Orthodox-Roman Catholic Relations

[尼古拉前执事]

A bunch of articles recently ont his, so I figured I would post them to see what people think.

Patriarch calls for study of Russian-Catholic church relations

http://www.itar-tass.com - 16.06.2003 - MOSCOW, June 16 (Itar-Tass) -- Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and all Russia said the study of Christian church history will help forge understanding between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Vatican.

In a message to the participants in an international conference on the history and saints of the Church before its division in the middle of the 11th century into Orthodox believers and Catholics, which opened in Moscow on Monday, the patriarch stressed the need to study the period "when the Church of Christ was integral, when dissidence had not yet led to the destruction of its integrity."

He noted the importance of the conference, saying that different studies exploring this issue "have more prerequisites for unity and mutual understanding" even though "relations between the two churches remain complex." The forum involves 50 scholars form nine Orthodox and Catholic countries.

[尼古拉前执事]

Ecumenical Patriarch Praises John Paul, Urges Christian Unity

[尼古拉前执事]

Orthodox, Catholic theologians continue study of 'filioque' question

Jun-17-2003 - WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Catholic and Orthodox theologians continued their four-year study of the "filioque" clause in the Nicene Creed during the 64th meeting of the North American Orthodox-Catholic Theological Consultation May 27-29 at St. Vladimir's Orthodox Seminary in Crestwood, N.Y. The word "filioque," meaning "and from the Son," was added to the Latin version of the Nicene Creed used in the West, so that the phrase reads that the Holy Spirit "proceeds from the Father and the Son." The Creed still used by the Orthodox says the Holy Spirit "proceeds from the Father." Father John P. Galvin and Father Robert Stephanopoulos presented the Catholic and Orthodox views, respectively, on the change in wording of the Creed and its effects on the churches' understanding of the origin and procession of the Holy Spirit within the Trinity. Participants in the consultation then reviewed the draft of an agreed statement on the Orthodox and Catholic traditions concerning the origin of the Holy Spirit. A revised version of the draft was to be prepared this summer for consideration at the consultation's next meeting Oct. 23-25 at St. Paul's College in Washington.

[尼古拉前执事]

International conference, "History and Hagiography of the Undivided Church," meets in Moscow

http://newsfromrussia.com - 2003-06-16 - A three-day international conference, "History and Hagiography of the Undivided Church," has opened in the Russian Academy of Sciences.

According to the Church Scientific Centre of the Moscow Patriarchy "Orthodox Encyclopaedia," which took an active part in organising the forum, the conference is devoted to the peculiarities of the development of Christianity in the East and in the West, to their origin and co-existence at the time of the unity of the Church.

In his message of greetings to the conference participants, Patriarch Alexis II of Moscow and All Russia noted that today the relations between the Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church "still remain complicated." "Therefore, your coming work becomes very important, because what you study contains much more prerequisites for unity and mutual understanding." Apart from history, hagiography which studies the life of the saints in the period of the undivided Church, has also attracted the attention of the conference participants. Alexis II expressed hope that the forum would intensify the work on hagiography of the first millennium. At this conference, historians, theologians and art critics from Russia, Germany and a number of other countries will also consider some problems of iconography.

[Julianna]

ecumenism runs rampant

[bogoliubtsy]

IN RELATED NEWS!!

Ecumenism Runs Amok
New York, New York, USA - At approximately 9:15 A.M. Eastern Standard Time (GMT-5 hours) this past Tuesday, ecumenism ran amok, swamping the world with heresy and nearly overwhelming the powers of truly true Orthodox believers to resist.

"It was like a huge wall of ecumenism, coming straight down 4th Avenue," gasped Father John Johnson of Takoma Park, Maryland's Church of All Saints of Middle-Class America (of the Rump OCA). "I tried to run but was crushed under the immense weight. When I got up, I had this inexplicable urge to concelebrate at an Episcopal church, shave my beard off, and wear a tab collar. My wife had to sit on me until the feeling passed."

Bystanders believe the wave was generated by the World Council of Heretics, a leading ecumenical group comprised of delegates from most of the world's heterodox Christian sects (Baptists, Presbyterians, Roman Catholics, you know the sort), and a handful of mostly compromised Orthodox hangers-on.

"We were just voting to publish a statement about the core of Christian doctrine that we can all agree upon in common, and we felt the power surge out from us," explained WCH delegate John Wesley Calvin Smithers-Crupp. "This caused several delegates, who don't believe in waves of surging power, to rescind their votes."

"I know I'm going to hate myself for asking this, but what does the statement say?" asked our intrepid Onion Dome reporter, somewhat apprehensively.

"Jesus: not a bad bloke at all, providing he really existed," said Smithers-Crupp.

"Is outrage!" bellowed Church Overseas of Russian Orthodox Christians (COROC) spokesperson Father Vasiliy Vasileivich. "And, by the weighing, am spokesman, not spokesperson."

"What do you find outrageous about this pronouncement?" asked our intrepid Onion Dome reporter.

"Providing he really existed?! What kind of talk is that to be? That is not faith. That is hedging of the bets. And Jesus -- I should say our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ -- was not just not the bad bloke. He was God incarnate, Word, Wisdom, Son of God. Not not the bad bloke."

"What he said," said Father John.

"What? I thought you Rump OCA types were all ecumenical up to eyebrows?" asked Father Vasiliy.

"Only up to my ankles," explained Father John.

"This is being news to me! You mean you don't really give communion to heterodox?" asked Father Vasiliy.

"Not if I can help it," said Father John.

"You don't teach parishioners to eat meat on Wednesdays and Fridays?" asked Father Vasiliy.

"I should say not!" huffed Father John.

"You don't really concelebrate with Methodists and Presbyterians?" asked Father Vasiliy.

"No, I don't. Although I have been known to have lunch with one or two of them," admitted Father John.

"Hmm," said Father Vasiliy, almost to himself. "About ankle-deep, you are to being right." Then, louder, "Maybe you and I could be having of the lunch sometime?"

"With or without the Methodists and Presbyterians?" wondered Father John.

"Let's start without," suggested Father Vasiliy. "I am meeting with Bishop this Sunday and would like my ankles to being dry."

This report was produced in part with information provided by Reutorooters and Untied Press Interrational.

Copyright

[Seraphim Reeves]

"Ecumenism" in theory is great. Ecumenical, as we all know, means "universal." The Orthodox Church, is "Catholic" in Her being - that is to say, She is the Church for everyone (thus, Catholic.) While we can argue about the human failings of Her members (whose clannishness at times, a purely human fault, can outwardly, at times, mar this fact), this can never cease to be true of the Church Herself.

Obviously, being the Church for everyone, no sincere Orthodox Christian should not want everyone (as in everyone on the face of this planet) to not know Her, and be assimilated into Her (and in so doing, begin the journey in being assimilated to God.)

Such a venture has many audiences, and obviously that's going to include groups which (for varying reasons) are separated from the Church. Pursuing this will involve different means. Sometimes it requires the medicine of severity, other times the medicine of genlteness and understanding.

IMHO, the latter is often forgotten by modern day knee-jerkers. In one respect, it's hard to blame them - just look and see what has been done in the name of "ecumenism." Of course, such is only a "false ecumenism" - precisely the variety condemned by ROCOR.

It is sad though, that the baby is so often thrown out with the bathwater. Bringing over large numbers (even corporate, or mini-corporate reunions) of non-Christian or heterodox groups, will not occur without some attempt to understand where they are coming from, and offer a corrective to their errors.

OTOH, let's be realistic - such a true "ecumenism" is quite rare, or at the very least it is very inconspicuous. Truly, it is the business of men of great piety, and firm footing in the Orthodox tradition. Without pointing at individuals, both (at least in exceptional form) are quite rare in our time.

I only bring this up, because recent reflection has made me keenly aware of my own failings, and very aware of things I never bothered to consider - problems with my own ways of thinking, and how they are in many respects the problems of others.