Vatican City, 13 February 2016 (VIS) –
The Holy Father Francis yesterday began his twelfth apostolic trip
with an historic encounter at the Jose Marti airport of Havana, Cuba,
with His Holiness Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, at the
end of which the two leaders signed a joint declaration.
The Pope, after a twelve-hour flight,
arrived in Cuba shortly after 2 p.m. (local time; 8 p.m. in Rome) in
Havana, where he was received by the president of Cuba, Raul Castro,
in the presence of, among others, Cardinal Jaime Ortega y Alamino,
archbishop of San Cristobal de La Habana, Archbishop Dionisio Garcia
Ibanez and Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council
for Promoting Christian Unity. The encounter with the Patriarch
Kirill took place in a room in the airport, and was also attended by
the Metropolitan Hilarion, president of the Department for External
Relations of the Patriarchate of Russia, and Cardinal Koch. His
Holiness Kirill has been a member of the Orthodox Holy Synod
Commission for Christian Unity since 1979. In 2006 he consecrated the
first Russian Orthodox church in Rome and in 2008 he inaugurated the
Cathedral of the Virgin of Kazan in Havana, the first Orthodox church
in Cuba. He was elected Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia in 2009 by
a large majority and was enthroned in the Cathedral of Christ the
Saviour of Moscow, a ceremony attended on behalf of the Holy See by
Cardinal Walter Kasper, the then-president of the Pontifical Council
for Promoting Christian Unity.
After an intense two-hour meeting, the
Pope and the Patriarch proceeded to another room in the airport,
where they were awaited by President Castro, in order to sign a Joint
Declaration divided into thirty points in which it is recognised that
Catholics and Orthodox share the same spiritual tradition of the
first millennium of Christianity, despite the division cause by the
wounds of conflicts in both distant and recent past, and the
differences inherited from ancestors in the understanding and
explanation of their faith in God. In the text the bishop of Rome and
the Patriarch of Moscow express their hope that their meeting may
contribute to achieving the unity commanded by God and for which
Christ prayed, and emphasised that Catholics and Orthodox must learn
to carry forward joint witness to the truth in the areas where this
is possible and necessary.
It also makes reference to the
Christians persecuted in various regions of the world and launches an
appeal to the international community for immediate measures to avoid
further displacement of Christians in the Middle East. It expresses
joy at the rebirth of Christian faith in Russia and the countries of
Eastern Europe following the fall of the atheist regimes, and shares
concerns regarding the destiny of millions of migrants and refugees
who knock on the doors of wealthier countries, and for the crisis in
the family in some countries. It reiterates an appeal in favour of
the inalienable right to life and the mission that unites Orthodox
and Catholics of preaching the Gospel of Christ in the contemporary
world, and expresses the hope that the division between the Orthodox
Christians of Ukraine may be overcome so that all may live in peace
and harmony, and that the country's Catholic communities may be able
to contribute to this.
Following the signing of the
Declaration, the Pope gave a brief, heartfelt extemporaneous address:
"We speak as brothers, we have the same Baptism, we are bishops.
We speak of our Churches, and we agree that unity is achieved by
walking forwards. We speak clearly, without ambiguity, and I must say
I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit in our conversation. I give
thanks for Your Holiness’ humility, your fraternal humility, and
your real desire for unity.
"We have taken up a series of
initiatives which I believe are viable and can be realised. Thus I
wish to thank Your Holiness, once again, for your warm welcome, as
well as those collaborating with us – and I mention but two: His
Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion and His Eminence Cardinal Koch, who
with their colleagues worked towards this moment.
"I do not wish to leave without
expressing my sincere gratitude to Cuba, to the great Cuban people
and to their President here with us. I thank you for your concrete
willingness to help. If Cuba continues in this way, it will become
the capital of unity.
"And may all this be for the glory
of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, for the good of the
whole faithful People of God, under the mantle of the Holy Mother of
God".
The encounter ended with an exchange of
gifts between the Pope and the Patriarch. Francis gave the Patriarch
a reliquary of St. Cyril and a chalice, and His Holiness Kirill gave
the Pope an original copy of the icon of the Virgin of Kazan.
The following is the full text of the
Joint Declaration:
“'The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ
and the love of God the Father and the fellowship of the holy Spirit
be with all of you'.
1. By God the Father’s will, from
which all gifts come, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with
the help of the Holy Spirit Consolator, we, Pope Francis and Kirill,
Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, have met today in Havana. We give
thanks to God, glorified in the Trinity, for this meeting, the first
in history.
It is with joy that we have met like
brothers in the Christian faith who encounter one another 'to speak
face to face', from heart to heart, to discuss the mutual relations
between the Churches, the crucial problems of our faithful, and the
outlook for the progress of human civilisation.
2. Our fraternal meeting has taken
place in Cuba, at the crossroads of North and South, East and West.
It is from this island, the symbol of the hopes of the “New World”
and the dramatic events of the history of the twentieth century, that
we address our words to all the peoples of Latin America and of the
other continents.
It is a source of joy that the
Christian faith is growing here in a dynamic way. The powerful
religious potential of Latin America, its centuries–old Christian
tradition, grounded in the personal experience of millions of people,
are the pledge of a great future for this region.
3. By meeting far from the
long-standing disputes of the 'Old World', we experience with a
particular sense of urgency the need for the shared labour of
Catholics and Orthodox, who are called, with gentleness and respect,
to give an explanation to the world of the hope in us.
4. We thank God for the gifts received
from the coming into the world of His only Son. We share the same
spiritual Tradition of the first millennium of Christianity. The
witnesses of this Tradition are the Most Holy Mother of God, the
Virgin Mary, and the saints we venerate. Among them are innumerable
martyrs who have given witness to their faithfulness to Christ and
have become the 'seed of Christians'.
5. Notwithstanding this shared
Tradition of the first ten centuries, for nearly one thousand years
Catholics and Orthodox have been deprived of communion in the
Eucharist. We have been divided by wounds caused by old and recent
conflicts, by differences inherited from our ancestors, in the
understanding and expression of our faith in God, one in three
Persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We are pained by the loss of
unity, the outcome of human weakness and of sin, which has occurred
despite the priestly prayer of Christ the Saviour: 'So that they may
all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you … so that they
may be one, as we are one'.
6. Mindful of the permanence of many
obstacles, it is our hope that our meeting may contribute to the
re–establishment of this unity willed by God, for which Christ
prayed. May our meeting inspire Christians throughout the world to
pray to the Lord with renewed fervour for the full unity of all His
disciples. In a world which yearns not only for our words but also
for tangible gestures, may this meeting be a sign of hope for all
people of goodwill!
7. In our determination to undertake
all that is necessary to overcome the historical divergences we have
inherited, we wish to combine our efforts to give witness to the
Gospel of Christ and to the shared heritage of the Church of the
first millennium, responding together to the challenges of the
contemporary world. Orthodox and Catholics must learn to give
unanimously witness in those spheres in which this is possible and
necessary. Human civilisation has entered into a period of epochal
change. Our Christian conscience and our pastoral responsibility
compel us not to remain passive in the face of challenges requiring a
shared response.
8. Our gaze must firstly turn to those
regions of the world where Christians are victims of persecution. In
many countries of the Middle East and North Africa whole families,
villages and cities of our brothers and sisters in Christ are being
completely exterminated. Their churches are being barbarously ravaged
and looted, their sacred objects profaned, their monuments destroyed.
It is with pain that we call to mind the situation in Syria, Iraq and
other countries of the Middle East, and the massive exodus of
Christians from the land in which our faith was first disseminated
and in which they have lived since the time of the Apostles, together
with other religious communities.
9. We call upon the international
community to act urgently in order to prevent the further expulsion
of Christians from the Middle East. In raising our voice in defence
of persecuted Christians, we wish to express our compassion for the
suffering experienced by the faithful of other religious traditions
who have also become victims of civil war, chaos and terrorist
violence.
10. Thousands of victims have already
been claimed in the violence in Syria and Iraq, which has left many
other millions without a home or means of sustenance. We urge the
international community to seek an end to the violence and terrorism
and, at the same time, to contribute through dialogue to a swift
return to civil peace. Large–scale humanitarian aid must be assured
to the afflicted populations and to the many refugees seeking safety
in neighbouring lands.
We call upon all those whose influence
can be brought to bear upon the destiny of those kidnapped, including
the Metropolitans of Aleppo, Paul and John Ibrahim, who were taken in
April 2013, to make every effort to ensure their prompt liberation.
11. We lift our prayers to Christ, the
Saviour of the world, asking for the return of peace in the Middle
East, 'the fruit of justice', so that fraternal co–existence among
the various populations, Churches and religions may be strengthened,
enabling refugees to return to their homes, wounds to be healed, and
the souls of the slain innocent to rest in peace.
We address, in a fervent appeal, all
the parts that may be involved in the conflicts to demonstrate good
will and to take part in the negotiating table. At the same time, the
international community must undertake every possible effort to end
terrorism through common, joint and coordinated action. We call on
all the countries involved in the struggle against terrorism to
responsible and prudent action. We exhort all Christians and all
believers of God to pray fervently to the providential Creator of the
world to protect His creation from destruction and not permit a new
world war. In order to ensure a solid and enduring peace, specific
efforts must be undertaken to rediscover the common values uniting
us, based on the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
12. We bow before the martyrdom of
those who, at the cost of their own lives, have given witness to the
truth of the Gospel, preferring death to the denial of Christ. We
believe that these martyrs of our times, who belong to various
Churches but who are united by their shared suffering, are a pledge
of the unity of Christians. It is to you who suffer for Christ’s
sake that the word of the Apostle is directed: 'Beloved … rejoice
to the extent that you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that
when His glory is revealed you may also rejoice exultantly' (1 Pet
4:12–13).
13. Interreligious dialogue is
indispensable in our disturbing times. Differences in the
understanding of religious truths must not impede people of different
faiths to live in peace and harmony. In our current context,
religious leaders have the particular responsibility to educate their
faithful in a spirit which is respectful of the convictions of those
belonging to other religious traditions. Attempts to justify criminal
acts with religious slogans are altogether unacceptable. No crime may
be committed in God’s name, 'since God is not the God of disorder
but of peace'.
14. In affirming the foremost value of
religious freedom, we give thanks to God for the current
unprecedented renewal of the Christian faith in Russia, as well as in
many other countries of Eastern Europe, formerly dominated for
decades by atheist regimes. Today, the chains of militant atheism
have been broken and in many places Christians can now freely confess
their faith. Thousands of new churches have been built over the last
quarter of a century, as well as hundreds of monasteries and
theological institutions. Christian communities undertake notable
works in the fields of charitable aid and social development,
providing diversified forms of assistance to the needy. Orthodox and
Catholics often work side by side. Giving witness to the values of
the Gospel they attest to the existence of the shared spiritual
foundations of human co–existence.
15. At the same time, we are concerned
about the situation in many countries in which Christians are
increasingly confronted by restrictions to religious freedom, to the
right to witness to one’s convictions and to live in conformity
with them. In particular, we observe that the transformation of some
countries into secularised societies, estranged from all reference to
God and to His truth, constitutes a grave threat to religious
freedom. It is a source of concern for us that there is a current
curtailment of the rights of Christians, if not their outright
discrimination, when certain political forces, guided by an often
very aggressive secularist ideology, seek to relegate them to the
margins of public life.
16. The process of European
integration, which began after centuries of blood–soaked conflicts,
was welcomed by many with hope, as a guarantee of peace and security.
Nonetheless, we invite vigilance against an integration that is
devoid of respect for religious identities. While remaining open to
the contribution of other religions to our civilisation, it is our
conviction that Europe must remain faithful to its Christian roots.
We call upon Christians of Eastern and Western Europe to unite in
their shared witness to Christ and the Gospel, so that Europe may
preserve its soul, shaped by two thousand years of Christian
tradition.
17. Our gaze is also directed to those
facing serious difficulties, who live in extreme need and poverty
while the material wealth of humanity increases. We cannot remain
indifferent to the destinies of millions of migrants and refugees
knocking on the doors of wealthy nations. The unrelenting consumerism
of some more developed countries is gradually depleting the resources
of our planet. The growing inequality in the distribution of material
goods increases the feeling of the injustice of the international
order that has emerged.
18. The Christian churches are called
to defend the demands of justice, the respect for peoples’
traditions, and an authentic solidarity towards all those who suffer.
We Christians cannot forget that 'God chose the foolish of the world
to shame the wise, and God chose the lowly and despised of the world,
those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are
something, that no human being might boast before God'.
19. The family is the natural centre of
human life and society. We are concerned about the crisis in the
family in many countries. Orthodox and Catholics share the same
conception of the family, and are called to witness that it is a path
of holiness, testifying to the faithfulness of the spouses in their
mutual interaction, to their openness to the procreation and rearing
of their children, to solidarity between the generations and to
respect for the weakest.
20. The family is based on marriage, an
act of freely given and faithful love between a man and a woman. It
is love that seals their union and teaches them to accept one another
as a gift. Marriage is a school of love and faithfulness. We regret
that other forms of cohabitation have been placed on the same level
as this union, while the concept, consecrated in the biblical
tradition, of paternity and maternity as the distinct vocation of man
and woman in marriage is being banished from the public conscience.
21. We call on all to respect the
inalienable right to life. Millions are denied the very right to be
born into the world. The blood of the unborn cries out to God.
The emergence of so-called euthanasia
leads elderly people and the disabled begin to feel that they are a
burden on their families and on society in general.
We are also concerned about the
development of biomedical reproduction technology, as the
manipulation of human life represents an attack on the foundations of
human existence, created in the image of God. We believe that it is
our duty to recall the immutability of Christian moral principles,
based on respect for the dignity of the individual called into being
according to the Creator’s plan.
22. Today, in a particular way, we
address young Christians. You, young people, have the task of not
hiding your talent in the ground, but of using all the abilities God
has given you to confirm Christ’s truth in the world, incarnating
in your own lives the evangelical commandments of the love of God and
of one’s neighbour. Do not be afraid of going against the current,
defending God’s truth, to which contemporary secular norms are
often far from conforming.
23. God loves each of you and expects
you to be His disciples and apostles. Be the light of the world so
that those around you may see your good deeds and glorify your
heavenly Father. Raise your children in the Christian faith,
transmitting to them the pearl of great price that is the faith you
have received from your parents and forbears. Remember that 'you have
been purchased at a great price', at the cost of the death on the
cross of the Man–God Jesus Christ.
24. Orthodox and Catholics are united
not only by the shared Tradition of the Church of the first
millennium, but also by the mission to preach the Gospel of Christ in
the world today. This mission entails mutual respect for members of
the Christian communities and excludes any form of proselytism.
We are not competitors but brothers,
and this concept must guide all our mutual actions as well as those
directed to the outside world. We urge Catholics and Orthodox in all
countries to learn to live together in peace and love, and to be 'in
harmony with one another'. Consequently, it cannot be accepted that
disloyal means be used to incite believers to pass from one Church to
another, denying them their religious freedom and their traditions.
We are called upon to put into practice the precept of the apostle
Paul: 'Thus I aspire to proclaim the gospel not where Christ has
already been named, so that I do not build on another's foundation'.
25. It is our hope that our meeting may
also contribute to reconciliation wherever tensions exist between
Greek Catholics and Orthodox. It is today clear that the past method
of 'uniatism', understood as the union of one community to the other,
separating it from its Church, is not the way to re–establish
unity. Nonetheless, the ecclesial communities which emerged in these
historical circumstances have the right to exist and to undertake all
that is necessary to meet the spiritual needs of their faithful,
while seeking to live in peace with their neighbours. Orthodox and
Greek Catholics are in need of reconciliation and of mutually
acceptable forms of co–existence.
26. We deplore the hostility in Ukraine
that has already caused many victims, inflicted innumerable wounds on
peaceful inhabitants and thrown society into a deep economic and
humanitarian crisis. We invite all the parts involved in the conflict
to prudence, to social solidarity and to action aimed at constructing
peace. We invite our Churches in Ukraine to work towards social
harmony, to refrain from taking part in the confrontation, and to not
support any further development of the conflict.
27. It is our hope that the schism
between the Orthodox faithful in Ukraine may be overcome through
existing canonical norms, that all the Orthodox Christians of Ukraine
may live in peace and harmony, and that the Catholic communities in
the country may contribute to this, in such a way that our Christian
brotherhood may become increasingly evident.
28. In the contemporary world, which is
both multiform yet united by a shared destiny, Catholics and Orthodox
are called to work together fraternally in proclaiming the Good News
of salvation, to testify together to the moral dignity and authentic
freedom of the person, 'so that the world may believe'. This world,
in which the spiritual pillars of human existence are progressively
disappearing, awaits from us a compelling Christian witness in all
spheres of personal and social life. Much of the future of humanity
will depend on our capacity to give shared witness to the Spirit of
truth in these difficult times.
29. May our bold witness to God’s
truth and to the Good News of salvation be sustained by the Man–God
Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, who strengthens us with the
unfailing promise: 'Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for
your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom'.
Christ is the wellspring of joy and
hope. Faith in Him transfigures human life, fills it with meaning.
This is the conviction borne of the experience of all those to whom
Peter refers in his words: 'Once you were ‘no people’ but now you
are God’s people; you ‘had not received mercy’ but now you have
received mercy'.
30. With grace–filled gratitude for
the gift of mutual understanding manifested during our meeting, let
us with hope turn to the Most Holy Mother of God, invoking her with
the words of this ancient prayer: 'We seek refuge under the
protection of your mercy, Holy Mother of God'. May the Blessed Virgin
Mary, through her intercession, inspire fraternity in all those who
venerate her, so that they may be reunited, in God’s own time, in
the peace and harmony of the one people of God, for the glory of the
Most Holy and indivisible Trinity!".
Francis
Bishop of Rome
Pope of the Catholic Church
Kirill
Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia
12 February, Havana, Cuba
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