We want unity, not assimilation or submission

Pope Francis stated unequivocally in Istanbul on November 30 that he, as Bishop of Rome, and the worldwide Catholic Church desire unity – ‘full communion’- with the 300 million member Orthodox Churches.

Dec 03, 2014

By Gerard O’Connell
Pope Francis stated unequivocally in Istanbul on November 30 that he, as Bishop of Rome, and the worldwide Catholic Church desire unity – ‘full communion’- with the 300 million member Orthodox Churches, and he added that the only condition for achieving this is “the shared profession of faith.” Significantly, seeking to overcome suspicion and fears, he re-assured the Orthodox that such unity does not in any way mean “the submission of one to the other, or assimilation.”

He made all this abundantly clear when he spoke at the end of the rich, mystical and solemn Orthodox Eucharistic celebration for the feast of Saint Andrew, which was held in the three hundred year-old church of Saint George in the Fanar, Istanbul, on November 30, and celebrated by the Ecumenical Patriarch, Bartholomew 1.

“The one thing that the Catholic Church desires, and that I seek as Bishop of Rome -’the Church which presides in charity,’ is communion with the Orthodox Churches,” he told them in his homily, delivered in Italian, in the crowded church that including the members of the synod which is being held in these days in the Fanar.

He assured the Patriarch and the Orthodox Churches that “to reach the desired goal of full unity, the Catholic Church does not intend to impose any conditions except that of the shared profession of faith.” This was a particularly strong affirmation aimed at overcoming fears and suspicions among Orthodox that the primacy would mean one of power and not a service of love.

Earlier in his homily, recalling the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, he explained that in any future reunification, the Orthodox Churches would retain all “their liturgical and spiritual traditions” as well as “their canonical disciplines.” And he added, “I believe it is of the greatest importance to reaffirm respect for this principle as an essential condition.”

Francis said that he and the Catholic Church “are ready to seek together, in light of Scriptural teaching and the experience of the first millennium, the ways in which we can guarantee the needed unity of the Church in the present circumstances.”

As archbishop of Buenos Aires, the future pope enjoyed good relations with the Orthodox communities there and attended their liturgies. From this and other experiences he has reached the conviction that unity cannot be realized just through theological dialogue and commissions, and in his homily he made clear that first and foremost any “authentic dialogue” involves “an encounter between persons, with a name, a face, a past and not merely a meeting of ideas”.

He is convinced that without such personal encounters the theological dialogue dialog will take forever and a day. He believes that left to the theologians alone, Catholics and Orthodox will not be able to reach full communion. As a man who prefers actions to words wherever possible he therefore gives priority to developing good personal relations and to taking common Catholic-Orthodox action wherever possible. He and the Patriarch outlined some areas for common action both in their addresses at the celebration in St George’s, and in the common declaration they signed afterwards.

In his homily, he called on the Orthodox and Catholic communities to follow the Lord Jesus by listening to the cries of three particular groups: the poor, the victims of conflicts, and the young people.

Since his election as the Bishop of Rome some 20 months ago, Francis has met Patriarch Bartholomew four times, and engaged in substantial conversations with him on each occasion.bHe has found a kindred spirit in Bartholomew. I have seen this as I watched them relate to each other in Rome, in Jerusalem and now in Istanbul. One can see clearly the depth and warmth of their relationship. That was so evident also in their two addresses they gave at the end of the Divine Liturgy.

Source: America