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Fr. George Morelli
SSJC-WR President's Message Spring 20161
The Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
There are many serious challenges to the unity of the Churches,
ecclesial communities and confessions and religious groups in today's
world. Among these are: secularization, religious pluralism,
fundamentalism and ethnophyletism.
If the Orthodox Churches one of the
Apostolic Churches tracing their succession to Christ Himself, in
agreement on faith and morals can achieve agreement on approaching these
issues confronting her today, God willing, this will be a witness and
model for other Churches and religious communities to do the same. This
would be a step toward healing the division among the Churches and
communities.
Just such a witness was described in the document issued in January 2016 in Chambésy , Switzerland, by the Synaxis of Primates of the Local Orthodox Churches
in preparation for the Holy and Great Council that is to be held on the
Greek island of Crete during June 2016 - Pentecost as celebrated in the
Eastern Orthodox Churches. This had been preceded by a draft document
adopted by the 5th Pan-Orthodox Pre-Council in October 2015, also in
Chambésy. Many ecumenical encounters between Eastern and Western
Churches have occurred leading to these events.
Among the issues to be considered by the "Great Council" are
ecclesiology, (primacy, autocephaly, autonomy), the diaspora (movement
of Orthodox Christians from their original Patriarchates to non-Orthodox
lands), nationalism and fundamentalism.
The split between East and West started sporadically in the first
millennium, culminating with the Schism of 1054 AD and punctuated by the
Crusader siege of Constantinople in 1204 AD. In recent times, various
attempts have been made to heal the East-West divide. Notably, in 1965,
Pope Paul VI and Athenagoras I, the Ecumenical Patriarch
of Constantinople, declared invalid the anathemas of 1054. Since then,
both Churches have sent delegations to the liturgical celebrations of
feasts significant to the other: e.g., the Feast of Ss. Peter and Paul
(29 June) for the Catholic Church and of St. Andrew (Nov 30) for the
Patriarchate of Constantinople.
Furthermore, numerous papal-patriarchal visitations have occurred.
These events have been much welcomed by many in both the Eastern and the
Western Church.
Recently an historic and unprecedented meeting took place between the
Patriarch of Moscow, His Holiness Kirill, and Pope Francis I. The
importance of this meeting from an ecumenical perspective, is that the
Moscow Patriarchate has the largest (and wealthiest) number of Orthodox
Christians under its jurisdiction, around two-thirds of the world's
Orthodox Christians, which number 200 million adherents.2
Both hierarchs expressed favorable statements about the meeting. It was
reported that Pope Francis said "We spoke as brothers. We share the
same baptism. We are both bishops," Patriarch Kirill commented: "Yes,
things are much easier now,"3 Both signed a
joint declaration comprised of 30 sections. Part of the declaration is
particularly relevant to the spirit of the Society of St. John
Chrysostom: "We are pained by the loss of unity, the outcome of human
weakness and of sin, which has occurred despite the priestly prayer of
Christ the Savior: "So that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in
me and I in you ... so that they may be one, as we are one" (Jn
17:21).... May our meeting inspire Christians throughout the world..."4
May we join our prayers to those of all who are prayerfully hoping
that the upcoming "Great Council" takes a significant step toward an
implementing of ecclesial unity. And let us be encouraged by the hope of
Pope Francis who has indicated: "there is no longer any impediment to
Eucharistic communion which cannot be overcome through prayer, the
purification of hearts, dialogue and the affirmation of truth".5
1 The Society of Saint John Chrysostom
The Society of St. John Chrysostom is an ecumenical group of clergy and lay people which promotes Eastern Christianity and Ecumenical Dialogue between the Eastern and Western Churches toward the healing of the sin of disunity. It has sponsored the Eastern Churches Journal and the annual Orientale Lumen & Light of the East Conferences. It has been in existence since 1997 in the United States and for over 70 years in England. (http://lightoftheeast.org...)
2 [http://www.latimes.com/world/mexico-americas/la- fg-pope- cuba-20160212- story.html]
3 [http://www.religionnews.com/2016/02/12/pope-francis- russian-church- leader-hold- historic-meeting- in-cuba/]
4 [http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2016/02/12/joint_declaration_of_pope_francis_and_patriarch_kirill/1208117]
5 [http://www.lastampa.it/2016/01/20/vaticaninsider/eng/world-news/the- future-of- the-panorthodox- council-is-to- be-decided- at-chambsy- DGOBGirf09sttqzbqEOvpO/pagina.html
