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Photo: Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I embrace.
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June 8, 2010
NEW YORK CITY - The North American Orthodox-Catholic Theological Consultation continued work on a new agreed statement during its meeting at Hellenic College/Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts, June 1-3. The meeting was co-chaired by Metropolitan Maximos of Pittsburgh and Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond of New Orleans.
The title of the draft statement is "Steps Towards a United Church: A Sketch of an Orthodox-Catholic Vision for the Future." The document briefly outlines the history of divergences between Catholics and Orthodox, especially with regard to the role of the Bishop of Rome in the Church. It also outlines all that the two churches share and notes that overcoming differences has become a matter of urgency. The text also reflects on what a reunited Catholic and Orthodox Church might look like, the ecclesial structures needed to facilitate such unity, and the questions that remain to be answered if such a reconciliation is to take place. Work on this text will continue at the next meeting.
Members also continued their study of primacies and conciliarity in the Church with emphasis on the theological significance of the Orthodox autocephalous churches. Dr. Robert Haddad, Sophia Smith Professor Emeritus of History at Smith College in Northampton, MA, presented a study entitled, "Constantinople Over Antioch, 1516-1724: Patriarchal Politics in the Ottoman Era." Father John Erickson, former Dean and Professor of Canon Law and Church History at Saint Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary in Crestwood, NY, presented a paper, "The Autocephalous Church." A Catholic reaction to these two studies was provided by Father Joseph Komonchak, Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies at The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC.
Participants also considered recent events in the lives of the two churches with particular emphasis on the Assembly of Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America that had taken place in New York, May 26-27. Given that the new Assembly of Bishops will replace the Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA), it is anticipated that the new Assembly will become the official Orthodox sponsor of the North American Consultation.
In addition to the co-chairs, the Consultation includes Orthodox representatives Father Thomas FitzGerald (Secretary), Dean, Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, Brookline, MA; Father Nicholas Apostola, Pastor, St. Nicholas Romanian Orthodox Church in Shrewsbury, MA; Father John Erickson, Susan Ashbrook Harvey, Ph.D., Willard Prescott and Annie McClelland Smith Professor and Chair of Religious Studies, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island; Father James Dutko, Pastor of St. Michael's Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Church in Binghamton, NY; Paul Meyendorff, Ph.D., Alexander Schmemann Professor of Liturgical Theology and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, Crestwood, NY; Father Alexander Golitzin, Professor of Theology at Marquette University, Milwaukee; Robert Haddad, Ph.D., Father Robert Stephanopoulos, Pastor Emeritus of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, New York; Father Theodore Pulcini, Associate Professor of Religion at Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania; and Father Mark Arey, Director of Inter-Orthodox, Inter-Faith and Ecumenical Relations , Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, (staff).
Additional Catholic members are Jesuit Father Brian Daley (Secretary), Catherine F. Huisking Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana; Thomas Bird, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures, Queens College, City University of New York, Flushing, NY; Sylvain Destrempes, Ph.D., faculty of the Grand Seminaire in Montreal; Father Peter Galadza, Kule Family Professor of Liturgy at the Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute of Eastern Christian Studies, Ottawa; Chorbishop John D Faris, Pastor of St. Louis Gonzaga Maronite Church, Utica, New York; Father John Galvin, Professor of Systematic Theology, The Catholic University of America, Washington; Father Sidney Griffith, Professor in the Department of Semitic and Egyptian Languages and Literatures, Catholic University; Father Joseph Komonchak, Monsignor Paul McPartlan, Carl J. Peter, Professor of Systematic Theology and Ecumenism at Catholic University; Father David Petras, Spiritual Director and Professor of Liturgy at the Byzantine Catholic Seminary of Sts. Cyril and Methodius, Pittsburgh; Sister of Charity of Leavenworth Susan K. Wood, Professor and Chair of the Department of Theology at Marquette; Vito Nicastro, Ph.D., Associate Director of the Office for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, Archdiocese of Boston; and Paulist Father Ronald Roberson, Associate Director of the USCCB Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, (staff).
Since its establishment in 1965, the North American Consultation has now issued 23 agreed statements on various topics. All these texts are now available on the SCOBA Website at: http://www.scoba.us/resources/orthodox-catholic.html
and the USCCB Website at: http://www.usccb.org/seia/orthodox_index.shtml
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Background to and purpose of the visit
Pope Benedict XVI, in his weekly public audience on June 9, summarised his trip the previous weekend to Cyprus, the first trip of his pontificate to a predominantly Orthodox country, and the first trip of any Pope to the island, adding a look forward to the October meeting of the Synod of Bishops, which will discuss the Middle East.
The Pope's trip had fulfilled three purposes:- encouraging the small Catholic community of Cyprus,
- encouraging ecumenical progress,
- and reaching out to all the peoples of the Middle East.
He praised the vigour of the local Catholic Churches and thanked the Orthodox Archbishop Chrysostomos II for his hospitality, saying that the latter was living proof that "rootedness in tradition does not prevent the Orthodox community from being firmly committed to ecumenical dialogue together with the Catholic community." Catholics and Orthodox are drawn together by their common reliance on the Scriptures, the Christian tradition, and the "profession of faith drawn up by the ancient councils."
In choosing to accept Archbishop Chysostomos' invitation to visit Cyprus as the site for the release of the working document, the instrumentum laboris, for this October's Synod of Bishops on the Middle East, the Pope indicated that the Eastern Churches are an essential part of any initiative in the region. His visit was "a religious message," which "should prepare more souls to find an opening for peace."
He underlined the importance of preserving a vigorous Christian presence in that troubled region. During his trip to Cyprus, he had said, "I made a heartfelt appeal to all the Catholics of the Middle East, despite their great trials and the difficulties they notoriously face, not to give in to discouragement and the temptation to emigrate, because their presence in the region represents an irreplaceable sign of hope."
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Protocol 308/2010 R |
Rabweh 2/6/2010 |
Appeal to Arab kings, presidents and leaders
Dear brothers,
In these difficult times and tragic circumstances, we are addressing to you this appeal born of the sufferings that we are all living through alongside the Palestinian people. Arab and Palestinian blood, the cries of our children, the emigration of our young people and the despair of our senior citizens call us to work then by all means to restore order both in inter-Palestinian relations to achieve Palestinian unity, and in inter-Arab relations, to enable united Arabs to speak with a single voice gathering all together to urge the international community to put an end to the constant strife that is destroying our societies; for a house divided against itself cannot stand, as our Lord Jesus Christ says in the Holy Gospel.
The Melkite Greek Catholic Church has continually and repeatedly borne witness in favour of Arab causes in general and the Palestinian cause in particular, in the person of bishop Gregorios Hajjar, martyr for the Palestinian cause, as well as His Grace our brother bishop Hilarion Capucci, witness, campaigner and defender of that cause.
The presence of His Grace on board the peace flotilla to raise the blockade of Gaza is a symbol and affirmation of the involvement of our Church with Palestinians, Palestinian rights and the Palestinian cause. His Grace's campaign is moreover evidence of the Catholic Church's position and that of the Popes themselves, a firm and clear position towards the Palestinian cause and Palestinian rights, expressed by support given to Palestinian refugees by Catholic Christian institutions in our East and throughout the whole world.
In view of our support for the campaign of our brother bishop Hilarion, our patriarchal sovereignty has for some years now been minded not to allow our brother bishop Hilarion to be obliged to step down from his ecclesial function on grounds of being past the statutory retirement age. That is why His Grace continues to be styled Patriarchal Vicar General of Jerusalem and bishop in exile, everywhere representing the Church of Jerusalem.
As head of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church and Patriarch of Jerusalem and in the name of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem and in the name of the Council of Catholic Churches in Syria, let us by your side cry aloud and shout to all the nations of the world for peace and the resolution of the Palestinian case. The future of our rising generations is in danger and emigration, exile, depression, fanaticism and oppression are the source of wars and struggles, which, in the absence of intervention, will affect the whole world.
Condemnations are no longer any use and our peoples are weary of condemnations, while the world has heard it all before, so we are asking you all to take the necessary steps, regardless of cost, to work actively and in co-ordination with Western countries and the United States to oblige Israel to make peace, which is the only glimmer of hope for our future, that of our East and of the whole world.
Lastly, I am praying almighty God to grant peace to the land of Peace.
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Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, of Alexandria and of Jerusalem |
Gregorios III
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CWNews.com - The North American Orthodox-Catholic Theological Consultation, chaired by Archbishop Gregory Aymond of New Orleans and Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Maximos of Pittsburgh, continued to work on a statement on the steps towards unity during its recent June 1-3 meeting in Massachusetts. The statement, entitled “Steps Towards a United Church: A Sketch of an Orthodox-Catholic Vision for the Future,” will briefly outline “the history of divergences between Catholics and Orthodox, especially with regard to the role of the Bishop of Rome in the Church, according to a press release issued by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas. It will also outline “all that the two churches share and notes that overcoming differences has become a matter of urgency. The text also reflects on what a reunited Catholic and Orthodox Church might would look like, the ecclesial structures needed to facilitate such unity, and the questions that remain to be answered if such a reconciliation is to take place.”
Last year, the North American Orthodox-Catholic Theological Consultation abandoned the diplomatic language typical of ecumenical pronouncements and issued a candid critique of the 2007 “Ravenna document,” a modest milestone in Catholic-Orthodox ecumenical relations.
Source(s): these links will take you to other sites, in a new window.
- Orthodox-Catholic Consultation Examines Steps to Unity (USCCB)
- Orthodox-Catholic Consultation Examines Steps to Unity (SCOBA)
- US Catholic, Orthodox prelates criticize Cardinal Kasper’s milestone Ravenna document (CWN, 11/5/09)
- Dr. Jeff Mirus: Once again, the 'Church' controversy (Catholic Culture, 11/6/09)
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CWNews.com - Pope Shenouda II, the leader of the Coptic Orthodox Church, has confirmed that his church will refuse to abide by a decision of Egypt's highest court, which ruled that the Coptic Church must allow divorce and remarriage.
In May the court ruled that because "the right to family formation is a constitutional right," no religious body can deny that right. In Egypt all marriages must be endorsed by a religious body. The court said that the Coptic Church must alter its teachings to allow for the civil rights of divorced people.
Pope Shenouda said that the Coptic Church will disregard the ruling, insisting that the court has no authority to dictate religious beliefs and practices.
Source(s): these links will take you to other sites, in a new window.
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CWNews.com - The October 2010 meeting of the Synod of Bishops will be "an opportunity for Christians of the rest of the world to offer spiritual support and solidarity to their brothers and sisters in the Middle East," Pope Benedict XVI said as he unveiled the working document for that Synod assembly. During a weekend visit to Cyprus the Pope himself took every opportunity to shine the spotlight on the problems facing the Christians in the troubled region.
"It is well known that some of you suffer great trails due to the current situation in the region," the Pope said during a Mass on June 6 in an arena in Nicosia, Cyprus. At that Mass, attended by about 6,000 people including the leaders of the many different Catholic communities in the Middle East, the Pope formally released the instrumentum laboris that will form the basis for discussion at the October Synod meeting. As he released the document the Pope offered a prayer that "just and lasting solutions may be found to the conflicts that cause so much hardship."
The Synod document emphasizes the difficulties that Christians face as a minority in the volatile region. In Islamic countries, the instrumentum laboris states, Christians are sometimes in "the precarious position of being considered non-citizens, despite the fact that they were citizens of their countries long before the rise of Islam." The great challenge in these countries, the document says, is to promote recognition of fundamental human rights, including religious freedom.
The document is critical of Israel as well, for its restrictions on access to religious shrines and especially its continued occupation of Palestinian territories. The Synod document adds a lament that "certain Christian fundamentalist theologies use sacred scripture to justify Israel’s occupation of Palestine, making the position of Christian Arabs an even more sensitive issue.”