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Photo: Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I embrace.
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VATICAN CITY, 12 FEB 2010 (VIS) - At midday today the Holy Father received prelates from the Episcopal Conference of Romania, who have just completed their "ad limina" visit.
The Pope began his remarks by mentioning the bishops, priests, religious and faithful who, "in the period of persecution, showed dauntless attachment to Christ and His Church, and maintained their faith intact".
He then thanked the prelates for their "generous dedication to serving the rebirth and development of the Catholic community" in Romania and the Republic of Moldova, and encouraged them "to show the faithful an itinerary of mature and responsible Christian faith, especially through the reaching of religion, catechesis, also of adults, and preparation for the Sacraments". This, he continued, "requires the joint preparation of pastoral programmes, with a view to the 'bonum animarum' of all Catholics from various rites and ethnicities".
"In this Year for Priests I encourage you to become true fathers to your clergy. ... Be careful to foster communion among yourselves and with them in a climate of affection, care, and respectful and fraternal dialogue. Concern yourselves with their spiritual and material situation, and with the theological and pastoral aggiornamento they need".
Benedict XVI highlighted how "the primary task of bishops is to promote vocational pastoral care, and the human, spiritual and intellectual formation of candidates to the priesthood in seminaries and other institutes of formation, ... also through the careful selection of educators and teachers. Similar care must be shown in forming members of institutes of consecrated life, especially female institutes", he said.
"The flowering of priestly and religious vocations depends to a large extent on the moral and religious health of Christian families", the Pope explained. In this context he referred to "the scourges of abortion, corruption, alcoholism and drugs, as well as birth control by methods contrary to the dignity of the human person", saying that "in order to combat these challenges, you must promote parish consultancy services and organise improved pastoral care of the young".
The Holy Father also highlighted the need "to make a decisive commitment to favour the presence of Christian values in society, creating centres of formation where young people can learn authentic values, enriched by your countries' cultural gifts, in order to enable them to bear witness to those values in the environments in which they live".
"In this context", he continued, "the witness of fraternity between Catholics and Orthodox is particularly important; may it prevail over divisions and dissent, and open hearts to reconciliation", he said. Recalling then the tenth anniversary, which fell in May 2009, of "the historic trip of Venerable John Paul II to Romania", the Pope expressed the hope that "the desire for unity aroused by that visit may nourish prayer and a commitment to continue dialogue in charity and truth, and to promote joint initiatives".
Benedict XVI concluded: "One particularly important area of collaboration between Orthodox and Catholics today concerns the defence of the Christian roots of Europe and of Christian values, as well as joint witness on such themes as the family, bioethics, human rights, honesty in public life and ecology. ... Constructive dialogue between Orthodox and Catholics will not fail to foment unity and harmony, not only for your countries, but for all of Europe".- Details
February 15, 2010
Holy and Great Lent
To the Most Reverend Hierarchs, the Reverend Priests and Deacons, the Monks and Nuns, the Presidents and Members of the Parish Councils of the Greek Orthodox Communities, the Distinguished Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Day, Afternoon, and Church Schools, the Philoptochos Sisterhoods, the Youth, the Hellenic Organizations, and the entire Greek Orthodox Family in America
Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
We begin this holy season of the year in anticipation of the great spiritual blessings that we will receive through a deeper commitment to God and through our repentance and humility as we live each day in His divine presence. Great and Holy Lent is a very treasured period, filled with moments in which we can focus our hearts and minds on the grace of God. Through daily prayer, fasting, worship, and offering for the needs of others, and by the grace of God our lives will continue to be transformed by Him and our souls will be drawn closer to our Lord Jesus Christ.
This is the primary goal of the Lenten season and of all the disciplines of our Orthodox faith – to lead us to Christ. In Holy Scripture we read that prayer, fasting, and service to people were a part of our Lord’s sacred ministry. Through His example we are presented with a manner of living that focuses on communion with God and on the Gospel message of truth and life. This is also the focus of Great Lent.
First, Great and Holy Lent leads us to Christ through prayer. This season is an excellent opportunity for prayer. It is a period when we are called to renew our commitment to daily prayer and to devote more time to it. We make more time each day for personal and family prayer. All of this directs our hearts and minds to the presence and power of Christ. Our Lord is in our midst, ready to guide those who seek Him, assure those who are struggling, and lead us all through the power of God’s grace to real life.
Second, the Lenten season leads us to Christ through worship. Over the coming weeks the parishes of our Holy Archdiocese will have frequent services, opportunities to gather together in praise of God and to renew our strength through prayer and participation in the Holy Eucharist. The services of Lent are beautiful and solemn, leading us to examine our hearts within the sacred space of our sanctuaries and in communion with God and our brothers and sisters in the faith. In the holy atmosphere of worship, through the hymns, petitions, readings, and Holy Sacraments, especially the Sacrament of Repentance and Confession of sins, we are presented above all with the One who offers liberation from sin and guilt and brings salvation. Through worship we affirm the truth of what Christ has accomplished, we acknowledge His presence, and we respond in repentance and faith to His call to come and see all the blessings that God has for us.
Third, Great Lent leads us to Christ through fasting. This is a very special discipline of our faith that helps diminish our attachment to the material things of this world and deepens our dependence on God. It directs our hearts and minds toward the spiritual needs of our lives through a reorientation of our will. Through abstinence from various types of foods and limitations on the time we spend procuring and preparing food, we can devote more time to prayer, and we can discipline our entire being to be more attentive to the presence and will of God. As children of a heavenly kingdom, the purpose and goal of our lives is not tied to the treasures of this earth, but to the condition of our souls and to our faith in God. Fasting contributes to an awareness of this.
Finally, Lent leads us to Christ through offering for the needs of others. Our Lord is our example of offering, even through sacrifice. Through giving of our time and resources to others, we imitate Christ, or rather we offer Christ. We experience the joys and blessings of securing the well-being of others, and we also realize that the true meaning of life is found and fulfilled not only in what we receive from God, but in what we can give back to Him by giving to others.
At the beginning of this blessed time, may we have hearts and minds that are seeking Christ. The way to Him through Great Lent is the true way of life; it is the journey of this season toward Holy Week and the celebration of the Feast of Feasts, Holy Pascha. May we, by the grace of Christ, and through genuine repentance make this Lent a time of transformation of our existence and a renewal of our souls and minds.
With paternal love in Christ,
†DEMETRIOS
Archbishop of America
GREEK ORTHODOX ARCHDIOCESE OF AMERICA
8-10 East 79th St. New York, NY 10075-0106
Tel: (212) 570-3530 Fax: (212) 774-0237
Web: http://www.goarch.org - Email:
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Note! Due to a blizzard, the talk by Metropolitan Kallistos at Epiphany of Our Lord Church, Annandale, VA, scheduled for Thursday evening, is postponed until Sunday evening.
The Epiphany schedule of events for this Sunday evening will be:
5:00pm - Forgiveness Vespers
6:30pm - Reception
7:30pm - Talk by Metropolitan Kallistos
The venue for the reception and Metropolitan's talk is TBD. That is, the reception and talk may be in the church hall and church, rather than the parish center. People will be directed to the right venue upon arrival, if not announced beforehand.
Note! The prayer service, reception and Ecumenism Lecture by Metropolitan Kallistos at The Catholic University of America scheduled for Tuesday, February 9, has been postponed one week until Tuesday, February 16 because of weather conditions in Washington, DC. The same schedule -- prayer at 4:30, reception at 5:30, lecture at 6:30 -- will be followed starting in the Chapel in Caldwell Hall. Please pass the word to anyone who was planning to attend.
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CWNews.com - The president of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity gave an optimistic assessment of ecumenical relations with the Oriental Orthodox churches, as he spoke in Lebanon after chairing a joint meeting of Catholic and Orthodox representatives. Cardinal Walter Kasper noted that the Catholic and Oriental Orthodox churches are "rediscovering our unity" on a practical level after closing in on theological accords that would resolve the Christological disputes that led to their separation more than 15 centuries ago. Completing the work to achieve full reunion would have a dramatic impact on both the ecumenical landscape and the political world in the Middle East, the cardinal said.
The Oriental Orthodox churches-- including the Armenian, Syrian, and Coptic churches-- as distinct from the Byzantine Orthodox churches (Russian, Greek, Ukrainian, etc.) broke with Rome in the 5th century after the Council of Chalcedon.
Source(s): these links will take you to other sites, in a new window.
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CWNews.com - Serbia’s newly enthroned Orthodox Patriarch Irinej has suggested a worldwide ecumenical encounter in 2013, to mark the 1700th anniversary of the Edict of Milan. He suggested that the event could take place in Nis, the Serbian birthplace of the Emperor Constantine, and expressed the hope that Pope Benedict XVI would attend—in what would be the first visit ever by a Roman Pontiff to Serbia.
Patriarch Irinej did not explicitly suggest that the meeting in Nis could provide the opportunity for a “summit meeting” between the Pope and the Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill. But in light of the close ties between the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Moscow patriarchate, the Russian prelate would surely be expected to attend.
Source(s): these links will take you to other sites, in a new window.
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Celebration of Greek Letters
Protocol 08/10
January 30, 2010
Feast of the Three Hierarchs
and Greek Letters Day
For I am not ashamed of the Gospel;
it is the power of God for salvation
to every one who has faith…. (Romans 1:16)
To the Most Reverend Hierarchs, the Reverend Priests and Deacons, the Monks and Nuns, the Presidents and Members of the Parish Councils of the Greek Orthodox Communities, the Distinguished Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Day, Afternoon, and Church Schools, the Philoptochos Sisterhoods, the Youth, the Hellenic Organizations, and the entire Greek Orthodox Family in America
Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
In this first month of the new year we are blessed to have in the calendar of our Holy Orthodox Church the commemoration of the Three Great Hierarchs and Ecumenical Teachers, St. Basil the Great, St. Gregory the Theologian, and St. John Chrysostom. On this day of their feast, we honor the lives and witness of these holy and brilliant men, who brought glory to God through their amazing service to the people in the name of Christ. Their lives offer to us a genuine image of the power of the Gospel, the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ, as they each believed in Him to the depths of their hearts, souls, and minds and as they were transformed by His presence into godly men imbued with divine power and wisdom. Further, the Three Hierarchs present a witness of the Gospel through their ministry of teaching, their defense of the faith, and their love of learning, together with service to others characterized by compassion, humility, and sacrifice.
The lives of Saints Basil, Gregory, and John Chrysostom are beautiful testimonies of their acceptance of and total commitment to the Gospel. Each was influenced by holy family members and teachers who had received the message of Christ and believed. Each overcame struggles of mind and soul, challenges that were ultimately resolved in complete acceptance of divine grace. Through their life-long commitment to God, they conveyed the priority and purpose of our human existence in receiving the Gospel and being restored to communion with God.
The belief of the Three Hierarchs in the Gospel was the foundation for their lives of service to God and to others. What they believed and preached, they lived. The Gospel was for them not only a message of truth leading to true life and salvation, it was and is a ministry. For Saints Basil, Gregory, and John Chrysostom the purpose of the message of God’s love extended beyond their own spiritual destiny to the needs of others. Thus, they served in compassion and humility, denying their own selves and sacrificing any personal gain for the sake of their fellow human beings. They lived the Gospel because they took upon themselves the example and ministry of Christ, oblivious to what they suffered, and generously offering all so that souls might be saved.
The Three Hierarchs were fully aware of the transforming power of the Gospel. It is the power of the Gospel that changes our understanding of all facets of our human existence. This was reflected in the love of learning and language expressed by the Three Hierarchs as they affirmed the great potential of our God-given human abilities and the role of the mind and word in communicating the truths of life and faith. This is why today is also a celebration of Greek Letters. We recognize the role that Greek thought, language, and culture has had in furthering knowledge and understanding of our world. Methods of thought encouraged intellectual clarity and contributed to great scientific discoveries and advances; the Greek language became a foundation for many areas of modern language, offering conciseness and structure; and Greek culture as an expression of thought, art and language, set standards in literature, rhetoric, art and architecture. Saints Basil, Gregory, and John Chrysostom recognized the relevance of this in communicating the Gospel of Christ. In addition to acknowledging the benefits of learning in the development of the mind, they also tapped the resources of Greek language and thought in order to illuminate great theological truths and to explore the implications of the divine revelation for our minds, souls and all of the created order. They also saw the relevance of adapting various cultural elements, which were expressions of the creativity and ingenuity of humanity, as means of communicating the Gospel.
Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, on this feast day of the Three Hierarchs and the celebration of Greek Letters, let us look to the example of these great Saints of our Church and emulate their love of God and their faith in the Gospel of salvation. May we build a life of service and witness on the foundation of our belief in what Christ has done for us. May we also be grateful for the great inheritance we have received, one that nurtures a love of learning and language in the service of God and the ministry of the Gospel so that all humanity may hear, believe, and receive a Gospel leading to eternal life.
With paternal love in Christ,
† DEMETRIOS
Archbishop of America
GREEK ORTHODOX ARCHDIOCESE OF AMERICA
8-10 East 79th St. New York, NY 10075-0106
Tel: (212) 570-3530 Fax: (212) 774-0237
Web: http://www.goarch.org - Email: