Vatican
City, 28 June 2013
(VIS) - “Your presence is the sign of the profound bond that unites
the Church of Constantinople with the Church of Rome in faith, in
hope, and in charity,” Pope Francis said this morning on receiving
the delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarch, which had arrived in Rome
to celebrate the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul. The tradition of
exchanging visits for the occasions of the respective patronal feasts
dates back to 1969. The Pope emphasized that “fraternal gathering
is an essential part of the journey towards unity.”
“The
search for unity among Christians is an urgent task—you have said
that 'it is not a luxury, but an imperative'—from which, today more
than ever, we cannot prescind. In our world that hungers and thirsts
for truth, love, hope, peace, and unity, our witness demands that we
should at last be able to proclaim, with one voice, the good news of
the Gospel and celebrate together the Divine Mysteries of our new
life in Christ. We are well aware that unity is primarily a gift from
Gift that we must pray for unceasingly, but we all have the task of
preparing the conditions, of cultivating the soil of the heart so
that this extraordinary grace may be received.”
Francis
praised the Mixed International Commission for Theological Dialogue
between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches'—which is headed by
Metropolitan Ioannis and Cardinal Kurt Koch—fundamental
contribution to the search for full communion. “The Commission has
already produced many common texts and is now studying the
theological and ecclesiological relationships between primacy and
synodality in the life of the Church.” In this regard, the Pope
commented on the significance of, today, “being able to reflect
together in truth and charity on these issues, starting from what we
have in common without, however, concealing that which still
separates us. This isn't a theoretical exercise: it demands in-depth
knowledge of one another’s traditions in order to understand them
and sometimes also to learn from them. I am speaking, for example, of
the Catholic Church's reflection on the meaning of episcopal
collegiality and the tradition of synodality that is so
characteristic of the Orthodox Churches.”
“It
comforts me,” he added, “knowing that Catholics and Orthodox
share the same conception of dialogue that doesn't seek a theological
minimalism on which to reach a compromise, but that rather is based
on the deepening of the truth that Christ has given to his Church and
that we, moved by the Holy Spirit, never cease to understand better.
This is why we shouldn't be afraid of encounter and true dialogue. It
doesn't distance us from the truth but rather, through an exchange of
gifts, leads us, under the guidance of the Spirit of truth, to the
whole truth.”
The
Holy Father concluded his address to the ecumenical delegation, which
tomorrow will attend a Eucharistic celebration presided by the Pope,
by calling upon Sts. Peter and Paul, patrons of the Church of Rome,
and the Apostle Andrew, patron of the Church of Constantinople, to
intercede “for our faithful and for the needs of the whole world,
especially the poor, the suffering, and those who are unjustly
persecuted for their faith.”
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