That said, it would be naive to fail to note that there are some advantages to pursuing ecumenism from both a theological and practical perspective. The author of this article very succinctly lists some of the theological advantages and I see no reason to repeat those.
What I would add to that is a brief discussion of the more subtle advantages to pursuing ecumenism in spite of the rude response being received from some members of the Orthodox church. Again, it revolves around the notion that debate is not about the debaters, but about the audience. You see, in a subtle yet very powerful way, the Catholic church through it's actions is stating to the whole world: This Is What We're About. Conversely, the Orthodox are stating the same thing. This Is What We're About.
So ask yourself: which church is sending the more positive message? Which church would you rather be associated with? Which church is going to attract the people that you would want to be associated with?
There are ALWAYS people watching.
Bears repeating and a big bump!
It's not about him; it's about Him. The Catholic Church is like a big umbrella - there's plenty of room for different expressions of the same faith. There is no place for heterodoxy.