Στην Θρονική Εορτή της Εκκλησίας της
Ρώμης, επί τη μνήμη των Πρωτοκορυφαίων Αποστόλων Πέτρου και Παύλου, το
Οικουμενικό Πατριαρχείο αποστέλλει κάθε χρόνο επίσημη Αντιπροσωπεία, όπως
άλλωστε πράττει και η Ρωμαιοκαθολική Εκκλησία κατά την Θρονική Εορτή
της Κωνσταντινουπόλεως (Αγίου Αποστόλου Ανδρέου, 30 Νοεμβρίου).
Φέτος, η Αντιπροσωπεία του Οικουμενικού Πατριαρχείου έχει ως επικεφαλής τον Αρχιεπίσκοπο Τελμησσού κ. Ιώβ, ο οποίος είναι Μόνιμος Εκπρόσωπος του Οικουμενικού Πατριαρχείου στο Παγκόσμιο Συμβούλιο Εκκλησιών και συμπροεδρεύει στην Μικτή Επιτροπή Θεολογικού Διαλόγου μεταξύ της Ορθόδοξης και της Ρωμαιοκαθολικής Εκκλησίας.
Η Αντιπροσωπεία περιλαμβάνει, επίσης, τον Επίσκοπο Μελιτινής κ. Μάξιμο,
βοηθό του Μητροπολίτου Γαλλίας και τον Διάκονο Βοσπόριο, Κωδικογράφο της
Αγίας και Ιεράς Συνόδου.
Η Αντιπροσωπεία του Φαναρίου έγινε δεκτή από τον Πάπα Φραγκίσκο σήμερα Παρασκευή 28 Ιουνίου 2019.
Παραθέτουμε στη συνέχεια το σχετικό υλικό για την συνάντηση αυτή.
On the occasion of the feast of the Apostles Peter and Paul, Patron
Saints of the Church of Rome, a Delegation of the Ecumenical
Patriarchate, consisting of His Eminence Archbishop Job of Telmessos,
His Grace Bishop Maximos of Melitene and the Reverend Deacon Bosphorios,
met with His Eminence Cardinal Kurt Koch, President and of the
Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, and Monsignor Andrea
Palmieri, Undersecratary.
During the meeting they discussed current issues of the two Churches as well as future steps of the Joint International Commission for the Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Churh and the Orthodox Church. The next meeting of the Coordinating Committee is planned for this coming November at the Monastery of Bose (Italy) to continue the study of a text entitled «Primacy and Sinodality in the Second Millennium and Today».
During the meeting they discussed current issues of the two Churches as well as future steps of the Joint International Commission for the Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Churh and the Orthodox Church. The next meeting of the Coordinating Committee is planned for this coming November at the Monastery of Bose (Italy) to continue the study of a text entitled «Primacy and Sinodality in the Second Millennium and Today».
Η προσφώνηση του Πάπα Φραγκίσκου στην Πατριαρχική Αντιπροσωπεία:
Dear Brothers in Christ,
I offer a cordial greeting and a warm welcome to you, the distinguished
members of the Delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate whom my beloved
brother Bartholomew and the Holy Synod have sent on the occasion of the
Solemnity of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. Your presence manifests
the solid bonds existing between the Churches of Rome and
Constantinople, and our common effort to journey towards the fullness of
communion for which we long, in obedience to the clear will of Jesus
(cf. Jn 17:21). The feast of Saints Peter and Paul, which falls on the
same day in the liturgical calendars of East and West, invites us to
renew the charity that generates unity.
At the same time, this feast reminds us of the apostolic courage of
proclamation, which also entails a commitment to respond to the new
challenges of the present time. This, too, is fidelity to the Gospel.
With regard to such concern for today’s situation, I like to think of
the attention given by the Ecumenical Patriarch to the protection of
creation; it has been a source of inspiration for me as well. Given the
alarming ecological crisis that we are experiencing, promoting care for
our common home is not only, for us believers as for all others, a
pressing need that can no longer be deferred, but also a concrete way to
serve our neighbour in the spirit of the Gospel. I likewise see as a
positive sign the cooperation between the Catholic Church and the
Ecumenical Patriarchate concerning other timely questions, such as
efforts to combat modern forms of slavery, the need to accept and
integrate migrants, displaced persons and refugees, and the promotion of
peace at various levels.
Last month, during my pastoral journeys to Bulgaria and Romania, I had
the joy of meeting Patriarchs Neofit and Daniel and their Holy Synods,
and was able to admire the faith and wisdom of those Pastors. On such
occasions, as in my different meetings with my brother Bartholomew and
with other Heads of Churches, I have been able to appreciate the
spiritual richness present in Orthodoxy. I assure you that I left those
countries with a greater desire for communion. I am increasingly
convinced that the restoration of full unity between Catholics and
Orthodox will come about through respect for specific identities and a
harmonious coexistence in legitimate forms of diversity. The Holy
Spirit, for that matter, is the one who creatively awakens a
multiplicity of gifts, harmonizes them and brings them into authentic
unity, which is not uniformity but a symphony of many voices in charity.
As Bishop of Rome I wish to reaffirm that, for us Catholics, the
purpose of dialogue is full communion in legitimate forms of diversity,
not a monotonous levelling, much less absorption.
For this reason, I consider it valuable in our encounters to share our
roots, to rediscover the goodness that the Lord has sown and made grow
in each of us, and to share it, learning from one another and helping
each other not to fear dialogue and concrete collaboration. The scandal
of divisions not fully healed can only be removed by the grace of God as
we journey together, accompanying in prayer each other’s steps,
proclaiming the Gospel in harmony, working to serve those in need and
dialoguing in truth, without allowing ourselves to be conditioned by
past prejudices. Thus, in that sincerity and transparency which the Lord
loves, we will grow closer to one another and come to appreciate more
fully our own identity. We will grow in knowledge and mutual affection.
We will experience the fact that, for all our differences, there is
indeed much more that unites us and inspires us to move forward
together.
Your Eminence, dear Brothers, I thank you for your visit and for your
kind expression of closeness. I ask you to convey my warm fraternal
greetings to His Holiness Bartholomew and to the members of the Holy
Synod. And I ask you also, please, to keep for me a place in your
prayers. May God the Almighty and Merciful, through the intercession of
the Holy Apostles Peter, Paul and Andrew, the brother of Peter, bless
and sustain our efforts on the path to full communion. Thank you.
ΤΟ ΓΡΑΜΜΑ ΤΟΥ ΟΙΚΟΥΜΕΝΙΚΟΥ ΠΑΤΡΙΑΡΧΟΥ ΠΡΟΣ ΤΟΝ ΠΑΠΑ ΦΡΑΓΚΙΣΚΟ ΓΙΑ ΤΗΝ ΘΡΟΝΙΚΗ ΓΙΟΡΤΗ ΤΗΣ ΡΩΜΗΣ by Panagiotis Andriopoulos on Scribd
