CATHOLIC AND ORTHODOX FIND COMMON GROUND IN THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF THE CHURCH IN THE FIRST MILLENIUM

Catholic and Orthodox find common ground in early Church understanding

Member of ecumenical panel explains why the dialogue's latest document is significant

 Shawn Neal  John Burger 

 October 3, 2016

His Beatitude Patriarch Theodoros II of Alexandria presides over the Divine Liturgy at the Annunciation Church in Kissamos, Crete, during the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church, 2016

John Mindala/Ecumenical Patriarchate-cc

The group of scholars and Church leaders trying to forge a way towards the restoration of full communion between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches has come to a common understanding of the relationship between synodality and primacy in the Church in the first 1000 years of Christianity, with particular reference to the role of the Bishop of Rome. A document they agreed upon at a recent meeting in the Italian town of Chieti acknowledges the primacy of Rome among the original five patriarchal sees of the Church.

The Chieti document, “Synodality and Primacy During the First Millennium: Towards a Common Understanding in Service to the Unity of the Church,”also gives Catholic-Orthodox dialogue a common basis on which to build, says Msgr. Paul McPartlan, a member of the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church that hammered out the agreement.

Their document explores both the primacy of the bishop, the metropolitan or patriarch, and the pope, and “synodality”—the collegial relations among bishops rooted in the communion of all the faithful in the Church.

Msgr. McPartlan, professor of systematic theology and ecumenism at the Catholic University of America, spoke with Aleteia about the document and its significance in advancing the hoped-for unity of Catholic and Orthodox.

The meeting in Chieti, which was the commission’s 14th plenary session, released its document Sept. 22. Would you summarize its document?

I think the document is very significant because it’s nine years since the last Catholic-Orthodox agreed statement—agreed at Ravenna in 2007—and in that time we have been working on what everybody knows is the most difficult issue of all between us, which is the relationship between synodality and primacy at three levels in the Church’s life—local, regional and universal—but especially wanting to address the universal level, where, of course, the major difficulties between East and West have occurred in history, with regard to the role of the pope as universal primate.

Two previous draft documents failed, in Vienna (2010) and Amman (2014), so this present agreement, at the third attempt, is very important. It’s quite a short document, but I think it’s quite substantial. It establishes that the basis for synodality in the Church is the life of God, the Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. So we have a very theological core to the text, and it says that primacy and synodality are interrelated and complementary at all levels of the life of the Church. It treats the local level, with the local Church around its bishop, then the regional level, where you have the metropolitan or the patriarch with the bishops of a region or a territory.

And then it goes to the universal level, and acknowledges the ancient taxis (the canonical order of bishops) of the five patriarchal sees [Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem], with Rome in the first place. So Rome is acknowledged as having a universal primacy, but very much in the context of synodality, and it tries to indicate from the first millennium, which is the era that Catholics and Orthodox agree we are looking to for guidance, some very significant aspects of how the pope, as bishop of Rome, related to the wider Church. There are three things in particular that it mentions there:

• It talks about the involvement of the pope in the ecumenical councils. The bishop of Rome never attended ecumenical councils in the first millennium, but it was always the case that either he had delegates at the council or he accepted the council’s teaching post-factum. The second Council of Nicaea in 787 gave some criteria for an ecumenical council and acknowledged that the involvement of the bishop of Rome was essential for a council to be recognized as ecumenical. So popes are always involved somehow in an ecumenical council.
• Then it talks about the role of the pope that we find in the first millennium as a court of appeal, because appeals were made to the bishop of Rome even from the Church in the East in the first millennium (along with appeals to other major sees). The rules for that were very carefully clarified at the Council of Sardica in 343. It’s clear there was no recognition that the pope had direct jurisdiction in the East, but nevertheless bishops from the East could make an appeal to him, and so, what we say is that that practice manifested the communion of the Church. The bishop of Rome has a special role in the communion of the Church.
• Finally, and perhaps of the greatest importance, is the recognition that the ordering, or taxis, of the patriarchal sees is deeply rooted in the Eucharist. So we go back to the very foundations of our dialogue, the very first document, the Munich document of 1982, which laid a Eucharistic foundation, and adopted a Eucharistic ecclesiology. The Chieti document recognizes that whenever the patriarchs of the Church would come together to celebrate the Eucharist, they would stand in the Eucharist in the order of the taxis, so the taxis is fundamentally related to the celebration which gives the Church its life, namely the Eucharist. Implicitly, therefore, the bishop of Rome as the universal primate, has a very particular link to the Church’s Eucharistic life, and I think that idea is enormously promising for future dialogue and discussion.

In getting to this point, what concessions did each side have to make?

I don’t think that there’s a sense of any concessions, to be honest. I think there’s a genuine effort to find common ground.

I think there’s another very significant aspect of this text. Everybody knows that the Russian Orthodox Church did not accept the Ravenna document from 2007, and ever since 2007 it’s been unclear as to what exactly the common ground between us, Catholics and Orthodox, therefore was. What this document I think does is to restate, without referring to the Ravenna document, some of the fundamental gains of that document: the idea that synodality and primacy are interrelated; the idea that there are three levels in the Church: local, regional, and universal; the idea that there is indeed a primacy in each of those levels and therefore a universal primacy, which Rome has because of occupying the first place in the taxis. And so effectively what we’re doing there is reestablishing the common basis of our dialogue and getting all of the Churches back on the same page. Moscow, of course, took part in the meeting in Chieti. So we now have a common basis, clearly, for all of us, as we move forward in the dialogue.

There was a very good spirit in Chieti; there was a good sense of collaboration and a desire to take a step forward in our discussion.

Will this agreement necessitate that the Catholic Church change Her teaching regarding the role of the Bishop of Rome?

No. We have no mandate as Catholic delegates to the dialogue to change Catholic doctrine and we cannot possibly go against Catholic doctrine. We have to be absolutely faithful to Catholic doctrine as the Orthodox have to be faithful to Orthodox teaching. That’s why the dialogue process is a very careful one, sometimes a very slow one, of listening to one another. And I think one of the points that we have recognized is that the language of jurisdiction, which Catholics often associate with the pope, is very much a terminology of the second millennium. So when we look at the first millennium it would be anachronistic to speak about the universal jurisdiction of the pope. What instead we have to do is look at the very significant role the pope played in the communion life of the Church, a role that was recognized in the East as well as the West. Although it is clear that the pope related rather differently to the Church in the West than to the Church in the East, nevertheless the bishop of Rome was recognized in the East as playing an important role in the Church as a whole.

What must yet be resolved before we can mutually say we are in full communion with each other?

Clearly we have to deal with the second millennium in some way. This needs to be discussed next year by the joint coordinating committee to decide exactly what we will do next. We have been looking at the first millennium and we have established a very good common basis. The Chieti document says that we must now build upon that common basis from the first millennium, but the Church’s life continues, there has been a second millennium, in which there were developments, good and not so good, on both sides. So we need somehow to address the second millennium. The Orthodox, and especially the Russian Orthodox, very much want to address the question of uniatism [Eastern Christians who entered into union with Rome at various points in the second millennium, but kept their liturgy and traditions, such as the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church]. The theological dialogue already produced an agreed statement on that important matter in 1993. There may well be more work we need to do on that. But the precise context in which to do that work has yet to be agreed.

Somehow we have to reckon with the second millennium, but I hope very much that we can do so in a positive spirit. We agree that the basis for our moving forward today is the witness and the life of the undivided Church in the first millennium, and we have clarified some important points from the first millennium in the new document. We mustn’t get too bogged down in the second millennium, which is a very complex era.

John Burger

John Burger is a news editor at Aleteia. He formerly worked at the National Catholic Register and Catholic New York in the Archdiocese of New York. He has also written for a wide variety of Catholic publications.

- See more at: http://aleteia.org/2016/10/03/catholic-and-orthodox-find-common-ground-in-early-church-understanding/#sthash.IcudzqZz.dpuf

THE VISIT OF POPE FRANCIS TO THE GEORGIAN ORTHODOX PATRIARCH

WHAT THE ORTHODOX EXPECTED

FROM THE VISIT OF POPE FRANCIS

my source: Pravmir.com

Hieromonk Mikhail, from the Communications Office of the Patriarchate, spoke of the Georgian Orthodox Church’s expectations for the Pope’s visit.

“Мы надеемся и верим, что такие визиты …

We hope and believe that the meeting of the leaders of our ancient Churches will always have a positive conclusion. As you know, at a certain point in history, the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches lost their unity in prayer and in the Eucharist; that unity that existed before the XI century, and with the Georgian Church until the XII century. Afterwards, internal differences within our confessions began to take shape: we have our Patriarch and the Catholics have their own, we have different beliefs. But these differences should not result in radical stances amongst believers. 

I believe that this meeting will solve these issues. People can clearly see there is no hostility between us, as between other believers who do not understand the tragedy of the schism and the complexity of reunification. Therefore, we expect this to take us a step further towards the future… 

Each time, that during the liturgy we pray the first ‘ektenia’, we always pray “for peace in the world, for the good of the holy Churches of God and for the unity for all”. Our prayer is always that the moment may arrive in which the problems that exist between us be resolved, and that – by the grace of God – we may be totally united in Christ. Therefore, this visit is a firm step forward to get closer and to resolve the radical impulses hidden in some faithful. We trust in this.”

Pope Francis embraced by Orthodox leader on visit to Georgia. 30/09/2016
my source: Breaking News

Pope Francis issued a vague rebuke to Russia on Friday and received an unexpectedly warm welcome from the leader of the Georgian Orthodox Church as he mixed geopolitics with religion on the first day of a three-day trip to the Caucasus.During a speech with the Georgian president at his side, Francis insisted on Georgia's "sovereign rights" in a veiled reference to two breakaway regions over which Russia has effective control.Francis backed Georgia's demand that residents who fled during a brief 2008 war with Russia be allowed to return home.But the appeal was in some ways dwarfed by the surprisingly heartfelt welcome Francis received from Patriarch Ilia II, the ailing Orthodox leader who is the most respected figure in Georgia.

Crouched over his cane, Ilia welcomed Francis as "my dear brother". "May the Lord bless the Catholic Church of Rome," Ilia said in toasting the pope at the Orthodox patriarchate in Tbilisi. "May the Lord give a long life to Your Holiness, Pope Francis." 

It was a vastly different welcome than in 1999, when St John Paul II visited Georgia. At that time, Catholic-Orthodox tensions were so high that the Georgian Orthodox Church urged its faithful to stay away from the pope's Mass. Ilia, who has been patriarch since 1977, referred to John Paul as a head of state, not a religious figure, and declined to share his call for improved ecumenical relations. 

This time around, Ilia is sending an official delegation to Francis' Mass on Saturday. And on Friday, he stressed the ancient ties of their churches. "We have lived in brotherly love for 20 centuries. I must say that we also had many problems, but we have overcome those problems with prayers and God's blessing," Ilia said. 

Georgian analysts say the turn-around in attitude has nothing to do with personalities but is based on Georgia's geopolitical ambitions. Georgia is anxious to join Nato and is pursuing an eventual membership in the 28-nation European Union. The papal visit is being seen in Georgia as the government's attempt to win allies among Europe's Catholic nations. 

Not all in the Georgian church shared Ilia's view, however. A few dozen hard-line Orthodox faithful opposed to Francis' visit demonstrated outside the airport and also outside the Chaldean church where Francis held a peace prayer for the people of Syria and Iraq. The demonstrators carried banners that read: "The Vatican is a spiritual aggressor", and "Death of papism". 

But in another sign of warm ties, the Georgian Church defended its decision to host the pope and criticised the protests. "We would like to stress that we view as unacceptable the negative statements made in public by some men of the cloth of the Georgian Orthodox Church regarding this official visit, and we urge them and everyone to be calm," the Georgian Orthodox Church said in a statement. "The pope is definitely conducting the mass for Catholics, and we cannot consider this an act of proselytism." 

Francis has made a point of engaging as many Orthodox patriarchs as possible, seeking to mount a common Christian front in the face of attacks against Christians by Islamic extremists in the Middle East. In his remarks upon arrival Friday, Francis never once mentioned Russia or the regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which broke away from Georgia in the early 1990s. Russia effectively gained complete control over both regions after a brief war with Georgia in 2008. Georgia considers the territories "occupied" and has demanded that the more than 200,000 people displaced by the fighting be allowed to return home. Francis backed Georgia's call, saying the region's different ethnic, religious and linguistic groups should be allowed to "coexist peacefully in their homeland, or to freely return to that land if for some reason they have been forced to leave it". "I hope that civil authorities will continue to show concern for the situation of these persons, and that they will fully commit themselves to seeking tangible solutions in spite of any unresolved political questions," he added. 

A 2014 UN report said authorities in control of South Ossetia and areas around it still do not let ethnic Georgians return to their former homes, apart from one district. The report also spoke of South Ossetia's de-facto authorities detaining Georgians crossing into the areas of their control, such as when farmers go to retrieve stray cattle. Francis has been outspoken in denouncing the plight of refugees and insisting on their rights to both seek asylum abroad or to return home when security conditions permit. He has used many of his trips to press the point, praying for dead migrants at the US-Mexico border and bringing home with him a dozen Syrian refugees from Lesbos, Greece. Georgian president Giorgi Margvelashvili thanked the Holy See for refusing to recognise what he called Russia's "occupation". 

Georgia is overwhelmingly Orthodox, and Catholics represent less than 3% of the population. But residents - both Catholic and Orthodox - seemed pleased that Francis' visit showed a united Christian front against Islamic religious extremism. "I think in the 21st century, when such things are happening in the world, when in many regions Christians face the threat of almost complete annihilation, we should all get united in order to protect peace," said Lali Sadatierashvili, a Catholic who was raised in western Georgia, where she had to hide her beliefs during Soviet times. "Pope Francis' visit to Georgia is a call for peace, a call to overcome our differences." Bachuka Gelashvili, a 50-year-old engineer, waited on Friday outside the Kashveti church for the pope's visit, saying: "Yes, there are people among us Orthodox who are against (the visit) but this is all church internal politics. "I am and will remain Orthodox but it should not stop our contacts. We share the same God." 

POPE FRANCIS' VISIT TO THE ASSYRIAN

CHALDEAN (EASTERN CATHOLIC) CHURCH

TO PRAY FOR PEACE

(Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis flew into the  nation's capital Tbilisi on Friday 30th of September and his third and last appointment of the day took place at  the Chaldean Catholic Church of Simon 'Bar Sabbae', dedicated to a tenth century Coptic Saint. There he met with representatives of the Assyrian Chaldean community.




Upon his arrival at the Church the Pope was greeted by the Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans and the local parish priest. Together they entered the Church in procession, making their  way towards the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament therein. .
Among those present were around three hundred faithful from the Assyrian Chaldean 'Diaspora'. Not just from the nation's capital but also from nearby towns and villages. For the record the Catholic Assyrian Chaldean mission in Georgia was instituted in 1995 under Vatican jurisdiction and from that year on the Chaldean rite was celebrated in the nation. But it was only in 2004 that the growing number of Chaldean parishioners prompted the construction of the Church of Saint Simon. 
So it was in this Church on Friday that celebrations took place, beginning with sacred music and prayers in Aramaic. That's before Pope Francis himself prayed for peace in the world.
Speaking in Italian he implored  the Lord to save the victims of injustice and maltreatment from their suffering, to confound the culture of death and make the triumph of life shine forth, to unite to His Cross the sufferings of the many innocent victims: the children, the elderly, and the persecuted Christians. Envelop in Paschal light, he went on to implore, those who are deeply wounded, those who are abused and deprived of freedom and dignity. May those who live in uncertainty experience the enduring constancy of Your kingdom, be they exiles, refugees or those who have lost the joy of living.  Lord Jesus, he continued,  cast forth the shadow of Your Cross over peoples at war, may they learn the way of reconciliation, dialogue and forgiveness. May peoples, so wearied by bombing, experience the joy of Your Resurrection and raise up Iraq and Syria from devastation, reunite your dispersed children under Your gentle kingship. 
Finally before asking Our Lady to intercede in faith and hope Pope Francis asked the Lord to sustain Christians in the 'Diaspora' and grant them unity of faith and love. Only then at the end of his first day in Georgia after praying for peace, in a symbolic gesture he released a dove into the evening air.

The "Our Father" in Aramaic, sung by an Assyrian priest and choir

MY COMMENT:  "Orthodoxy without love is the religion of the devil," said St Gregory the Theologian - I think it was St Gregory the Theologian - and the truth of the next article is valid at every level, including ecumenism.  The Dominican Scripture scholar, Pere C. Spicq, used to say that where there is love, the Church as presence of Christ is visible: without love, the Church becomes invisible, just one institution among others.   The Pope without love becomes an obstacle to unity; patriarchs without love appear simply as politicians; bishops and priests without love disguise their vocation beyond recognition; when Christians are without love, Christ disappears from the world.

Pope Francis has said that his universal jurisdiction only indicates how many feet he must wash, that the only authority in the Church is service and the only power that of the Cross.   It is known that the Georgian Church is one of those that has difficulty with ecumenism; and this became evident on the occasion of the Holy and Great Council.  Both Pope Francis and Patriarch Ilia II have reacted to this as Christians should.  The priest spokesman for the Patriarch points out that disagreement has not given way to hostility because the Pope, like the Patriarch, knows how complex the whole question is.  Instead, they have put aside the arguments and have concentrated on strengthening their love, not because they regard the arguments as unimportant, but because they will only be resolved within the context of mutual love.   This is indicated in the Divine Liturgy by the kiss of peace before all recite the Creed with one heart and one mind.
For this, we terminate this post with the following article.

THREE CHRISTIAN VIRTUES: LOVE

my source: The Catalogue of St Elizabeth's Convent, Minsk.  (Orth.)

The Divine love is one of the main and most important notions of Christianity. It is inalienable from the notion of freedom. God, the Creator of the universe, made all the living creatures free and let them have their own will. Our freedom is a Divine gift from the Lord to the creatures, who are allowed to live free, but at the same in the union with God. This very form of union is what we call the Divine Love. It is a desire to live and serve not just for one’s own sake, but for our close ones as well.

"No one can say what God’s love is, if the Holy Spirit does not reveal it. But in our Church God’s love is known by the Holy Spirit, and this is why we can talk about it." (St. Silouan the Athonite)

"The Lord teaches us to believe just like a mother teaches her child to walk. She sets him down, turns aside and tells him to go in her direction.  The child cries without her support and fears to make a step. He tries to go but falls on the ground. This is how God teaches us to believe. Our faith is weak like a child who cannot yet walk. Sometimes God leaves a Christian and make him suffer, but then, when there is a need, He saves him. God is near and He is ready to take a weak Christian in His arms. This is why we should learn to turn our heart to God in case of any grief or devil’s schemes. Pray wholeheartedly and ask Him for help, and then you will get what you want. You just need to know God with your heart and hope for Him, to believe that He is all-merciful. This is how God teaches us to accept our weakness and to hope for Him." (St. John of Kronstadt).


The life of the heart is love, while rancor and enmity are its death. God makes us live on earth so that love can penetrate and fill our hearts. This is the aim of our temporal world. God’s love arises in us and acts, when we begin to love other people just like we love ourselves; when we do our best to serve other people, our close ones, and are ready to share with them everything we have; when we try to please God instead of pleasing ourselves; when we submit our material mind to God’s mind… In the Holy Scriptures it is said: “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?” (1 John, 4:20) and “And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts” (Galatians, 5:24).

Remember that God is in every Christian. When a person comes to you, have respect for him, as God is in him. The Lord expresses His will through people quite often: “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Philippians, 2:13). Be sincere with everyone and be kind towards other people. Remember that sometimes God makes the hearts of the unfaithful turn to us, just like it happened with Joseph: “But the Lord was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison” (Genesis, 39:21).

Remember that a human being is a greatest creation of God. But after the fall this creature(human beings) became infirm and subject to many weaknesses. Do love him and respect him, as he is the bearer of the Lord’s image, and carry his weaknesses. It was said: “We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves” (Romans, 15:1), “Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ” (Galatians, 6:2).

Do love every human being despite all his faults. In spite of the sins, remember that the image of God is the only basis of a human being. Sometimes peoples’ weaknesses are evident, for example, when they are angry, proud, envious, and mean. However, remember that evil lives in your soul as well. At least, all people are equal in their sins: “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans, 3:23). We are all guilty in the face of God and we all need His mercy. That is why we should put up with and forgive each other, so that our Heavenly Father could forgive us for all our sins as well: “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you” (Matthew, 6:14). Can you see that God loves us very much, that He has done and has been doing so much for us, that He punishes mercifully and forgives generously? If you want to heal someone from his sins and flaws, then do not try to do it by your own means. In such a way we rather harm than help, for example, because of our pride and impatience. But lay your sorrow upon God and pray wholeheartedly that He enlighten the heart and mind of the person.  And if He sees that your prayer is full of love, He will fulfill your wish. Soon you will notice that the person you have been praying for is going to change.

Being a true Christian who strives to do good and preserve the treasure of love, be happy for every opportunity and be kind towards other people. Do not seek kindness and love, but consider yourself to be unworthy of them. Rejoice best when you have a possibility to help someone. Show your love without any ulterior and mercenary thoughts, and remember that God is love, a Simple Being. Remember that He knows all your thoughts and wishes. Be brave and determined for every good deed, kind words and concern, and especially for sympathy and help. Always say: “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians, 4:13), “If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth” (Mark, 9:23). 

THIS WEEK IS A SPECIAL ANGLICAN - CATHOLIC UNITY WEEK

Archbishop of Canterbury to visit Pope in Rome

Friday 30th September 2016

my source: Justin Welby Archbishop of Canterbury

Archbishop Justin Welby and Pope Francis (will be) [is] celebrating 50 years of closer ties between the Anglican and Roman Catholic churches. 

Archbishop Justin and Pope Francis will have their third formal meeting in Rome next week. 

The Archbishop of Canterbury will meet the Pope in Rome next week as part a week-long summit in Canterbury and Rome to mark 50 years of closer and deeper relationships between the Anglican Communion and Roman Catholic Church. During the week, bishops from both Churches will look ahead to opportunities for greater unity.

The meeting will be Archbishop Justin and Pope Francis’ third formal meeting since they were installed within a week of each other in 2013.

The highlight of the visit will be a service at the church of San Gregorio al Cielo jointly led by Archbishop Justin Welby and Pope Francis. The Sistine Chapel Choir will be joined by the choir of Canterbury Cathedral. This service, at 6pm on October 5, will also see the commissioning of 19 pairs of Anglican and Roman Catholic bishops from around the world to work together in joint mission. The bishops have been chosen by IARCCUM – the International Anglican Roman Catholic Commission on Unity and Mission.

The monastery church of San Gregorio is uniquely suited to such an occasion. The prior of the monastery was St Augustine, sent by the Pope in 597 to evangelise England.  More recently, San Gregorio sent its ancient relic, the head of the crozier of St Gregory the Great, to Canterbury for the Primates’ Gathering and Meeting in January 2016. It was a symbol of prayer and support for the Archbishop and the Anglican Communion.

Archbishop Justin Welby will be joined in Rome by the Community of St Anselm, the monastic-inspired community for young Christians from across the world and different denominations, which he founded at Lambeth Palace in 2015. The community will be on retreat in Rome and will participate in and contribute to shared acts of prayer and worship during the celebrations.

Prior of the Community of St Anselm, the Revd Anders Litzell, said: “We count it a blessing and a sign to be traveling to Rome to participate in – and celebrate – the work of unity and sisterhood between our churches, which the Spirit has been bringing to increasing fruition over many years. As a Community, we are committed to praying for, and embodying, unity in the Holy Spirit and in the bond of peace across the Body of Christ. We hope that this milestone event shall be a sign that brings us all to join our prayers with that of Christ, that we all shall be one.”

The summit will mark the 50th anniversary of the Anglican Centre in Rome. There will be a dinner hosted by Archbishop Welby to celebrate its work. The Centre opened in 1966 with the aim of promoting Christian unity in a divided world. The Centre was established as a result of the historic meeting in Rome of Archbishop Michael Ramsey and Pope Paul VI during which the Pope presented the Archbishop with his papal ring. As a mark of their deep friendship and respect, Archbishop Welby will wear the ring when he visits Rome next month. The Archbishop will also have a private meeting with the Pope.

The Director of the Anglican centre, Archbishop David Moxon, said: “The Anglican Centre has worked for fifty years to help Roman Catholics and Anglicans work together, pray together, study and talk together. The journey we are on demands the laying-down of old fears and misconceptions of each other, and the building up of a shared story together. These celebrations mark the writing of a new chapter in the history of the Christian Church.”

The week will also include the formal presentation of a book marking the 20 years of work on reconciling the two churches by the second Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC II). The Commission met between 1983 and 2005. The document ‘Looking Towards a Church Fully Reconciled’ has been produced following a mandate from Pope Benedict and Archbishop Rowan Williams in 2009. It will be presented to the Pope and the Archbishop. 

The 19 pairs of IARCUUM bishops are taking part in a summit which begins in Canterbury on Friday September 30 and ends in Rome on Friday 7 October.

The Anglican co-chair of IARCCUM, Bishop David Hamid, stressed the enormous importance of the week.

“It is an immensely significant occasion” said Bishop Hamid. “There has been such an extraordinary progress towards reconciliation between the two communions in these past fifty years that it is easy to forget just how far we have journeyed together as sisters and brothers in Christ. The common faith we have discovered through our years of dialogue now compels us to act together, sharing in Christ's mission in 

the world".

Other scheduled events include:

All bishops taking part in Evensong at Canterbury Cathedral  (3.15pm, 1 October )

A Catholic Vigil mass in Canterbury Cathedral  (5.30pm, 1 October )

A Symposium at the Pontifical Gregorian University on current relations between the two Churches and where issues remain unresolved, including  a series of presentations by theologians and writers: Paula Gooder, Nick Sagovsky, Paul Murray and Anna Rowlands (9.00am-1.00pm  5 October )

Hereford Cathedral, St Thomas Cantelupe, 2nd October 2016

Sermon 

by Rt Revd Father Paul Stonham osb

Abbot of Belmont

Tomb and Shrine of St Thomas de Cantelupe
in Hereford Cathedral

It’s not usual to have a sermon at Vespers. At Belmont on Sundays, Vespers is followed by Adoration and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. The office for sermons is Vigils, the night office, when we always listen to a homily of the Fathers explaining the Scripture reading we’ve just heard. Yet all the offices are privileged moments for listening, listening to the word of God. The Divine Office is one of the many forms of Lectio Divina. If an office is sung, then the music, the melodies and the chant enhance the words and bring them to life. While it’s true that one of the principle purposes of the Divine Office, the Liturgy of the Hours, is to praise God, the “laus perennis”, for there are hymns, canticles and doxologies, and another purpose is prayer, especially that of intercession, for there are litanies and collects and, at Lauds and Vespers, the Lord’s Prayer, essentially the Divine Office is communal or shared listening to the word of God, indeed a most powerful way of evangelization.

In Anglican cathedrals and churches, which, like Benedictine monasteries, carry on the laudable tradition of the Middle Ages, choirs divide into two sections that face each other, each side proclaiming the word of God to the other. So at Vespers, as at the other offices, we are either proclaiming the word of God or receiving it, preaching or listening, evangelizing or being evangelized. As the Angel Gabriel announced the word of God to Our Lady at the Annunciation, and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, so may Christ be born in our hearts when we announce the word of God to one another in choir.  As Mary gave herself wholly to God’s plan for salvation, may we too echo her “FIAT”, “Behold, the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done unto me according to thy word.”

The word of God is ever new and always life-giving. As the offices are repeated day in day out, year after year, we discover fresh layers to God’s word that nourish our souls and strengthen our faith. We grow in wisdom and become evermore deeply united to Christ. So we thank Dean Michael for kindly inviting us to celebrate Vespers at the Cathedral on the Feast of St Thomas Cantilupe, Thomas of Hereford, the saint we all venerate and love and on whose generous intercession we call as we share this moment of prayer and praise, of proclaiming and listening to the word of God.

Of course, St Thomas prayed in Latin and in his day the offices, i.e. the seven day offices as well as vigils, would have been sung by the cathedral chapter, as Hereford was not a monastic foundation, unlike Worcester, for example. He would have known and sung on many occasions the hymn that follows the homily this afternoon, Iste Confessor. Written in 8th Century and used on the feasts of confessors, it was originally composed for the feast of St Martin of Tours, monk and bishop, one of the first non-martyr saints in the Western Church. The hymn speaks of his tomb and the many miracles wrought there through contact with his bones, on account of the faith of those seeking the grace of healing and forgiveness. So it applies perfectly to St Thomas, whose tomb, tragically despoiled at the Reformation, became one of the most popular and miraculous shrines in medieval England. This was a church where countless miracles took place.

Tonight, let us pray for the unity of the Church, that, through the intercession of St Thomas, her wounded limbs might be healed and made whole again. Let us pray for the unity of society in our land, that all our citizens may learn to live in respect, harmony and love. And let us pray for the unity of God’s world, that justice and peace, so close to the heart of St Thomas, might be restored wherever there is hatred, division, terrorism and war. 

St Thomas Cantelupe, most powerful healer and intercessor, pray for us once more today. Amen.

Father Brendan, Novice Master at Belmont, on St Benedict

VESPERS IN COMMON

Common Declaration by Pope Francis and Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby

Statement issued as 19 pairs of Anglican, Roman Catholic bishops sent out on mission

 October 5, 2016 

my source: Episcopal News Service

Pope Francis, right, smiles with Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby at the end of Vespers at the monastery church of San Gregorio al Celio in Rome, Italy, Oct. 5. Photo: REUTERS/Tony Gentile - RTSQWZU

[Anglican Communion News Service] Pope Francis and Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby have said that they are “undeterred” by the “serious obstacles” to full unity between Anglicans and Roman Catholics.In a Common Declaration, issued in Rome Oct. 5, the two say that the differences “cannot prevent us from recognizing one another as brothers and sisters in Christ by reason of our common baptism. Nor should they ever hold us back from discovering and rejoicing in the deep Christian faith and holiness we find within each other’s traditions.”The Common Declaration was made at a service of Vespers in the Church of Saint Gregory on the Caelian Hill in Rome, from where, in 595AD, Pope Gregory sent Augustine to evangelise the Anglo-Saxon people. Augustine became the first archbishop of Canterbury in 597.During the service, 19 pairs of Anglican and Roman Catholic bishops from across the world were commissioned by the pope and the archbishop before being “sent out” in mission together. Among the 19 pairings are Episcopal Bishop of Tennessee John Bauerschmidt and Roman Catholic Auxiliary Bishop of Baltimore Dennis Madden.Pope Francis told them: “Fourteen centuries ago Pope Gregory sent the servant of God, Augustine, first Archbishop of Canterbury, and his companions, from this holy place, to preach the joyful message of the Word of God. Today we send you, dear brothers, servants of God, with this same joyful message of his everlasting kingdom.”And Welby said: “Our Savior commissioned his disciples saying, ‘Peace be with you’. We too, send you out with his peace, a peace only he can give. May his peace bring freedom to those who are captive and oppressed, and may his peace bind into greater unity the people he has chosen as his own.”

Common Declaration

of HIS HOLINESS Pope Francis

and HIS GRACE Justin Welby ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY

Fifty years ago our predecessors, Pope Paul VI and Archbishop Michael Ramsey met in this city hallowed by the ministry and blood of the Apostles Peter and Paul. Subsequently, Pope John Paul II with Archbishop Robert Runcie, and later with Archbishop George Carey, and Pope Benedict XVI with Archbishop Rowan Williams, prayed together here in this Church of Saint Gregory on the Caelian Hill from where Pope Gregory sent Augustine to evangelise the Anglo-Saxon people. On pilgrimage to the tombs of these apostles and holy forebears, Catholics and Anglicans recognize that we are heirs of the treasure of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the call to share that treasure with the whole world. We have received the Good News of Jesus Christ through the holy lives of men and women who preached the Gospel in word and deed and we have been commissioned, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, to be Christ’s witnesses “to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1: 8). We are united in the conviction that “the ends of the earth” today, is not only a geographical term, but a summons to take the saving message of the Gospel particularly to those on the margins and the peripheries of our societies.

In their historic meeting in 1966, Pope Paul VI and Archbishop Ramsey established the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission to pursue a serious theological dialogue which, “founded on the Gospels and on the ancient common traditions, may lead to that unity in truth, for which Christ prayed”. Fifty years later we give thanks for the achievements of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission, which has examined historically divisive doctrines from a fresh perspective of mutual respect and charity. Today we give thanks in particular for the documents of ARCIC II which will be appraised by us, and we await the findings of ARCIC III as it navigates new contexts and new challenges to our unity.

Fifty years ago our predecessors recognized the “serious obstacles” that stood in the way of a restoration of complete faith and sacramental life between us. Nevertheless, they set out undeterred, not knowing what steps could be taken along the way, but in fidelity to the Lord’s prayer that his disciples be one. Much progress has been made concerning many areas that have kept us apart. Yet new circumstances have presented new disagreements among us, particularly regarding the ordination of women and more recent questions regarding human sexuality. Behind these differences lies a perennial question about how authority is exercised in the Christian community. These are today some of the concerns that constitute serious obstacles to our full unity. While, like our predecessors, we ourselves do not yet see solutions to the obstacles before us, we are undeterred. In our trust and joy in the Holy Spirit we are confident that dialogue and engagement with one another will deepen our understanding and help us to discern the mind of Christ for his Church. We trust in God’s grace and providence, knowing that the Holy Spirit will open new doors and lead us into all truth (cf. John 16: 13).

These differences we have named cannot prevent us from recognizing one another as brothers and sisters in Christ by reason of our common baptism. Nor should they ever hold us back from discovering and rejoicing in the deep Christian faith and holiness we find within each other’s traditions. These differences must not lead to a lessening of our ecumenical endeavours. Christ’s prayer at the Last Supper that all might be one (cf. John 17: 20-23) is as imperative for his disciples today as it was at that moment of his impending passion, death and resurrection, and consequent birth of his Church. Nor should our differences come in the way of our common prayer: not only can we pray together, we must pray together, giving voice to our shared faith and joy in the Gospel of Christ, the ancient Creeds, and the power of God’s love, made present in the Holy Spirit, to overcome all sin and division. And so, with our predecessors, we urge our clergy and faithful not to neglect or undervalue that certain yet imperfect communion that we already share.

Wider and deeper than our differences are the faith that we share and our common joy in the Gospel. Christ prayed that his disciples may all be one, “so that the world might believe” (John 17: 21). The longing for unity that we express in this Common Declaration is closely tied to the desire we share that men and women come to believe that God sent his Son, Jesus, into the world to save the world from the evil that oppresses and diminishes the entire creation. Jesus gave his life in love, and rising from the dead overcame even death itself. Christians who have come to this faith, have encountered Jesus and the victory of his love in their own lives, and are impelled to share the joy of this Good News with others. Our ability to come together in praise and prayer to God and witness to the world rests on the confidence that we share a common faith and a substantial measure of agreement in faith.

The world must see us witnessing to this common faith in Jesus by acting together. We can, and must, work together to protect and preserve our common home: living, teaching and acting in ways that favour a speedy end to the environmental destruction that offends the Creator and degrades his creatures, and building individual and collective patterns of behaviour that foster a sustainable and integral development for the good of all. We can, and must, be united in a common cause to uphold and defend the dignity of all people. The human person is demeaned by personal and societal sin. In a culture of indifference, walls of estrangement isolate us from others, their struggles and their suffering, which also many of our brothers and sisters in Christ today endure. In a culture of waste, the lives of the most vulnerable in society are often marginalised and discarded. In a culture of hate we see unspeakable acts of violence, often justified by a distorted understanding of religious belief. Our Christian faith leads us to recognise the inestimable worth of every human life, and to honour it in acts of mercy by bringing education, healthcare, food, clean water and shelter and always seeking to resolve conflict and build peace. As disciples of Christ we hold human persons to be sacred, and as apostles of Christ we must be their advocates.

Fifty years ago Pope Paul VI and Archbishop Ramsey took as their inspiration the words of the apostle: “Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3: 13-14). Today, “those things which are behind” –  the painful centuries of separation –have been partially healed by fifty years of friendship. We give thanks for the fifty years of the Anglican Centre in Rome dedicated to being a place of encounter and friendship. We have become partners and companions on our pilgrim journey, facing the same difficulties, and strengthening each other by learning to value the gifts which God has given to the other, and to receive them as our own in humility and gratitude.

We are impatient for progress that we might be fully united in proclaiming, in word and deed, the saving and healing gospel of Christ to all people. For this reason we take great encouragement from the meeting during these days of so many Catholic and Anglican bishops of the International Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission (IARCCUM) who, on the basis of all that they have in common, which generations of ARCIC scholars have painstakingly unveiled, are eager to go forward in collaborative mission and witness to the “ends of the earth”. Today we rejoice to commission them and send them forth in pairs as the Lord sent out the seventy-two disciples. Let their ecumenical mission to those on the margins of society be a witness to all of us, and let the message go out from this holy place, as the Good News was sent out so many centuries ago, that Catholics and Anglicans will work together to give voice to our common faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, to bring relief to the suffering, to bring peace where there is conflict, to bring dignity where it is denied and trampled upon.

In this Church of Saint Gregory the Great, we earnestly invoke the blessings of the Most Holy Trinity on the continuing work of ARCIC and IARCCUM, and on all those who pray for and contribute to the restoration of unity between us.

Rome, 5 October 2016

HIS HOLINESS FRANCIS

HIS GRACE JUSTIN WELBY                                   

SYNODALITY AND PRIMACY DURING THE FIRST MILLENNIUM: TOWARDS A COMMON UNDERSTANDING IN SERVICE TO THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH

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Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue

between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church

SYNODALITY AND PRIMACY DURING THE FIRST MILLENNIUM: TOWARDS A COMMON UNDERSTANDING IN SERVICE TO THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH

‘We declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have communion [koinonia] with us; and truly our communion [koinonia] is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.’ (1Jn 1:3–4)

Ecclesial communion arises directly from the Incarnation of the eternal Word of God, according to the goodwill (eudokia) of the Father, through the Holy Spirit. Christ, having come on earth, founded the Church as his body (cf. 1Cor 12:12–27). The unity that exists among the Persons of the Trinity is reflected in the communion (koinonia) of the members of the Church with one another. Thus, as St Maximus the Confessor affirmed, the Church is an ‘eikon’ of the Holy Trinity1). At the Last Supper, Jesus Christ prayed to his Father: ‘Protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one’ (Jn 17:11). This Trinitarian unity is manifested in the Holy Eucharist, wherein the Church prays to God the Father through Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit.

From earliest times, the one Church existed as many local churches. The communion (koinonia) of the Holy Spirit (cf. 2Cor 13:13) was experienced both within each local church and in the relations between them as a unity in diversity. Under the guidance of the Spirit (cf. Jn 16:13), the Church developed patterns of order and various practices in accordance with its nature as ‘a people brought into unity from the unity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit’2).

Synodality is a fundamental quality of the Church as a whole. As St John Chrysostom said: ‘“Church” means both gathering [systema] and synod [synodos]’3). The term comes from the word ‘council’ (synodos in Greek, concilium in Latin), which primarily denotes a gathering of bishops, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, for common deliberation and action in caring for the Church. Broadly, it refers to the active participation of all the faithful in the life and mission of the Church.

The term primacy refers to being the first (primus, protos). In the Church, primacy belongs to her Head — Jesus Christ, ‘who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the pre-eminence [protevon]’ (Col. 1:18). Christian Tradition makes it clear that, within the synodal life of the Church at various levels, a bishop has been acknowledged as the ‘first’. Jesus Christ associates this being ‘first’ with service (diakonia): ‘Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all’ (Mk 9:35).

In the second millennium, communion was broken between East and West. Many efforts have been made to restore communion between Catholics and Orthodox, but they have not succeeded. The Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church, in its ongoing work to overcome theological divergences, has been considering the relationship between synodality and primacy in the life of the Church. Different understandings of these realities played a significant role in the division between Orthodox and Catholics. It is, therefore, essential to seek to establish a common understanding of these interrelated, complementary and inseparable realities.

In order to achieve this common understanding of primacy and synodality, it is necessary to reflect upon history. God reveals himself in history. It is particularly important to undertake together a theological reading of the history of the Church’s liturgy, spirituality, institutions and canons, which always have a theological dimension.

The history of the Church in the first millennium is decisive. Despite certain temporary ruptures, Christians from East and West lived in communion during that time, and, within that context, the essential structures of the Church were constituted. The relationship between synodality and primacy took various forms, which can give vital guidance to Orthodox and Catholics in their efforts to restore full communion today.

THE LOCAL CHURCH

The one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church of which Christ is the head is present in the eucharistic synaxis of a local church under its bishop. He is the one who presides (the ‘proestos’). In the liturgical synaxis, the bishop makes visible the presence of Jesus Christ. In the local church (i.e. a diocese), the many faithful and clergy under the one bishop are united with one another in Christ, and are in communion with him in every aspect of the life of the Church, most especially in the celebration of the Eucharist. As St Ignatius of Antioch taught: ‘where the bishop is, there let all the people be, just as, where Jesus Christ is, we have the catholic church [katholike ekklesia]’4). Each local church celebrates in communion with all other local churches which confess the true faith and celebrate the same Eucharist. When a presbyter presides at the Eucharist, the local bishop is always commemorated as a sign of the unity of the local church. In the Eucharist, the proestos and the community are interdependent: the community cannot celebrate the Eucharist without a proestos, and the proestos, in turn, must celebrate with a community.

This interrelatedness between the proestos or bishop and the community is a constitutive element of the life of the local church. Together with the clergy, who are associated with his ministry, the local bishop acts in the midst of the faithful, who are Christ’s flock, as guarantor and servant of unity. As successor of the Apostles, he exercises his mission as one of service and love, shepherding his community, and leading it, as its head, to ever-deeper unity with Christ in the truth, maintaining the apostolic faith through the preaching of the Gospel and the celebration of the sacraments.

Since the bishop is the head of his local church, he represents his church to other local churches and in the communion of all the churches. Likewise, he makes that communion present to his own church. This is a fundamental principle of synodality.

THE REGIONAL COMMUNION OF CHURCHES

There is abundant evidence that bishops in the early Church were conscious of having a shared responsibility for the Church as a whole. As St Cyprian said: ‘There is but one episcopate but it is spread amongst the harmonious host of all the numerous bishops’5). This bond of unity was expressed in the requirement that at least three bishops should take part in the ordination (cheirotonia) of a new one6); it was also evident in the multiple gatherings of bishops in councils or synods to discuss in common issues of doctrine (dogma, didaskalia) and practice, and in their frequent exchanges of letters and mutual visits.

Already during the first four centuries, various groupings of dioceses within particular regions emerged. The protos, the first among the bishops of the region, was the bishop of the first see, the metropolis, and his office as metropolitan was always attached to his see. The ecumenical councils attributed certain prerogatives (presbeia, pronomia, dikaia) to the metropolitan, always within the framework of synodality. Thus, the First Ecumenical Council (Nicaea, 325), while requiring of all the bishops of a province their personal participation in or written agreement to an episcopal election and consecration — a synodical act par excellence attributed to the metropolitan the validation (kyros) of the election of a new bishop7). The Fourth Ecumenical Council (Chalcedon, 451) again evoked the rights (dikaia) of the metropolitan — insisting that this office is ecclesial, not political8) — as did the Seventh Ecumenical Council (Nicaea II, 787), also9).

Apostolic Canon 34 offers a canonical description of the correlation between the protos and the other bishops of each region: ‘The bishops of the people of a province or region [ethnos] must recognize the one who is first [protos] amongst them, and consider him to be their head [kephale], and not do anything important without his consent [gnome]; each bishop may only do what concerns his own diocese [paroikia] and its dependent territories. But the first [protos] cannot do anything without the consent of all. For in this way concord [homonoia] will prevail, and God will be praised through the Lord in the Holy Spirit’10).

The institution of the metropolitanate is one form of regional communion between local churches. Subsequently other forms developed, namely the patriarchates comprising several metropolitanates. Both a metropolitan and a patriarch were diocesan bishops with full episcopal power within their own dioceses. In matters related to their respective metropolitanates or patriarchates, however, they had to act in accord with their fellow bishops. This way of acting is at the root of synodical institutions in the strict sense of the term, such as a regional synod of bishops. These synods were convened and presided over by the metropolitan or the patriarch. He and all the bishops acted in mutual complementarity and were accountable to the synod.

THE CHURCH AT THE UNIVERSAL LEVEL

Between the fourth and the seventh centuries, the order (taxis) of the five patriarchal sees came to be recognised, based on and sanctioned by the ecumenical councils, with the see of Rome occupying the first place, exercising a primacy of honour (presbeia tes times), followed by the sees of Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem, in that specific order, according to the canonical tradition11).

In the West, the primacy of the see of Rome was understood, particularly from the fourth century onwards, with reference to Peter’s role among the Apostles. The primacy of the bishop of Rome among the bishops was gradually interpreted as a prerogative that was his because he was successor of Peter, the first of the apostles12). This understanding was not adopted in the East, which had a different interpretation of the Scriptures and the Fathers on this point. Our dialogue may return to this matter in the future.

When a new patriarch was elected to one of the five sees in the taxis, the normal practice was that he would send a letter to all the other patriarchs, announcing his election and including a profession of faith. Such ‘letters of communion’ profoundly expressed the canonical bond of communion among the patriarchs. By including the new patriarch’s name, in the proper order, in the diptychs of their churches, read in the Liturgy, the other patriarchs acknowledged his election. The taxis of the patriarchal sees had its highest expression in the celebration of the holy Eucharist. Whenever two or more patriarchs gathered to celebrate the Eucharist, they would stand according to the taxis. This practice manifested the eucharistic character of their communion.

From the First Ecumenical Council (Nicaea, 325) onwards, major questions regarding faith and canonical order in the Church were discussed and resolved by the ecumenical councils. Though the bishop of Rome was not personally present at any of those councils, in each case either he was represented by his legates or he agreed with the council’s conclusions post factum. The Church’s understanding of the criteria for the reception of a council as ecumenical developed over the course of the first millennium. For example, prompted by historical circumstances, the Seventh Ecumenical Council (Nicaea II, 787) gave a detailed description of the criteria as then understood: the agreement (symphonia) of the heads of the churches, the cooperation (synergeia) of the bishop of Rome, and the agreement of the other patriarchs (symphronountes). An ecumenical council must have its own proper number in the sequence of ecumenical councils, and its teaching must accord with that of previous councils13). Reception by the Church as a whole has always been the ultimate criterion for the ecumenicity of a council.

Over the centuries, a number of appeals were made to the bishop of Rome, also from the East, in disciplinary matters, such as the deposition of a bishop. An attempt was made at the Synod of Sardica (343) to establish rules for such a procedure14). Sardica was received at the Council in Trullo (692)15). The canons of Sardica determined that a bishop who had been condemned could appeal to the bishop of Rome, and that the latter, if he deemed it appropriate, might order a retrial, to be conducted by the bishops in the province neighbouring the bishop’s own. Appeals regarding disciplinary matters were also made to the see of Constantinople16), and to other sees. Such appeals to major sees were always treated in a synodical way. Appeals to the bishop of Rome from the East expressed the communion of the Church, but the bishop of Rome did not exercise canonical authority over the churches of the East.

CONCLUSION

Throughout the first millennium, the Church in the East and the West was united in preserving the apostolic faith, maintaining the apostolic succession of bishops, developing structures of synodality inseparably linked with primacy, and in an understanding of authority as a service (diakonia) of love. Though the unity of East and West was troubled at times, the bishops of East and West were conscious of belonging to the one Church.

This common heritage of theological principles, canonical provisions and liturgical practices from the first millennium constitutes a necessary reference point and a powerful source of inspiration for both Catholics and Orthodox as they seek to heal the wound of their division at the beginning of the third millennium. On the basis of this common heritage, both must consider how primacy, synodality, and the interrelatedness between them can be conceived and exercised today and in the future.

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References

1. ↑ St Maximus the Confessor, Mystagogia (PG 91, 663D)

2. ↑ St Cyprian, De Orat. Dom., 23 (PL 4, 536).

3. ↑ St John Chrysostom, Explicatio in Ps 149 (PG 55, 493).

4. ↑ St Ignatius, Letter to the Smyrnaeans, 8.

5. ↑ St Cyprian, Ep.55, 24, 2; cf. also, ‘episcopatus unus est cuius a singulis in solidum pars tenetur’ (De unitate, 5).

6. ↑ First Ecumenical Council (Nicaea, 325), canon 4: ‘It is preferable that a bishop be established by all the bishops of a province; but if this appears difficult because of a pressing necessity or because of the distance to be travelled, at least three bishops should come together; and, having the written consent of the absent bishops, they may then proceed with the consecration. The validation [kyros] of what takes place falls on the metropolitan bishop of each province.’ Cf. also Apostolic Canon, 1: ‘A bishop must be ordained by two or three bishops’.

7. ↑ First Ecumenical Council (Nicaea, 325), canon 4; also canon 6: ‘If anyone becomes a bishop without the consent of the metropolitan, the great council decrees that such a person is not even a bishop.’

8. ↑ Fourth Ecumenical Council (Chalcedon, 451), canon 12: ‘As for cities that have already been honoured by the title of metropolis by imperial letters, let these cities and the bishops who govern them enjoy only the honour of the title; that is, let the proper rights of the true [kata aletheian] metropolis be safeguarded.’

9. ↑ Seventh Ecumenical Council (Nicaea II, 787), canon 11 grants the metropolitans the right to appoint the treasurers of their suffragan dioceses if the bishops do not provide for it.

10. ↑ Cf. Council of Antioch (327), canon 9: ‘It is proper for the bishops in every province [eparchia] to submit to the bishop who presides in the metropolis’.

11. ↑ Cf. First Ecumenical Council (Nicaea, 325), canon 6: ‘The ancient customs of Egypt, Libya and Pentapolis shall be maintained, according to which the bishop of Alexandria has authority over all these places, since a similar custom exists with reference to the bishop of Rome. Similarly in Antioch and the other provinces, the prerogatives [presbeia] of the churches are to be preserved’; Second Ecumenical Council (Constantinople, 381), canon 3: Let the bishop of Constantinople … have the primacy of honour [presbeia tes times] after the bishop of Rome, because it is New Rome’; Fourth Ecumenical Council (Chalcedon, 451), canon 28: ‘The Fathers rightly accorded prerogatives [presbeia] to the see of older Rome since that is an imperial city; and moved by the same purpose the one hundred and fifty most devout bishops apportioned equal prerogatives to the most holy see of New Rome, reasonably judging that the city which is honoured by the imperial power and senate and enjoying privileges equalling older imperial Rome, should also be elevated to her level in ecclesiastical affairs and take second place after her’ (this canon was never received in the West); Council in Trullo (692), canon 36: ‘Renewing the enactments of the one hundred and fifty Fathers assembled at the God-protected and imperial city, and those of the six hundred and thirty who met at Chalcedon, we decree that the see of Constantinople shall have equal privileges [presbeia] with the see of Old Rome, and shall be highly regarded in ecclesiastical matters as that see is and shall be second after it. After Constantinople shall be ranked the see of Alexandria, then that of Antioch, and afterwards the see of Jerusalem’.

12. ↑ Cf. Jerome, In Isaiam 14, 53; Leo, Sermo 96, 2–3.

13. ↑ Cf. Seventh Ecumenical Council (Nicaea II, 787): J. D. MANSI, Sacrorum conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio, XIII, 208D–209C.

14. ↑ Cf. Synod of Sardica (343), canons 3 and 5.

15. ↑ Cf. Council in Trullo, canon 2. Similarly, the Photian Council of 861 accepted the canons of Sardica as recognising the bishop of Rome as having a right of cassation in cases already judged in Constantinople.

16. ↑ Cf. Fourth Ecumenical Council (Chalcedon, 451), canons 9 and 17.

Chieti, 21 September 2016

DIALOGUE BETWEEN CATHOLICISM AND ORIENTAL

ORTHODOX (COPTS, ARMENIANS etc)