His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew On the Quest for the Unity of the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches
The Ecumenical Patriarchate is committed to the movement to restore the visible unity of the churches. This conviction is rooted in the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. As the good shepherd, our Lord came to heal and to reconcile us with the Father. On the night he gave himself up for the life of the world, our Lord prayed for the unity of his followers.
As members of His Church, therefore, we too have a profound obligation to share in the divine action of reconciliation. In celebrating the Resurrection, we proclaim the divine victory over all the forces of division and alienation. With the Apostle Paul, we declare: "God was in Christ reconciling Himself to the world and has given us the ministry of reconciliation" (2 Cor. 5:18).
Mindful of its historic obligations, the Patriarchate has taken a role of leadership in the contemporary ecumenical movement. From the earliest days of the 20th century, the Patriarchate issued a number of encyclicals, which dealt with the topic of the unity of the Church.
Since that time, the Ecumenical Patriarchate has consistently reminded all of the tragedy of Christian disunity. The disunity of Christians is contrary to the will of our Lord. Our disunity is a scandal, which weakens our witness to the Gospel of Christ and our mission in the world. Our disunity does not give glory to our God of reconciliation.
The Ecumenical Patriarchate has been an ardent proponent of genuine efforts among Christians to overcome animosity and misunderstandings. The Patriarchate has called upon the churches to come out of their isolation, and to enter into dialogue for the sake of reconciliation and the restoration of visible unity. The Ecumenical Patriarchate has reminded the followers of Christ of the prayer of the Lord for their unity. He prayed "that they may be one even as you Father are in me and I in you, may they also be one in us, so that the world may believe that you sent me" (John 17:21). We all need to hear clearly this powerful prayer of our Lord today.
We remember with much joy that this dialogue began forty years ago in Jerusalem. There, on the Mount of Olives in 1964, our predecessor Patriarch Athenagoras, of blessed memory, met with Pope Paul IV, of blessed memory. Coming from the West and the East, from Old Rome and New Rome, these humble servants greeted each other as pilgrims and brothers in Christ. Mindful of Our Lord's prayer for unity, they prayed together. They exchanged the kiss of peace. And, they vowed with God's help to begin a new process of reconciliation, which would lead to the restoration of community between the Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church.
At the time, Patriarch Athenagoras declared: "May this meeting of ours be the first glimmer of dawn of a shining and holy day in which the Christian generations of the future will receive communion in the holy body and blood of the Lord from the same chalice, in love, peace, and unity, and will praise and glorify the one Lord and Savior of all."
The historic meeting between Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras in Jerusalem opened up a new era in the relations between our churches. Their meeting eventually led to many new contacts between Rome and Constantinople. It led in 1965 to the historic ‘Lifting of the Anathemas of 1054.' It led to the development of formal theological dialogues…We give thanks to God for these holy and faithful bishops. They were inspired by our Lord's prayer for the unity of his followers. May their words and actions be a powerful example for us now and in the days ahead.
We know that the process of reconciliation is not always easy. The division between the Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church has persisted for centuries. Yet, we firmly believe that, with the guidance of the Risen Lord, our differences are not beyond resolution. Moreover, we believe that we have a solemn obligation to our Lord to heal our painful divisions. For this reason, we must be persistent in our prayer. We must increase our expressions of love and mutual respect. We must strengthen our theological dialogue.
Our reconciliation will not take place without fervent prayer for unity. Through our prayer, we open ourselves up to the healing presence of our Heavenly Father. By praying together for the unity of the churches, we profess our willingness to participate in God's reconciling activities both in our churches and in our societies.
Our reconciliation will not take place without countless acts of love, forgiveness and mutual respect. Through these actions, we unite ourselves consciously with our Lord who manifested God's mercy and love. By expressing our love together, we become the persons through whom Christ continues to work in our world today.
Our reconciliation will not take place without theological dialogue. Through our dialogues, we seek the guidance of the Spirit who will lead us in all truth. By speaking to one another with love and respect, the Spirit can guide us to express together the Apostolic Faith today in a manner which is life giving and healing.
We can never accept a superficial unity, which neglects the difficult issues, which separate us at the table of the Lord. With prayer and with love, we must examine fully and honestly all the theological issues which divide us. The unity which our Lord desires for us as Orthodox and Roman Catholics must always affirm the faith of the Apostles and must sustain the good order of the Church.
The division between our Churches is not simply the result of theological differences. The division has been compounded by political, economic, and cultural factors over the centuries. The division also has been aggravated by historical actions which have had tragic consequences both for the churches and for the world.
During this year (2004), we recall with profound sadness the sack of the City of Constantinople in 1204. Eight hundred years ago, Western Crusaders entered this city and plundered it. This tragedy reflected the complex political and commercial factors of the day. However, the event profoundly aggravated the relations between the Church of Rome and the Church of Constantinople. Some historians have expressed the opinion that the Fourth Crusade and the temporary establishment of a Western hierarchy by Rome in the East may truly mark the beginning of the schism. There is no doubt that the tragedy of the Fourth Crusade deepened the animosity between the Christian West and the Christian East especially among the laity.
We deeply appreciate the fact that His Holiness Pope John Paul II has recognized the disastrous consequences of the Fourth Crusade in 1204. During his visit to Greece in the year 2001, His Holiness Pope John Paul II declared that the crusaders "turned against their own brothers in the faith." His Holiness asked the Lord for forgiveness for the sins "by action or omission of members of the Catholic Church against their Orthodox brothers and sisters."
We are deeply moved by the plea for forgiveness by His Holiness Pope John Paul II. It is another expression of his desire to heal the division between our churches. With gratitude to our Lord, we recognize the Pope's sincerity and we honor his request for forgiveness. To his prayer, we also declare: May our good and merciful God forgive all who sin against the unity of the Church and may He guide all believers on the path of reconciliation.
Now, we must resolve not to undertake actions which can further divide the Orthodox Church and Catholic Church.
"May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another in accordance with Jesus Christ so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom. 15:5).
To Him be glory now and forever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
From a Greeting by
His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew
Orientale Lumen Conference
The Ecumenical Patriarchate
May 12, 2004
Greetings of Cardinal Walter Kasper to the Phanar 2008.
Εν ειρηνη προελθωμεν! Εν ονοματι Κυριου!
Let us go in peace! In the name of the Lord!
Your Holiness,
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, our Lord!
Εν ειρηνη προελθωμεν! Εν ονοματι Κυριου!These words that we have just heard at the conclusion of the Celebration of the Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostomos have always had a distinct resonance in my mind and in my heart. Let us go - we will not cease, we will go ahead. In peace - in the peace of the Lord and in the peace among his disciples, extended also towards others. These are things we say and do in the blessed name of the Lord, so that His name may be blessed now and forever. These words extend the liturgy beyond the liturgy itself. They seek to transform the lives of believers in a liturgy without borders, a permanent prayer for peace in our world.
The same words could also be said about our search for füll communion. We are called to go ahead in the name of the Lord, by the Lord himself, to continue our efforts to do all that is possible to overcome the existing differences among our Churches so that the world may believe.
It is with these sentiments that I bring the greeting of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI to Your Holiness, to the Holy Synod, and to all the clergy and faithful gathered today to celebrate the feast of Saint Andrew, the brother of Peter. The same feast is also being celebrated today in Rome. Let us rejoice in this parallel feast as a sign of shared apostolic heritage, which is handed down to us and which obliges us to pray and to work for the rapprochement of our Churches. For ecumenical commitment is for us not an option but in obedience to our Lord and an essential part of being the Church of Christ.
In reflecting upon relations between the Church of Rome and the Ecumenical Patriarchate, I thank the Lord for all that He has enabled us to experience over the last year. Our bond has deepened and has become more clearly focused as we increasingly reinforce our mutual commitment to full communion.
It has been with great joy that we welcomed Your Holiness in Rome three times this year: in March, June and October, respectively for the lectio magistralis at the Pontifical Oriental Institute, for the opening of the Pauline Year in the Basilica St. Paul Outside the Walls, and for your esteemed address to the Synod of Bishops of the Catholic Church, mindful of course that this address represents a unique historical circumstance, being the first speech of an Ecumenical Patriarch to the Synod of the Church of Rome.
In turn, there have also been many opportunities for the Catholic Church and local Catholic Churches to foster contacts with the See of Constantinople. Recently, a delegation appointed by the Holy Father Benedict XVI took part in the bimillenary celebration of the birth of Saint Paul, an event organised by Your Holiness involving a Symposium and pilgrimage to various Pauline sites. Personally I am profoundly grateful to have had the opportimity to celebrate together with your Holiness' Delegate the opening of the Pauline Year in Tarsus, the birthplace of the Apostle of the Gentiles.
It is in such ways that our Churches are able to rejoice in the experience of living together in peace. This is truly a step forward in the search for full communion.
In the context of this fraternal encounter of prayer, to feel deeply the need to ask the Lord for insight and support to take more rapid Steps towards full unity.
I reflect with optimism on the fact that after the successful outcome of the Joint International Commission for the Theological Dialogue between our two Churches held in Ravenna (2007), and in line with its recommendations, there have been meetings of the study sub-commissions and more recently of the Joint Coordinating Committee to prepare the continuation of the dialogue.
The session in Ravenna agreed on an important and well-received document on the theme Ecclesial Communion, Conciliarity and Authority, and decided to tackle now the more specific theme of The Role of the Bishop of Rome in ine Communion of the Church ofihe First Millennium. The Joint Coordinating Committee met in Crete as the guests of the Orthodox Church in order to prepare the next plenary session to be held in Cyprus next year. The hospitality of the Church of Crete was generous and overwhelming, and was a further sign of the growing sense of ecclesial fraternity which our Churches mutually endeavour to nurture.
It is an honour and a joy to pass on to Your Holiness the message of the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI., who feels close to Your Holiness in high esteem and brotherly love. I do so with a sense of respectful esteem, fraternal goodwill and deep prayer for the Church of Constantinople, for Your Holiness and for your distinguished ministry, for all the bishops, all the clergy and the faithful belonging to this Ecumenical Patriarchate. May God bless us and enable us to go ahead in peace and to be witnesses and instruments of peace!
