Pope addresses Catholic-Orthodox
commission on theological dialog
January 28, 2011
At noon today, the Holy Father met in the Consistory Hall of the Apostolic Palace with the participants of the meeting held in Rome this week of the Mixed International CommisSIon for Theological Dialog between the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Churches. Here is the text of his address to them, delivered in English:
Your Eminences,
Your Excellencies,
Dear Brothers in Christ,
It is with great joy that I welcome you, the members of the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches. Through you I gladly extend fraternal greetings to my venerable Brothers, the Heads of the Oriental Orthodox Churches.
I am grateful for the work of the Commission which began in January 2003 as a shared initiative of the ecclesial authorities of the family of the Oriental Orthodox Churches and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.
As you know, the first phase of the dialogue, from 2003 to 2009, resulted in the common text entitled Nature, Constitution and Mission of the Church. The document outlined aspects of fundamental ecclesiological principles that we share and identified issues requiring deeper reflection in successive phases of the dialogue.
We can only be grateful that after almost fifteen hundred years of separation we still find agreement about the sacramental nature of the Church, about apostolic succession in priestly service and about the impelling need to bear witness to the Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in the world.
In the second phase the Commission has reflected from a historical perspective on the ways in which the Churches expressed their communion down the ages. During the meeting this week you are deepening your study of the communion and communication that existed between the Churches until the mid-fifth century of Christian history, as well as the role played by monasticism in the life of the early Church.
We must be confident that your theological reflection will lead our Churches not only to understand each other more deeply, but resolutely to continue our journey decisively towards the full communion to which we are called by the will of Christ. For this intention we have lifted up our common prayer during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity which has just ended.
Many of you come from regions where Christian individuals and communities face trials and difficulties that are a cause of deep concern for us all. All Christians need to work together in mutual acceptance and trust in order to serve the cause of peace and justice.
May the intercession and example of the many martyrs and saints, who have given courageous witness to Christ in all our Churches, sustain and strengthen you and your Christian communities.
With sentiments of fraternal affection I invoke upon all of you the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Divided Christians must support
one another in suffering, Pope says
By Cindy Wooden
VATICAN CITY, Jan. 28 (CNS) -- When one Christian community is suffering, other Christians must offer assistance, Pope Benedict XVI told Coptic Orthodox and other Oriental Orthodox church leaders.
The Pope met Jan. 28 with members of the Catholic-Oriental Orthodox theological dialogue who were holding their annual meeting in Rome, coming less than a month after a bomb attack on a Coptic Orthodox church in Alexandria, Egypt, left 23 people dead.
"Many of you come from regions where Christian individuals and communities face trials and difficulties that are a cause of deep concern for us all," the Pope told representatives of the Catholic, Armenian Apostolic, Coptic Orthodox, Ethiopian Orthodox, Syrian Orthodox, Malankara Orthodox Syrian and Eritrean Orthodox churches.
"All Christians need to work together in mutual acceptance and trust in order to serve the cause of peace and justice," he said, adding a prayer that the example of the martyrs of both churches would give Christians strength and courage in the face of adversity.
Coptic Orthodox Metropolitan Bishoy of Damiette, Egypt, the co-chairman of the dialogue, thanked Pope Benedict for his prayers for the dead and the injured.
The Coptic leader also praised Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's commitment to protecting Egyptian Christians and he told the Pope that hundreds of Muslims came out Jan. 7 -- when Copts celebrated Christmas -- to show their support for their Christian neighbors.
The Egyptian government and a leading group of Muslim scholars objected to some of Pope Benedict's comments on the Coptic church bombing, saying they gave the impression that the government does not guarantee the freedom and safety of Egyptian Christians.
Paulist Father Ron Roberson, an official at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and member of the dialogue commission, said everyone involved in the dialogue was anxious to know how Egyptian Christians were faring, but the situation was not a primary focus in the meeting.
The Catholic-Oriental Orthodox commission's theological dialogue concentrated on "the communion and communication" that existed among different communities in the first five centuries of Christianity.
The Oriental Orthodox churches trace their origins to the Christian communities that did not accept the wording of the Council of Chalcedon's definition in 451 that Christ was fully human and fully divine.
Between 1971 and 1996, the Catholic Church and the individual Oriental Orthodox churches resolved their differences over the Chalcedon statement.
In looking at how the churches maintained unity until 451 despite linguistic, cultural and liturgical differences, the dialogue aims at offering suggestions for how future unity could be achieved without requiring total uniformity.
Pope Benedict told the dialogue participants, "We can only be grateful that after almost 1,500 years of separation, we still find agreement about the sacramental nature of the church, about apostolic succession in priestly service and about the impelling need to bear witness to the Gospel of our lord and savior Jesus Christ in the world."
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 30/01/2011 08:37]