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Metropolitan Maximos replies to this -

18 September 2000
ON THE VATICAN DECLARATION "DOMINUS IESUS"
by Metropolitan Maximos of Ainou / [Greek Orthodox] Bishop of Pittsburgh


I was away when the Vatican document Declaration "Dominus Iesus" (from now on Declaration) appeared in the news; thus, I was not able to react to its content. By now, I have thoroughly reviewed the Declaration, and I am ready for a brief comment on it.


Before I comment on the text, let me express my appreciation to both of my
fellow Pittsburgh Christian Leaders Fellowship members, Bishop Donald Wuerl and Bishop Donald McCoid for their comments to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Their comments bring things into today's perspective, instead of reverting to pre-Vatican II times, as the Declaration seems to do. You cannot go back in terms of calling the other Christian Churches "sister churches," and you cannot go back in terms of recognizing one another's baptism and the
subsequent membership in the one church of Christ, as much and as far there is only One Baptism, if it is celebrated according to the faith in the Holy Trinity and the age-old practice of the church with triple immersion and emersion, or its equivalent.


Bishop Wuerl is correct with regard to the treatment of the Orthodox Churches by the Declaration; hopefully, the former "Holy Office" has forgotten its way of treating the Orthodox as "wounded brothers," and, hopefully, their "promotion" to "deficient" brothers by the Declaration will be of a contingent nature. Thank you, brother Bishop Wuerl, for your fairness regarding the Orthodox Churches.


Bishop McCoid voices his concern that the Declaration "pours cold water" on the progress in Roman Catholic-Lutheran relationships, especially after the apparent success of their Common Declaration on Justification. One cannot turn the clock back. It is so painstaking to achieve some progress in "ecumenical" relations, that it is very sad when people go backwards.


Now, let me speak on the text of the Declaration. No one hates "relativism"
more that the Orthodox. With the Declaration, we share the concern regarding this relativism, especially with regard to world religions. We, too, "firmly believe" in the uniqueness and exclusiveness of salvation in Christ through the One Church of Christ. Without passing judgment on others, the Orthodox Church sees itself in that light from the beginning of its existence into all eternity. As there is no salvation without the only Savior, Jesus
the Lord, there is no salvation without the involvement of Christ's Body and Bride, the Church of Christ. We Orthodox cannot be otherwise than in full agreement with the statements of the Declaration regarding this Christian truth, in full agreement with the Gospel of salvation and the teaching of the Church Fathers.


However, we cannot appreciate what in my estimation is a triple reductionism in the Declaration, which makes the faith of the Declaration defective in three ways: the reduction of the faith of Christ to the faith of the church; the reduction of the faith of the church to the faith of the Apostle Peter; and the reduction of the faith of Peter to only one of his successors, the Pope of Rome.


1) The Faith of Christ, is the faith of a divine person, the
Word-of-God-Who-Became-Flesh. This is the reason we are saved by the faith, not of a human, but of a divine person, Christ: "you are justified by the faith of Christ" (ek pisteos Hristou), Saint Paul says (Galatians 2:16). We are not justified/saved by anyone else's faith, either our personal, or any other human person's faith, including that of the Holy Apostles, or even the personal faith of the Mother of God. The text of the Declaration fails
to
indicate this. The faith of the Church cannot replace the faith of Christ;
and the faith of Christ cannot be reduced to the faith of the Church.


2) The Faith of the Church, which leads us to Christ, is, certainly, very
important. This faith of the church cannot be reduced to the faith of one
person in the church, even if that person is foundational to the church. In
other words, the faith of the church cannot be reduced to the faith of the
Apostle Peter, which is the tendency of the Roman understanding.


3) Finally, the Faith of the Apostle Peter cannot be reduced to the faith of
one of his many successors, that is, the Pope of Rome. Every Apostle, and every faithful is Peter, as much and as far as they profess the faith of
Peter, that is, that "Christ is the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16).
Every Christian, from the very beginnings of the church and until the
consummation of the present age, is that "Peter" who professes Christ to be the Son of the living God, not just the Pope of Rome.


On the basis of these remarks, one can see how the Orthodox feel with regard to this triple reduction of the Vatican regarding the saving faith of Christ, reduced to the faith of the church, and this last one further reduced to the faith of Peter. This is a serious defect, which the Christian East has always avoided. After this explanation of the position of the Christian East
regarding the saving faith of Christ--the only faith which saves--the question
is: whose faith is the "defective" faith? Let the reader draw his or her own
conclusion.

Bob --

Can you substantiate the source of that piece by Metropolitan MAXIMOS?

Thanks,

Brendan

Bob --

Can you substantiate the source of that piece by Metropolitan MAXIMOS?

Thanks,

Brendan

=============================================

It was posted on the various Orthodox discussion groups and the Orthodox/Catholic dialogue folder of AOL by HarryCoin a member of the Greek Orthodox Church.

If a couple of Greek Orthodox, and a couple of Roman Catholics, and a couple of Ukrainian Christians of questionable ecclesiastical pedigree --- and an Ethiopian Christian-- got together for a wonderful dinner and conversation, and then ended the evening together saying the Lord's Prayer, would God be angry?

If a couple of Greek Orthodox, and a couple of Roman Catholics, and a couple of Ukrainian
Christians of questionable ecclesiastical pedigree --- and an Ethiopian Christian-- got together for
a wonderful dinner and conversation, and then ended the evening together saying the Lord's
Prayer, would God be angry?

=============================================

I'd say he's be too amazed to be angry.

Bob

Dear Servant of God, Bob

Slava Isusu Christu !

About two weeks ago I witnessed quite a few Roman Catholics, Eastern Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, and non-Catholic Christians all attending the same worship services. And I'm not just talking a handful either. In fact I could give you names, addresses and phone numbers of Eastern Orthodox clergy whom I personally spoke with after these services, but I won't.

Joe Prokopchak
archsinner

Dear Joe,
You know that Orthodox do not celebrate or partake of the Eucharist in non-Orthodox Churches. In my Church we have non-Orthodox who attend our worship services but are not allowed to partake of the Eucharist. Also there are Orthodox that may attend non-Orthodox Churches such as memorial services, etc. Your post is not a new phenomena. I have met only a handful of Roman Catholics, Melikites, Protestants, and even Muslims for various reasons at my Church but they did not partake of the Eucharist. Also, I have seen non-Orthodox politely denied the Eucharist on the alter.
So Joe, what kind of worship service did you attend and did all of the participants partake of the Eucharist either in the Orthodox or Roman Catholic Church?

Dear Servant of God, Robert

Slava Isusu Christu !

I don't play dogma cop. What I posted is fact. No further information is comeing from me.

Joe Prokopchak
archsinner

FYI: RC Bishop Donald Wuerl's Statement to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

In an earlier post, Robert Tallick presented the response by Metropolitan Maximos of Ainou [Greek Orthodox] Bishop of Pittsburgh to "Dominus Iesus." In this statement the Metropoliatan references statements made by Bishop Donald Wuerl [Roman Catholic] Bishop of Pittsburgh. Below is the address for the article in which these statements appeared.
http://www.post-gazette.com/regionstate/20000907saved3.asp

Your source is incorrect. Here is what the CDF actually said concerning the use of "sister churches" and the Orthodox:

"10. In fact, in the proper sense sister churches are exclusively particular churches (or groupings of particular churches; for example, the patriarchates or metropolitan provinces) among themselves. It must always be clear, when the expression sister churches is used in this proper sense that the one, holy, catholic and apostolic universal church is not sister but mother of all the particular churches.

11. One may also speak of sister churches, in a proper sense, in reference to particular Catholic and non-Catholic churches; thus the particular church of Rome can also be called the sister of all other particular churches. However, as recalled above, one cannot properly say that the Catholic Church is the sister of a particular church or group of churches. This is not merely a question of terminology, but above all of respecting a basic truth of the Catholic faith: that of the unicity of the church of Jesus Christ. In fact, there is but a single church, and therefore the plural term churches can refer only to particular churches. Consequently, one should avoid, as a source of misunderstanding and theological confusion, the use of formulations such as our two churches which, if applied to the Catholic Church and the totality of Orthodox churches (or a single Orthodox church), imply a plurality not merely on the level of particular churches, but also on the level of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church confessed in the creed, whose real existence is thus obscured.

12. Finally, it must also be borne in mind that the expression sister churches in the proper sense, as attested by the common tradition of East and West, may only be used for those ecclesial communities that have preserved a valid episcopate and eucharist."
http://www.petersnet.net/research/retrieve.cfm?RecNum=3135


Pax Christi,
John