VATICAN CITY, 30 NOV 2010 (VIS) - As is traditional for the Feast of St. Andrew, a Holy See delegation, led by Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, has travelled to Istanbul to participate in the celebrations for the saint, patron of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. Every year the patriarchate sends a delegation to Rome for the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul Apostles, on 29 June.
This morning the Holy See delegation attended a divine liturgy presided by His Holiness Bartholomew I, at the Church of St. George at Fanar. At the end of the ceremony Cardinal Koch delivered a special Message to the patriarch from Benedict XVI.
"In a world characterised by increasing interdependence and solidarity", the Pope writes, "we are called to proclaim the truth of the Gospel with renewed conviction, and to present the risen Lord as the response to the most profound spiritual questions and aspirations of the men and women of today.
"In order to carry out this great enterprise", he adds, "we must continue along the path towards full communion, showing that we have already united our strengths for a shared witness of the Gospel before the people of our time. For this reason I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Your Holiness and to the Ecumenical Patriarchate for the generous hospitality you offered to delegates of the European Episcopal Conferences who - on the island of Rhodes in October - met with representatives of the Orthodox Churches of Europe for the Catholic-Orthodox Forum on the theme: 'Relations between Church and State: theological and historical perspectives'".
Benedict XVI concludes his Message by assuring the patriarch of the interest with which he follows "your wise efforts for the good of Orthodoxy and for the promotion of Christian values in many international contexts".
MESS/ VIS 20101130 (320)
This morning the Holy See delegation attended a divine liturgy presided by His Holiness Bartholomew I, at the Church of St. George at Fanar. At the end of the ceremony Cardinal Koch delivered a special Message to the patriarch from Benedict XVI.
"In a world characterised by increasing interdependence and solidarity", the Pope writes, "we are called to proclaim the truth of the Gospel with renewed conviction, and to present the risen Lord as the response to the most profound spiritual questions and aspirations of the men and women of today.
"In order to carry out this great enterprise", he adds, "we must continue along the path towards full communion, showing that we have already united our strengths for a shared witness of the Gospel before the people of our time. For this reason I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Your Holiness and to the Ecumenical Patriarchate for the generous hospitality you offered to delegates of the European Episcopal Conferences who - on the island of Rhodes in October - met with representatives of the Orthodox Churches of Europe for the Catholic-Orthodox Forum on the theme: 'Relations between Church and State: theological and historical perspectives'".
Benedict XVI concludes his Message by assuring the patriarch of the interest with which he follows "your wise efforts for the good of Orthodoxy and for the promotion of Christian values in many international contexts".
MESS/ VIS 20101130 (320)
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Il Santo Padre si rende conto che per "proclamare con rinnovata convinzione la verità del Vangelo e per presentare il Signore Risorto come la risposta alle più profonde domande e aspirazioni spirituali degli uomini e delle donne di oggi” sia assolutamente necessario "continuare a progredire sul cammino verso la piena comunione, mostrando di avere già unito i nostri sforzi per una comune testimonianza al Vangelo di fronte agli uomini del nostro tempo"
ReplyDeleteL'unico Protagonista capace di creare la comunione é lo Spirito SAnto nei cuori dei credenti. Perció, PRIMA DELL'ECUMENISMO E PRIMA DELLA NUOVA EVANGELIZZAZIONE OCCORRE CHE LA CHIESA CHIEDA AL PADRE E A GESù UNA NUOVA PENTECOSTE NELLA CHIESA. SENZA NUOVI EVANGELIZZATORI MOSSI DALLO SPIRITO SANTO SARA' IMPOSSIBILE REALIZZARE IL SOGNO DELL'UNITA' e SENZA APOSTOLI PIENI DEL FUOCO E LA PARRESIA DIVINE, la Nuova evangelizzazione sarà un'altro progetto destinato al fallimento.
Chiediamo a Dio che mandi dal cielo il rombo impetuoso dei carismi dello Spirito per superare la falsa sicurezza degli schemi, della dottrina ortodossa e delle forme esteriori.
Il mondo e la Chiesa hanno bisogno di più vita mistica edi meno formalismi e cerimonie; i giovani vogliono testimoni credibili dell'obbedienza al Maestro Interiore.
Che il Signore ci conceda una Chiesa rinnovata dove fioriscano più donne come Maria e più uomini come gli Apostoli che siano capaci di annunciare con segni di santità e prodigi di carità la verità che Gesù Risorto cambia oggi la storia come l'ha fatto Lui stesso ieri.
Sergio A. Prado Flores. Roma.