VATICAN CITY, NOV 30, 2005 (VIS) - A delegation from the Holy See, led by Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, is in Istanbul, Turkey for the liturgical celebrations of the Feast of St. Andrew, which is commemorated both in the East and West. St. Andrew is patron of the ecumenical patriarchate, which every year sends a delegation to Rome on June 29, the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul.
This morning the delegation attended a solemn liturgy presided by His Holiness Bartholomew I in the Church of St. George in Fanar. At the end of the ceremony, Cardinal Kasper delivered a special message to the ecumenical patriarch from Benedict XVI.
In his English-language message, the Pope affirms:
"This year we commemorate the fortieth anniversary of December 8, 1965, that day on which Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras, dissatisfied with what had occurred in 1054, decided together at Rome and Constantinople 'to cancel from the Church's memory the sentence of ex-communication which had been pronounced.' That momentous event became the basis of a renewed relationship marked by reciprocal respect and reconciliation."
"Indeed, this cancellation marked the beginning of a new season of ecclesial life, a season of dialogue, which has seen significant progress yet remains challenged to continue the rigorous pursuit of its much cherished goals.
"In this regard, it is a source of great satisfaction to me that after a pause of some years our theological dialogue begins once again. I pray that it will indeed be fruitful and am confident that no effort will be spared to make it so. He who puts his hand to the plough must not turn back. Rather, he must persevere and bring his work to completion, sowing the seed and awaiting the abundant harvest that God in His goodness will provide."
Benedict XVI concludes his message with assurances to the Patriarch Bartholomew, the holy synod and all the Orthodox Churches that "the Catholic Church remains irrevocably committed to promoting all suitable and helpful initiatives to strengthen charity, solidarity and theological dialogue between us."
According to a communique made public today, the members of the delegation sent by the Holy Father will meet members of the synodal commission for relations with the Catholic Church. For his part, Cardinal Kasper will visit the leaders of the Christian communities in Turkey, in particular the Armenian patriarch and the Syro-Orthodox patriarch, as well as representatives of the local Catholic community and the chief rabbi of Istanbul.
This year, the communique says, the talks "are particularly important because they focus above all on preparations for the visit by Benedict XVI to the Church of St. George in Fanar." Other subjects under discussion include "the progress of Catholic - Orthodox relations, questions concerning the life and pastoral care of Orthodox faithful in Italy and, above all, following a break of five years, the resumption of official theological dialogue, as decided last September during a pan-Orthodox meeting held at the Fanar and presided by the Patriarch Bartholomew I."
DELSS/FEAST ST. ANDREW/KASPER:BARTHOLOMEW VIS 20051130 (520)
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