Βetween 7-10 September 2016, a “miracle” happened in the Monastery of Bose (Italy): among about 200 participants of the XXIV International Ecumenical Congress of Orthodox Spirituality
were bishops, clergy, monastics and lay people coming from all the 14
Orthodox Local Autocephalous Churches, as well as representatives from
the Oriental Orthodox Churches, the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican
Communion and the Reformation.
A great ecumenical venue, where 19
distinguished speakers reflected this year on “Martyrdom and Communion”
by exploring the notion of martyrdom and the martyrologia of the
Churches of Russia, Georgia, Romania, Bulgaria, Armenia and England.
In his communication read in absentia, His Beatitude Patriarch John X of Antioch pointed out
in the very first session towards an “ecumenism of repentance”. His
Beatitude suggested to cultivate in the contemporary society the spirit
of dialogue instead of the culture of the sword. This expression has
marked the discussions of this year’s congress. It was echoed by the
call for an “ecumenism of blood” made by Cardinal Kurt Koch in the last
session, who underlined that in an eschatological perspective, the
martyrs unite us with the Kingdom of God and therefore could be seeds of
the ecclesial unity.
On several occasions, the idea of a creation of a common
martyrologion was expressed. Although there is a difference between the
recognition of martyrs coming from different Christian communities and
the liturgical commemoration of them in the liturgy of the Churches,
which from an Orthodox perspective implies full canonical Eucharistic
communion between them, the study and the memory of Christian martyrs
could be indeed a step further towards Christian unity in a world even
more disturbed by terrorism, fanaticism and religious persecution.
Nevertheless, the notion of martyrdom should be studied further, since
it is not always clear whether a person dying for the principles of the
Gospel, for the Christian values or for her Christian nation is a martyr
of Christ. As His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew
stressed in his greeting to the participants of the congress, “the goal
of martyrdom is communion”. Communion is what distinguishes martyrdom
from massacre.
The brothers and the sisters of the Monastery of Bose have to be
thanked, for consecrating themselves over almost a quarter of century to
the organisation of such congresses that serve not only for the
promotion of the Orthodox spirituality, but definitely are an expression
of an “ecumenism of hospitality and fraternity”, making possible for
Orthodox Christians from different local Churches to meet between
themselves as well as with their “separated brothers” of the Western
Churches and Confessions. A success story that might definitely
inaugurate a genuine “ecumenism of repentance”.
+ Job of Telmessos