Vatican City, 26 May 2014 (VIS) –
After the welcome ceremony at Tel Aviv airport, the Pope transferred
by helicopter to Jerusalem where, at the Apostolic Delegation, he met
with the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew, who was
accompanied by three high dignitaries. The meeting was also attended
by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and Cardinal Kurt Koch,
prefect of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.
The Patriarch Bartholomew was elected
in 1991 as the 270th Patriarch archbishop of Constantinople, the New
Rome and the Ecumenical Patriarch. He visited Benedict XVI in the
Vatican in 2008 and participated in the celebration of the second
millennium since the birth of St. Paul. On 19 March 20123 he attended
the Mass of the beginning of Pope Francis' Petrine ministry; it was
the first time since the Great Schism of 1054 that an Orthodox
patriarch was present at the inauguration ceremony of a Catholic
pope.
Following the meeting, Pope Francis and
Patriarch Bartholomew signed the following Joint Declaration:
“1. Like our venerable predecessors
Pope Paul VI and Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras who met here in
Jerusalem fifty years ago, we too, Pope Francis and Ecumenical
Patriarch Bartholomew, were determined to meet in the Holy Land
'where our common Redeemer, Christ our Lord, lived, taught, died,
rose again, and ascended into Heaven, whence he sent the Holy Spirit
on the infant Church' (Common communiqué of Pope Paul VI and
Patriarch Athenagoras, published after
their meeting of 6 January 1964). Our meeting, another encounter of
the Bishops of the Churches of Rome and Constantinople founded
respectively by the two Brothers the Apostles Peter and Andrew, is a
source of profound spiritual joy for us. It presents a providential
occasion to reflect on the depth and the authenticity of our existing
bonds, themselves the fruit of a grace-filled journey on which the
Lord has guided us since that blessed day of fifty years ago.
2. Our fraternal encounter today is a
new and necessary step on the journey towards the unity to which only
the Holy Spirit can lead us, that of communion in legitimate
diversity. We call to mind with profound gratitude the steps that the
Lord has already enabled us to undertake. The embrace exchanged
between Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras here in Jerusalem,
after many centuries of silence, paved the way for a momentous
gesture, the removal from the memory and from the midst of the Church
of the acts of mutual excommunication in 1054. This was followed by
an exchange of visits between the respective Sees of Rome and
Constantinople, by regular correspondence and, later, by the decision
announced by Pope John Paul II and Patriarch Dimitrios, of blessed
memory both, to initiate a theological dialogue of truth between
Catholics and Orthodox. Over these years, God, the source of all
peace and love, has taught us to regard one another as members of the
same Christian family, under one Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and
to love one another, so that we may confess our faith in the same
Gospel of Christ, as received by the Apostles and expressed and
transmitted to us by the Ecumenical Councils and the Church Fathers.
While fully aware of not having reached the goal of full communion,
today we confirm our commitment to continue walking together towards
the unity for which Christ our Lord prayed to the Father so 'that all
may be one'.
3. Well aware that unity is manifested
in love of God and love of neighbour, we look forward in eager
anticipation to the day in which we will finally partake together in
the Eucharistic banquet. As Christians, we are called to prepare to
receive this gift of Eucharistic communion, according to the teaching
of Saint Irenaeus of Lyon, through the confession of the one faith,
persevering prayer, inner conversion, renewal of life and fraternal
dialogue. By achieving this hoped for goal, we will manifest to the
world the love of God by which we are recognized as true disciples of
Jesus Christ.
4. To this end, the theological
dialogue undertaken by the Joint International Commission offers a
fundamental contribution to the search for full communion among
Catholics and Orthodox. Throughout the subsequent times of Popes John
Paul II and Benedict the XVI, and Patriarch Dimitrios, the progress
of our theological encounters has been substantial. Today we express
heartfelt appreciation for the achievements to date, as well as for
the current endeavours. This is no mere theoretical exercise, but an
exercise in truth and love that demands an ever deeper knowledge of
each other’s traditions in order to understand them and to learn
from them. Thus we affirm once again that the theological dialogue
does not seek a theological lowest common denominator on which to
reach a compromise, but is rather about deepening one’s grasp of
the whole truth that Christ has given to his Church, a truth that we
never cease to understand better as we follow the Holy Spirit’s
promptings. Hence, we affirm together that our faithfulness to the
Lord demands fraternal encounter and true dialogue. Such a common
pursuit does not lead us away from the truth; rather, through an
exchange of gifts, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, it will
lead us into all truth.
5. Yet even as we make this journey
towards full communion we already have the duty to offer common
witness to the love of God for all people by working together in the
service of humanity, especially in defending the dignity of the human
person at every stage of life and the sanctity of family based on
marriage, in promoting peace and the common good, and in responding
to the suffering that continues to afflict our world. We acknowledge
that hunger, poverty, illiteracy, the inequitable distribution of
resources must constantly be addressed. It is our duty to seek to
build together a just and humane society in which no-one feels
excluded or marginalised.
6. It is our profound conviction that
the future of the human family depends also on how we safeguard –
both prudently and compassionately, with justice and fairness – the
gift of creation that our Creator has entrusted to us. Therefore, we
acknowledge in repentance the wrongful mistreatment of our planet,
which is tantamount to sin before the eyes of God. We reaffirm our
responsibility and obligation to foster a sense of humility and
moderation so that all may feel the need to respect creation and to
safeguard it with care. Together, we pledge our commitment to raising
awareness about the stewardship of creation; we appeal to all people
of goodwill to consider ways of living less wastefully and more
frugally, manifesting less greed and more generosity for the
protection of God’s world and the benefit of His people.
7. There is likewise an urgent need for
effective and committed cooperation of Christians in order to
safeguard everywhere the right to express publicly one’s faith and
to be treated fairly when promoting that which Christianity continues
to offer to contemporary society and culture. In this regard, we
invite all Christians to promote an authentic dialogue with Judaism,
Islam and other religious traditions. Indifference and mutual
ignorance can only lead to mistrust and unfortunately even conflict.
8. From this holy city of Jerusalem, we
express our shared profound concern for the situation of Christians
in the Middle East and for their right to remain full citizens of
their homelands. In trust we turn to the almighty and merciful God in
a prayer for peace in the Holy Land and in the Middle East in
general. We especially pray for the Churches in Egypt, Syria, and
Iraq, which have suffered most grievously due to recent events. We
encourage all parties regardless of their religious convictions to
continue to work for reconciliation and for the just recognition of
peoples’ rights. We are persuaded that it is not arms, but
dialogue, pardon and reconciliation that are the only possible means
to achieve peace.
9. In an historical context marked by
violence, indifference and egoism, many men and women today feel that
they have lost their bearings. It is precisely through our common
witness to the good news of the Gospel that we may be able to help
the people of our time to rediscover the way that leads to truth,
justice and peace. United in our intentions, and recalling the
example, fifty years ago here in Jerusalem, of Pope Paul VI and
Patriarch Athenagoras, we call upon all Christians, together with
believers of every religious tradition and all people of good will,
to recognise the urgency of the hour that compels us to seek the
reconciliation and unity of the human family, while fully respecting
legitimate differences, for the good of all humanity and of future
generations.
10. In undertaking this shared
pilgrimage to the site where our one same Lord Jesus Christ was
crucified, buried and rose again, we humbly commend to the
intercession of the Most Holy and Ever Virgin Mary our future steps
on the path towards the fullness of unity, entrusting to God’s
infinite love the entire human family.
'May the Lord let his face shine upon
you, and be gracious to you! The Lord look upon you kindly and give
you peace!'”.
Jerusalem, 25 May 2014.
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