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Your Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia,
Your Eminences, Your Graces,
Esteemed Chancellor, the Honourable Christopher Ellison,
Reverend clergy,
Distinguished faculty,
Esteemed students, guests and precious audience,
It is a unique privilege to stand before this assembly of prominent men and women of Notre Dame University—the leadership team, its executive management, heads of schools—its staff and students, in order to receive this preeminent honorary doctorate from your prestigious Institution. We are especially honoured that such a commendation comes from an academic institution dedicated to ‘building bridges’ through its commitment, as noted in its regulations, to ‘integrate and embrace’ differences; to strengthen partnerships on a global level through joint research, so that the student experience continues to be one marked by a broad range of holistic knowledge and practice initiatives; to enhance its curriculum specifically through its addition of international components; but also, on a local level, with an intentional aim to connect with society’s most marginalised. As one whose Patriarchal tenure, for over three decades, has been especially devoted to dialogue at all levels, we take pride in congratulating your University on these admirable efforts.
It is indeed through dialogue that knowledge in general is cultivated; that the academic disciplines, such as the sciences, can be advanced; that human horizons can be broadened; that feelings and emotions can be exchanged; that relationships can be cultivated; and that truths can be revealed and recalled. Dialogue is a divine gift bestowed upon humanity by God, who Himself is always in dialogue with the world, as noted by our venerable predecessor St John Chrysostom. In the Scriptures for example, God’s dialogue with the world is most clearly seen in the prophets and in the Apostles through whom He spoke with humanity; but also, and more broadly, it is seen through creation, wherein God declares His glory, as we read in the book of the Psalms (cf. Ps. 19:1). God speaks to the world through these silent words, His λόγοι as we read in the Greek Patristic tradition; His “voice goes out through all the earth… to the end of the world (Ps. 19:4), telling those able and willing to listen, of His overwhelming and far-reaching celebratory love for all His creation. That is to say, God has spoken through creation and revealed His inexpressible love for all of the world. It is therefore incumbent upon us all to learn to listen and engage in this ‘divine dialogue’. Indeed, it is through prayerful dialogue that we express, in response to God’s self-revelation, our thanksgiving and gratitude to our Creator and Saviour, in this way fulfilling our human vocation as eucharistic, doxological beings (cf. Rom 1:21).
Having highlighted the imperative of dialogue in all facets of our life with one another, with the world and with our loving God—namely, its significance at both a horizontal and vertical level—we have deemed it most appropriate to address this august gathering specifically on the continued need for dialogue in the contemporary world. Indeed, we are most grateful today that two historic Christian traditions find themselves together ‘in one place’—ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό, as we read in the book of Acts, creating opportunity for dialogue around our common Lord!
Dialogue holds profound significance in Christian theology; it reflects the very nature of God, understood as a salvific mystery of three divine Persons—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—in eternal communion and dialogue. This mystery of the Holy Trinity exemplifies a perfect, loving dialogue, where each distinct and divine Person communicates and collaborates in a dynamic exchange, without in any way compromising their indissoluble unity and koinonia.
Reflecting a little further, we see that the mystery of the Trinitarian Godhead, is, in the words of another saintly predecessor of ours, St Gregory the Theologian, “undivided in separate persons [ἀμέριστος ἐν μεμερισμένοις]”[1]; namely, three divine Persons, three concrete entities with their own active intentionality, who remain in ceaseless dialogue as “a mystery of unity in diversity”—that is, two irreducible poles which cannot be conflated, but also not separated. Quoting once again from the writings of St Gregory, we see this mystery of ‘unity in diversity’ described in the following way: “No sooner do I conceive of the One than I am illumined by the Splendour of the Three; no sooner do I distinguish Them than I am carried back to the One. When I think of any One of the Three, I think of Him as the Whole, and my eyes are filled, and the greater part of what I am thinking of escapes me.”[2] We have here a depiction of dialogue, which does not swallow the distinctiveness of each divine Person, but at the same time, it does not destroy their continuous and unbreakable unity and communion.
Accordingly, the Eastern Orthodox teaching proclaims three distinct and equal divine Persons; that is to say, three who are absolutely unique, entirely other, yet at the same time unconfusedly united, and each possessing the fullness of the divinity. Therefore, the otherness of each divine Person does not in any way destroy their communion and unity; rather their diversity enriches their communion; indeed, we could go further and say, that, in the case of the Trinitarian mystery, diversity is constitutive of unity. Consequently, from within a Christian framework, dialogue is not merely a tool for human interaction, but more so, a reflection of divine reality. As a reflection of divine dialogue, our endeavours for dialogue within the world ought to underscore the importance of relationality, mutual understanding; a way of dialoguing not only within the Church but also with the broader world which holds together the uniqueness and irreplaceability of human persons living within society, without necessarily compromising the constancy and cohesion of human communities. By engaging in dialogue, Christians participate in the divine life, mirroring the relational essence of the Trinity, and fostering unity, reconciliation, and growth in their faith communities and beyond.
Having briefly reflected on what could be called ‘Trinitarian dialogue’, our attention is turned to see the extent to which this vision can inform how human persons, created “in the image and according to the likeness of God” (Gen 1:26) are called to reflect, in a creaturely way of course, this divine dialogue. In so doing, we would like to bring to the fore the way that the Trinitarian mystery can indeed inform us and offer us a valuable blueprint as to how we might engage in dialogue; one which can celebrate, as already noted, the uniqueness and diversity of persons, culture and religions, without destroying the cohesion of human communities; on the contrary, as we shall see, enriching communal well-being. Throughout our Patriarchal tenure, we have remained dedicated and indeed been at the forefront of building bridges of dialogue not only in our multi-lateral and bi-lateral inter-Christian theological dialogues and in our interreligious academic consultations and conferences, but also through organising a host of international interdisciplinary symposia, especially in the area of environmental care, with the aim always of championing an ethos of solidarity and rapprochement at all levels.
The Ecumenical Patriarchate has long championed the principles of dialogue as pathways towards healing and reconciliation. These sentiments are beautifully expressed in the Encyclical of the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church which met in June 2016: “… dialogue contributes to the development of mutual trust and to the promotion of peace and reconciliation. The Church strives to make “the peace from on high” more tangibly felt on earth. True peace is not achieved by force of arms, but only through love that “does not seek its own” (1Cor 13:5). The oil of faith must be used to soothe and heal the wounds of others, not to rekindle new fires of hatred.”[3]
However, we are not to downplay, let alone deride or dismiss the uniqueness of our interlocutors when we are engaged in dialogue. Based on our Trinitarian model, we need to appreciate—if not embrace—their difference, since their diversity and distinctiveness need not necessarily lead to separation. Far from destroying unity, dialogue has the potential of enriching our experience of unity. As noted in a most recent document of the Ecumenical Patriarchate titled For the Life of the World: Toward a Social Ethos of the Orthodox Church, we enter into dialogue “knowing that God reveals Himself in countless ways and with boundless inventiveness, the Church enters into dialogue… prepared to be amazed and delighted by the variety and beauty of God’s generous manifestations of divine goodness, grace, and wisdom among all people.”[4] In the final analysis, we are always in closer proximity to each other in more ways than we are distant from, or different to, one another. That is to say, there is incomparably more that we share with each other and resemble one another, than what may separate us, if only we began to see the other with new eyes.
Distinguished audience,
As each divine Person within the Trinitarian mystery is unique, we too, need to encourage our Christian faithful, indeed the entire world, to discover their uniqueness—namely who it is that our loving God has created all of us to be—but at the same time, we are called to embrace the uniqueness of those around us. It is precisely in our dialogical exchange with others that we can do this; that is to say, only to the extent that we are able to look into the eyes of another person, do we discover the unrepeatable, exceptionally distinct person in each one of us as well. This notion of “looking into the eyes of another person” honestly, in order to understand, cooperate and receive from another, is both inspiring and critical for dialogue today. The doctrine of the Holy Trinity teaches us that our life is precisely all about our embarking upon our own personal quest and adventure, in freedom and in dialogue with those around us, to discover our distinct potentials. Concomitant to this truth, is embracing each person’s uniqueness; one which is totally astonishing, always surprising, ceaselessly captivating and endlessly spontaneous.
In conclusion, our prayer is that we may all continue to act together in open dialogue and mutual solidarity; reinforcing our common humanity in all that we do and, in this way, committed unreservedly and always to finding possibilities for solving tensions and enmities, strengthening peace in the world. As we noted in a Joint Statement with the late Pope John Paul II in 1995, let us declare “without hesitation that we are in favour of harmony among peoples and their collaboration… May the Lord heal the wounds tormenting humanity today and hear our prayers and those of our faithful for peace in our Churches and in all the world.”[5] Indeed, may we all collectively continue to be bridge-builders and dialogue partners as we look forward for a brighter and better future.
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1. Sermon 31, 14. PG 36,149A.
2. Oration 40.41. PG 36:417.
3. Paragraph 17.
4. Paragraph 55.
5. Global Initiatives of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew (p. 47). University of Notre Dame Press. Kindle Edition.
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