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Photo: Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I embrace.
Points to "Vitality and Sanctity" After Visit to Russia
By Inmaculada Álvarez
PARIS, NOV. 4, 2008 (Zenit.org).- The archbishop of Paris says he found the Russian Orthodox Church to be a "living and holy Church, strong because of the testimony of its martyrs."
Cardinal André Vingt-Trois affirmed this in a communiqué after his trip to Moscow last week. The cardinal was returning the visit made by Orthodox Patriarch Alexy II to Paris last October.
The Paris prelate and his entourage traveled to Moscow "to honor the martyrs of the Orthodox Church during the Soviet period and the action of this Church in post-Communist society," a communiqué from the archdiocese said.
As well, he prayed together with the Catholic community of Moscow and their archbishop, Paolo Pezzi, in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.
Cardinal Vingt-Trois said that his encounter with Alexy II was "simple and fraternal" and that the two of them discussed, among other things, "the importance of the transmission of the faith to the youth and the possibility of an exchange of relics" to help the faithful learn about "the treasures of sanctity in the distinct traditions."
The prelate also affirmed the "vitality of the Russian Orthodox Church, seen for example in the numerous reconstructions of churches and monasteries, the number of baptisms of children and adults, and priestly and monastic vocations."
Before departing for Moscow, the cardinal had told L'Osservatore Romano that his trip, like that of other cardinals who have previously gone, helps to "increase relations with the Moscow patriarchate and the ecumenical relations that previously did not exist" in a climate "that has gotten much better compared to 10 or 15 years ago."
"I think I can affirm the desire, the will of Alexy II to enter into a more open relationship with the Catholic Church," Cardinal Vingt-Trois added. "In the progress toward the unity of Christians, the question of trust is fundamental: If there is not mutual trust, unity cannot progress."
Regarding his visit to Solovki, the prelate explained that this ancient monastery "tragically became the first gulag." There, Orthodox bishops, priests and religious were martyred, and Catholics, "who found themselves not only imprisoned as well, but within the same persecution."
"It is very important," the cardinal said, "that relations with the Russian Orthodox Church recognize and manifest this fundamental dimension of martyrdom, of recognizing the 'ecumenical promise' of martyrdom -- [which is] the same, suffered by Orthodox and Catholics."
His Holiness Alexy II, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, met with the Catholic Archbishop of Paris, Cardinal André Vingt-Trois, on 28 October 2008, at the Patriarchal residence in St. Daniel’s monastery.
The cardinal and his delegation came to Russia at the invitation of the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church.
His Holiness Alexy II welcomed the cardinal and his party to Moscow, saying, ‘It is the first visit of Your Eminence to our country, and I hope it will be interesting and fruitful for you and will make it possible for you to come to a deeper knowledge of the rich spiritual and cultural heritage of our Church, her dramatic history in the 20th century and her life today’.
Patriarch Alexy recalled with gratitude the warm welcomed rendered him by the Catholic Church in France during his visit to Paris and Strasbourg last October. ‘I would like once again to express special gratitude to you for the opportunity for me to venerate our Lord’s Crown of Thorns, a great shrine for all Christians, and to attend the Orthodox prayer service celebrated at it. I cherish the memory of the moving moments I experienced during my visit to Notre Dame. I was deeply moved by the presence of numerous Parisian believers at the service, who openly expressed their warm feelings towards the Russian Orthodox Church’, he said.
He also noted that the copy of the Icon of Our Lady of Vladimir he had given to the cathedral was placed at a prominent place and was now venerated by Parisians and visitors to Paris.
In his talk with the Catholic Archbishop of Paris, Patriarch Alexy stressed that the experience of persecution by the godless power made similar the historical journeys covered by both the Russian Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church in France. The French Catholics were the first to encounter militant atheism and aggressive secularism during the 1789 Revolution. Thousands of Catholic clergy and laity in France were subjected to severe persecution to be repeated during the Paris Commune in the 19th century.
‘The ideals of the French revolution in many ways inspired those who seized power in 1917 in our country and then subjected the Russian Orthodox Church to persecution unprecedented in scale and cruelty’, His Holiness said.
He reminded his guests that the Bolsheviks turned the Solovki Monastery, an ancient center of Russian devotion and monasticism, which had been visited by the French delegation, into a concentration camp. ‘An overwhelming majority of its inmates were Russian Orthodox clergy and laity who martyred there for Christ. Many of them were later canonized as New Martyrs of the 20th century’, he said, adding that among the Solovki victims were also representatives of other Christian Churches including Catholics.
His Holiness Alexy II believes that the historical experience of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church in France can become one of the foundations for cooperation, the more so that contacts between Russian Orthodox people and Catholics in France have a long history. Thus, numerous Russian emigrants found asylum in France after the 1917 Revolution and the Civil War. ‘One can say with confidence that thanks to their faithfulness to their church tradition, Orthodoxy made a significant influence on French Catholic theology and introduced many to Orthodox theology’, His Holiness stressed.
It was noted that in our days the Moscow Patriarchate diocese of Korsun under Archbishop Innokenty represented one of the largest Orthodox communities in France. In this connection, Patriarch Alexy underscored the importance of strengthening relations between this diocese and the Catholic Church in France. Both sides underlined the importance of maintaining direct contacts without mediation from any third party.
In his response, Cardinal Vingt-Trois said, ‘A year ago, Your Holiness honoured us with a visit to Paris, and I could not imagine that I would soon have an opportunity for visiting you in Moscow’. He thanked the patriarch for the invitation and warm welcome, noting with special appreciation that in his pilgrimage to Russia he was accompanied by Archbishop Innokenty of Korsun.
The cardinal spoke about his visits to St. Sergius’ Monastery of the Trinity, Solovki Monastery and ages-old Moscow Theological Academy and underlined that the visit made it possible for the delegation to see at first hand the tremendous spiritual revival experienced by the Russian Orthodox Church and Russia. He said he saw the revival of not only churches and monastic life but also theological education.
The Catholic Archbishop of Paris conveyed to Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia a message of greetings from Pope Benedict XVI of Rome and words of gratitude from Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, and Archbishop Crescenzio Sepe of Naples for the hospitality that had been rendered them.
Answering questions from journalists after the meeting, His Holiness noted that during the talk the both sides pointed to the importance of continuing such contacts.
His Holiness also said that Cardinal Vingt-Trois expressed a wish that the Moscow Patriarchate might participate in the events within the Year of Russia in France declared for 2010. The archbishop also suggested that the Russian Orthodox Church might bring to France one of her shrines to be venerated by the Orthodox faithful and people of Catholic confession.
‘We have many issues in common to be discussed and settled’, His Holiness said, reminding that the Russian Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church were equally concerned over such problems as preservation of morality and spiritual values in modern society, and solutions for such problems should be sought together.
The Catholic Archbishop of Paris, in his turn, thanked the head of the Russian Orthodox Church for the invitation, saying that during his trip he and his party could visit not only Moscow, but also other regions in Russia. ‘I am especially grateful to His Holiness for the opportunity to visit the Solovki Monastery, which is at the same time a symbol of persecution against the Church in the 20th century and a testimony to the power of faith which transcends all trials. Where terror once reigned there is peace taught now’, he stressed.
Speaking about the prospects of bilateral relations, Cardinal Vingt-Trois stated, ‘we seek to develop these relations and make them more fruitful’.
Odessa—On 30 October, a scholarly-practical conference “Ukraine and the Vatican in the Development of Higher Education” was held in The Christian Humanitarian and Economic University in Odessa. In particular, a report by Yurii Reshetnikov a candidate of Philosophic Sciences, dealt with the question of interaction of the Church with the state in the area of education in the context of harmonization of state-church relations. He described the legal basis of the law in place in the questions of religious education and noted that today, the rights of believers to education are very impaired as compared to other categories of citizens. Y. Reshetnikov informed the audience about deputies’ initiatives to remedy the situation. Y. Reshetnikov described the decision of the education minister, I. Vakarchuk to support a number of alterations to the law, as positive and instrumental in changing the situation. The minister announced this at the session of the extended collegium of the Ministry of Education with the participation of representatives from the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations on 26 June of this year.
In an interview with our RISU correspondent, the Director of the European Institute of Social Communications, Oleksandr Dobroier, who also participated in the conference, said: “The role of this conference is very important. It showed vividly the great contribution of the Catholic Church in the formation of the European system of education as well as the significance of the present efforts of the Catholic Church in Ukraine in the work of formation of the modern educated Ukrainian intelligentsia.”
Approximately, sixty religious experts, theologians, teachers at Ukrainian higher education institutions and students of Odessa participated in the conference.
On Friday October 25, 2008, Bishop Hlib (Lonchyna), head of the Department of Church Commissions and Responsible for Monastic Matters of the Patriarchal Curia of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church, visited monastic houses of the Incarnate Word in the Ivano-Frankivs’k Eparchy. The visit started with a visit to the house of the sisters in Burshtyn, where presently a community of sisters resides, among whom is Provincial Mother Superior Sister Maria Sliz Farina.
The monastery was blessed on August 3 by Most Rev. Bishop Volodymyr (Viityshyn) and is on the territory of a former hospital. In the renewed building the sisters live and it is planned here to open a contemplative monastery of closed type. The Bishop shared a meal here with the sisters. In the second half of day, the Bishop, escorted by priests and sisters, left for Ivano-Frankivs’k, where he visited the house of the novitiate in Krykhivtsi, and the Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius, where he conducted a conference on the theme «Love in the teaching of Saint Paul the Apostle,» as this year in the Catholic Church is the Year of the Holy Preacher. He gave special attention to love among the members of monastic communities.
Consequently he celebrated a Divine Liturgy in the chapel of the men’s monastery in concelebration with Fathers Hryhorii Rohats’kyi, Yosyf Popovych, Yosyf Montes, Sofron Zelins’kyi, and Yosafat Boiko.
After finishing the Liturgy Bishop Hlib visited Saint Nicholas Mercy Town, a house which five sisters take care of and in which live about 50 inhabitants, among whom are abandoned children, half orphans, small girls with their mothers, and elderly people with developmental disabilities.
At the evening meal schoolchildren from Mercy Town presented for the Bishop a concert with songs and an Argentinean dance.
In addition, at the invitation of organizers from the Sambir and Drohobych Eparchy, priests and sisters of the Incarnate Word had the opportunity to take part in or, it is better to say, helped in conducting the Vocations Day in the eparchy, in particular in the city of Drohobych, because this year is also the Year of Christian Vocation in the Catholic Church.
Fathers Sofron Zelins’kyi, IW, and Josaphat Boyko, IW, together with five sisters of the Incarnate Word led by Sister Maria Christian spent all Monday October 27 in the town of Drohobych, sharing the experience of their consecrated life.
The first visit was to a group of students of the Pedagogical Faculty of Ivan Franko State Pedagogical University. Consequently they visited two large groups from the Higher Professional College and then the Medical School. Each meeting consisted of two main parts: (1) a general lesson about vocation for all –the vocation to holiness and the vocation to states of life – married and consecrated, about which they spoke more; (2) then there was more talk about sharing the experience of the consecrated life, so-called “witnessing by life.” There was no lack of questions and discussion.
A meeting in the youth center, at which were present, in addition to young people of the city, seminarians and representatives of men’s and women’s monasteries who talked about their monastery, order, or community, took place in the evening. A Basilian priest gave a general talk about the monastic vocation; one lay person talked about Christian married couples, and consequently monastic orders and communities were discussed.
During the break they visited the seminary and cathedral.
Information given by Fr. Yosafat Boiko, Incarnate Word
VATICAN CITY, 26 OCT 2008 (VIS) - At midday today, Benedict XVI appeared at the window of his study to pray the Angelus with thousands of people gathered in St. Peter's Square.
In his remarks before the Marian prayer, the Pope dwelt upon today's closure of the Synod of Bishops. "Each synodal assembly", he said, "is a powerful experience of ecclesial communion, this one even more so because attention was focused on what illuminates and guides the Church: the Word of God, which is Christ in person. ... In accordance with the original meaning of the term 'church', we experienced the joy of being called by the Word and, especially in the liturgy, found ourselves on the path ... which gives us a foretaste of the Kingdom of Heaven".
The Holy Father commented on a question that gave rise to much reflection during the Synod: "the relationship between the Word and words, that is to say between the Divine Word and the scriptures that express it". Thus "good Biblical exegesis requires both historical-critical and theological methodologies, because Holy Scripture is the Word of God in human words. This means that every text must be read and interpreted bearing in mind the unity of all Scripture, the living tradition of the Church and the light of faith.
"If it is true", he added, "that the Bible is also a literary work, indeed the great codex of universal culture, it is also true that it must not be divested of its divine element, but must always be read in the same Spirit as that in which it was written. Therefore, scientific exegesis and 'lectio divina' are equally necessary and complementary for finding, through the literary and spiritual meaning, what God wishes to communicate to us today".
The Holy Father then went on: "At the end of this synodal assembly, the patriarchs of the Eastern Churches made an appeal, which I make mine, to call the attention of the international community, religious leaders and all men and women of good will to the ongoing tragedy in certain Eastern countries, where Christians are the victims of intolerance and cruel violence: killed, threatened and forced to abandon their homes and seek refuge elsewhere. At this time I am thinking above all about Iraq and India. I am certain that the ancient and noble populations of these nations have learnt, over the course of centuries of respectful coexistence, to appreciate the contribution the small but dutiful Christian minorities make to the development of the shared homeland. They do not ask for privileges, but only wish to be allowed to continue to live in their country together with their fellow citizens, as they have always done.
"I ask civil and religious authorities to spare no efforts to ensure that legality and civil coexistence be soon restored, and that honest and loyal citizens may know that they can count on adequate protection from State institutions. I also hope that civil and religious leaders from all nations, aware of their role as guide and example to their peoples, take meaningful and explicit actions of friendship and consideration towards minorities, Christian or others, and make it a point of honour to come to the defence of their legitimate human rights".
VATICAN CITY, OCT. 26, 2008 (Zenit.org).- A Vatican spokesman is decrying a campaign of persecution against Iraqi Christians, asking Muslims to join in decidedly opposing fundamentalists.
Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican press office, made this appeal on the most recent edition of Vatican Television's "Octava Dies."
"Obviously," he said, "all of the people of Iraq, and not just the Christian communities, suffer the consequences of decades of oppressive regimes, an ominous war and the social and political disorder that has plagued them."
Nevertheless, Father Lombardi continued, "the ancient Christian communities of the country are now submitted to systematic and intentional pressure, with an impressive series of violent acts and threats."
The Vatican spokesman noted the case of Mosul, where the situation has worsened in recent weeks.
"Reports from humanitarian organization and independent news agencies reveal that the threats from extremist Muslim groups are promoted street by street and house by house, spreading delirious written notes with messages such as, 'You should leave your house and this area in 24 hours. If not you will be justly punished and you will be killed, as our Islamic religion orders done with those who, like you, venerate the cross.'"
Father Lombardi affirmed that "it is absolutely necessary that fanatic fundamentalist groups be decidedly opposed."
"It is necessary for all men of peace, also from the Muslim world, to oppose with strength and clarity this horrible violation of the fundamental rights of the person," he added. "We hope that the initiatives of dialogue with the Muslim world, along the path opened by John Paul II and continued by Benedict XVI, contribute to affirm ever more decidedly that in the name of God, one cannot kill and hate, but only love and respect every human person."
