Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew in 2006
at the Patriarch's residence in Instanbul
Posted on 03/16/2013 3:46:23 AM PDT by NYer
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| Pope Benedict XVI and Ecumenical Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew in 2006 at the Patriarch's residence in Instanbul |
It is the first time that such a thing has happened since the Great Western Schism in 1054.
This is almost impossible to believe!!!
Here's the report that is rocking the Christian world (with some emphases added by me in bold italics). As the story notes, this epic gesture of unity is the fruit of the incredible ecumenical work of Pope Benedict, which was a top priority of his papacy. Indeed, in his statement upon Benedict's retirement the Patriarch spoke in glowing terms of the Benedict.
Here's the story about Tuesday:
Istanbul (AsiaNews) - The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I will attend Pope Francis's inaugural Mass. The Ecumenical Patriarchate Press Office informed AsiaNews about the decision, noting that this is the first time such an event occurs since the Catholic-Orthodox split in 1054, an important sign for Christian unity.
The ecumenical patriarch will be accompanied by Ioannis Zizioulas, metropolitan of Pergamon and co-president of the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Roman Catholic and the Orthodox Church, as well as Tarassios, Orthodox Metropolitan of Argentina, and Gennadios, Orthodox Metropolitan of Italy.
Relations between Catholics and Orthodox have been improving since the Second Vatican Council through mutual visits, acts of friendship and theological dialogue.
Under Benedict XVI, the dialogue picked up in earnest after a lull. In trying to promote it, the pope suggested ways to express the primacy of Peter's successor that could be acceptable to the Orthodox, finding his inspiration from the undivided Church of the first millennium.
Catholic ecumenism has met however with great resistance from the Russian Orthodox Church and the Moscow Patriarchate, seat of the 'Third Rome'.
The head of the Russian Orthodox Church's Department for External Relations, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, said on Thursday that a meeting between the pope and Patriarch Kirill of Moscow was "possible but the place and timing will depend on how quickly we will overcome the consequences of the conflicts from the turn of 1980s and 1990s".
The issue of the Ukrainian Catholic Church is at the core of the "conflicts" to which Hilarion was referring. Although it was unbanned following the collapse of the Soviet Union, it was left without its original churches, which had been seized by the Communists under Soviet rule and later transferred to the Orthodox Church.
Still, "on several occasions, Pope Francis has shown spiritual sympathy towards the Orthodox Church and a desire for closer contacts," Hilarion said.Here was the Patriarch's appreciative statement on hearing of Benedict's resignation:It is his hope that under the new pontificate "relations of alliance will develop and that our ties will be strengthened." [Source]
It is with regret that we have learned of the decision by His Holiness Pope Benedict to retire from his Throne, because with his wisdom and experience he could have provided much more to the Church and the world.
Pope Benedict leaves an indelible mark on the life and history of the Roman Catholic Church, sealed not only by his brief papacy, but also by his broad and longstanding contribution as a theologian and hierarch of his Church, as well as his universally acknowledged prestige.
His writings will long speak of his deep theological understanding, through his knowledge of the Fathers of the undivided Church, his familiarity with contemporary reality, and his keen interest in the problems of humankind.
We Orthodox will always honor him as a friend of our Church and a faithful servant of the sacred proposition for the union of all. Moreover, we shall rejoice upon learning of his sound health and the productivity of his theological work.
Personally, we remember with emotion his visit to the See of the Ecumenical Patriarchate over six years ago, together with the numerous encounters and excellent cooperation, which we enjoyed throughout the duration of his primatial ministry.
From the Phanar, we pray that the Lord will manifest his worthy successor as the head of the sister Church of Rome, and that we may also continue with this successor on our common journey toward the unity of all unto the glory of God. [Source]
The Moscow Patriarch is KIRILL; HILARION is in charge of external relations for Moscow.
Having BARTHOLOMEW attend, while significant is not all that surprising, based on recent history. If Moscow comes, now we are talking big, big, big.
I’m not finding any confirmation of that.
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Pope Francis will make this easy. He’ll insist on regular chairs for all of them, including himself. (And I mean that with all seriousness and respect.)
You seem to have forgotten that not all Orthodox Christians belong to the Greek Orthodox Church.
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