Pope "will take part in the Divine Liturgy" of EP

[michigan]

I'm tired of the way all the news reports refer to the Patriarch of Constantinople as the "Pope's Orthodox equivalent" or "spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians"!

[尼古拉前执事]

From the Indiana List, December 2006, Week 1:

It's on tape, proudly shown in multiple formats on the website of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

http://www.patriarchate.org/media/pope_arrival_2006.php

7 minutes and 5 seconds into the clip starts a Litany (Have mercy upon us o Lord accoring to Thy great Mercy....), and then we hear, in Greek:

'Again we pray for the archbishop and pope of rome benedict, and for our Archbishop and Patriarch Bartholomew...'

Admittedly, I'm not a native Greek speaker, but I didn't hear 'imon' (our) used for the roman pope. While this may be a subtle hint that he's not THEIR archbishop/pope, regardless, the roman pope was elevated in a petition in a litany reserved for ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN BISHOPS in a Doxology served in what appears to be the Orthodox Christian church of St George in Constantinople, by what appears to be an Orthodox Christian presbyter.

What's going on in Constantinople? Has the pollution gotten to their heads, or do they do this kind of stuff all the time?!

Is this all some kind of sick joke? Who in their right mind would elevate the name of a bishop one doesn't commune with?

In XC,

rdr Petar Rajic Yokohama

[ioannis]

How ironic that they would read Zacariah 8:16,17 during this anti-christian gathering...

"These are the things which ye shall do; speak truth every one with his neighbour; judge truth and peaceable judgment in your gates:
and let none of you devise evil in his heart against his neighbour; and love not a false oath: for all these things I hate, saith the Lord Almighty."

[尼古拉前执事]

Pope Benedict and Bartholomew Pray together
http://esphigmenou.com/

During the ceremony, a celebration of Vespers in all but name, seven antiphons were sung. Two were dedicated to Peter and Paul, patron saints of the Church of Rome and the Church of Saint Andrew. The fifth was composed for Pope Paul VI’s visit and expressed the joy of the Church of Constantinople in receiving the one who sits in the Seat of Peter.

Though praying with non-Orthodox is strictly forbidden by the Holy and Sacred Canons of the Church, Patriarch Bartholomew has once again demonstrated that things like the Canons of the church don't matter - he is a man above the law. To sin is to transgress God's law; to commit heresy is to change God's law. He'll decide what's lawful and what's not. Starving monks - yup, that's OK. Praying with non-Orthodox, that's OK too.

[尼古拉前执事]

I'm tired of the way all the news reports refer to the Patriarch of Constantinople as the "Pope's Orthodox equivalent" or "spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians"!

Well remember that is how Bartholomew has himself described in the press releases he and the GOA put out.

[尼古拉前执事]

The following is an email I received today

A DAY OF INFAMY

"But complete salvation depends not on the faith of the heart alone, but also upon confessing it, for the Lord said, 'Whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in Heaven' (Matt. 10:33). Also, the divine Apostle teaches: 'For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation' (Rom. 10:10). If, then, God and the divine Prophets and Apostles command that they mystery of faith be confessed in words and with the tongue, and this mystery of faith brings salvation to the whole world, then people must not be forced to keep silence with regard to confession, lest the salvation of people be hindered." (p. 29)
"To keep silence about a word means to deny it''
St Maxim Confessor

“All the teachers of the Church, all the Synods, and all the Sacred Scriptures admonish the faithful to flee from those that teach heresy, and they forbid them to have communion with them.” (St. Mark of Ephesus)

To permit unity of healthy person with contagiously ill person until norm of health is not properly established ,will not cause ill person to get better but rather will cause healthy one to lose health and to became contagiously ill himself. If such action is so dangerous in regard of physical aspects of the body,how much more than it is dangerous in regard of spiritual aspects of the soul .When those who are following Royal path ,in knowledge or ignorance stray from it and join those who are in errors , then not a health and life of temporal body but health and even salvation of eternal soul may be in question.

A DAY OF INFAMY
Ralph Masterjohn

On December 7th each year for over fifty years, America solemnly commemorates the “day of infamy”, as Franklin D. Roosevelt named it. The Japanese Imperial government in a sneak attack devastated Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, with a death toll of almost 2,500, damaging or destroying most of the American Navy. This event concerned the free political world and has been commemorated by Americans since the tragedy occurred over 50 years ago.

A NEW DAY OF INFAMY
In the present era, another such an event is taking place in the Orthodox spiritual world. For another day will be recorded in Orthodox history as a day of infamy, an event that will cause this date to be remembered by Orthodox Christians as a newly established beachhead of the Papacy in its futile attempt to captivate Orthodox souls. Sadly, this is being attempted with the full cooperation of leaders of the Greek Orthodox Church. It is a sneak attack by the Papacy because the Pope, under the guise of Christian love, using flattery and deception, seeks to bring the Orthodox Catholic Church under his absolute rule and usurped authority. He does this by compulsion in order to remain faithful to papal doctrine. This is his only reason for seeking friends in Constantinople. For he is the head of the Papacy with over 1 billion members, their official dogma being to subjugate the true Orthodox Catholic Church to the Pope of Rome, and thus annihilate Christ’s only true Church and its testimony against the Papacy. For on this sad and ignoble day, the 30th of November, 2006, the Pope and Patriarch embraced one another as brothers, exchange the “kiss of peace” in the Divine Liturgy, and then together “blessed” the people present. This defies the firm warning of St. Paul and desecrates the sacred Canons of the Church, which every bishop and patriarch solemnly affirms to uphold and preserve throughout his lifetime. Betrayal of the Orthodox Catholic Church by any hierarch is so fearsome that it would be better for him if he had not been born.
To betray the Orthodox Church, which is the Body of Christ is to betray Christ himself, for He is the only Head of the Church and is always present with us and is within us.
St.Paul:
“A man that is an heretic, after the first and second admonition, reject, knowing that he that is as such is subverted, and sinning becomes self-condemned” [Titus 3:10-11]
The Sacred Canons:
“Let any Bishop, or Priest, or Deacon that only joins in prayer with heretics be suspended, but if he has permitted them to perform any service as clergy let him be deposed.”
[Canon 45 of the Holy Apostles, The Rudder p67, Rudder CD p174}
The Rudder: “the Papacy is heretical”
“See, O blind men, and hear, O deaf men, you who reside in the heretical West and are held by darkness !” (St. Photios the Great Mystagogy of the Holy Spirit, Studion Publishers, p105) Love and truth are inseparable and Christ is the source of both. If Orthodox leaders really loved the Pope, they would give meaning to the kiss, and offer to bring him from the delusion of the Papacy and eternal death to the saving One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Orthodox Faith and eternal life. The Pope’s love is not one of self-sacrifice, but of the desire to dominate. Therefore, the kisses exchanged are not a loving Christian bestowal, but one of subjugation on one side and domination on the other. That the Papacy doesn’t love us is apparent in their own dogmas. Following is one of the many “unlifted” anathemas against the Orthodox Church by the Vatican.

Decree of Vatican Council of 1870
"If anyone should say that the Apostle Peter was not appointed by Christ as the prince of all the Apostles, and visible head of the whole Church Militant, or that the same directly and immediately received from our Lord Jesus Christ only a primacy of honor only, and not of true and proper jurisdiction, let him be anathema."
( Decrees of Vatican Councils on Faith and the Church, by Church of Unity Apostolate Graymoor, Garrison, NY p14)
Every Orthodox Christian is included in this papal anathema and is destined, according to the Roman Catholic doctrine, to everlasting death and torment. It is clear that the Roman Papacy is not in any way even slightly similar to the Holy Orthodox Catholic Church, and is really inimical toward it. The reason for this is that they left the Church and Body of Christ. St. John, the Disciple whom Jesus loved says: “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us, but they went out that it may be manifest that they all were not of us” (1 John 2:19).

THE FUNDAMENTAL LAWS OF ORTHODOXY vs THE PAPACY
Almost a thousand years ago, the Papacy embarked on its course of apostasy and have made numerous attempts to seize possession of the Orthodox Christian community, and it was then in 1054 that the papal era began. Let us consider the fundamental law of the Orthodox Catholic Church. It was established when Peter confessed that Christ was the Son of the Living God, that Christ himself established the fundamental law of the Church, with the words: “upon this rock I will build my church.” All those who confess like Peter that Christ is the Son of the Living God, become rocks of faith like Peter. But the fundamental law of the Papacy is totally different. It declares that Christ built the Church upon Peter and that Peter became the first Pope of Rome. Then by convoluting the truth and melding it with forgery and mythology, they established the Papacy in place of the Catholic Church which they abandoned. They usurped the name Catholic and have deceived many. Their doctrine then concludes that all popes have primacy and absolute authority over the entire church. Then in 1870 they appropriated to themselves that which belongs to God alone and not to sinful men – infallibility. It is obvious that neither Orthodoxy nor the Papacy can ever deny their fundamental laws, for if either did so, their edifice will collapse.

UNION WITH THE PAPACY IS TRAGEDY
In our time, by misinterpreting the Bible, modern unionists claim that “it is the will of Christ that the Orthodox unite with the Papacy”. History shows that Christ always willed the opposite, keeping us separate since 1054. Saints, among them, St. Paul, St. Basil the Great, St. Photios the Great, St. Gregory Palamas, St. Kosmas Aitolos, St. John of Kronstdadt, St. Justin Popovich, have warned us not to dialogue or unite with any enemy of our pure Faith. But advocates of union, arising from time to time, are unfortunate victims of papal propaganda and deception by their distortion of the Biblical word that there shall be “one shepherd and one flock”. These words of Christ are true, but they do not mean the Chief Shepherd is the Pope of Rome, because Jesus Christ informs us: “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd gives his soul for his sheep” (John 10:14). The Vatican teaches the contrary, that the Pope is the shepherd whom all must submit to for salvation. However, Saint Mark of Ephesus, who was divinely inspired in his words, refutes this saying: “‘We have split ourselves off from the Latins for no other reason than the fact that they are not only schismatics but also heretics. Wherefore we must not even think of uniting with them.’ ‘Even the great ecclesiarch Silvester (Section 9, Chapter 5) said: ‘The difference of the Latins is a heresy, and our predecessors also held it to be such.’ So, it being admitted that the Latins are heretics of long standing, it is evident in the very first place from this fact that they are unbaptized, in accordance with the assertions of St. Basil the Great above cited, and of the Saints preceding him, Sts. Cyprian and Firmilian. Because, having become laymen as a result of being cut off from the Orthodox Church, they no longer have with them the grace of the Holy Spirit with which Orthodox Priests perform the Mysteries.’” (The Rudder p72, CD edition p 311. Orthodox Christian Center, West Brookfield, MA)

HERESY IS SUBVERSION
St. Paul clearly forbids any dialogue with a heretic, which may be defined as a person who deviates from one or more true doctrines of the Church. St. Paul warns: “a man that is a heretic, after the first and second admonition, reject, knowing that such is subverted and sins, being self-condemned” ( Titus 3:10-11) According to Paul, the Pope of Rome is a self-condemned heretic, for he imagines himself to be above all men being the sole infallible representative of God in heaven and on earth, having the keys to heaven and hell, according to the official doctrine of the Papacy. The Papacy has fabricated numerous heresies, most dangerous of all is its claim to be the true Catholic Church of Jesus Christ, established by Peter in Rome. All of their heresies are summed up in the most preposterous and arrogant claim that can ever be devised by man. They teach that every person in the world must be united and subject to the Pope of Rome in order to be saved and gain eternal life. They falsely assert that Christ entrusted His entire Gospel and the Kingdom of heaven to one sinful man – the Pope of Rome and bestowed upon him His divine authority over all mankind. They boast, shamelessly, of these prevarications, having become victims of their own propaganda. The Papacy is not what it claims to be is nor did our Lord Jesus Christ bestow absolute authority on Peter or the Popes of Rome or anyone.. The Pontiffs usurp Christ’s authority, proclaiming that not only is the bishop of Rome the head of the church but is also the holder of the keys to the kingdom of heaven, deciding who enters and who is cast out. To believe the official doctrine of the Papacy demands total loss of right reason and submission to spiritual slavery to the bishop of Rome, as they declare in the following.

OFFICIAL PAPAL DOCTRINE
“Hence we teach and declare that by appointment of the Lord, the Roman Church possesses a superiority of ordinary power over all the churches, and that the power of the Roman Pontiff, which is truly episcopal, is immediate; to which all, of whatever rite or dignity, both pastors and the faithful, both individually and collectively, are bound, by their duty of hierarchical subordination and true obedience, to submit not only in matters which belong to faith and morals, but also to the discipline and government of the Church throughout the world, so that the Church of Christ may be one flock under one supreme shepherd, through the preservation of unity both of communion and of profession of the same faith with the Roman Pontiff. This is the teaching of the Catholic truth, from which no one can deviate without loss of faith and of salvation” ( Decrees of Vatican Councils on Faith and the Church, Church of Unity Apostolate Graymoor, Garrison, NY p15-16)

THE ONLY TRUE GUIDE OF THE CHURCH ACCORDING TO CHRIST
The doctrine cited above is iniquitous, for it is not to the popes of Rome that Christ directed us for guidance as they falsely assert, but the Spirit of Truth: “These things I have spoken to you being still present with you. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He shall teach you all things and bring to your remembrance, whatever I have said unto you” (John 14:25-26). The Pope of Rome is not God, who will remind us of everything Christ said, for it is God, the Spirit of Truth who abides in the whole Orthodox Catholic Church but not in the Papacy. For from wherever lies are formulated and propagated, the Holy Spirit departs. Christ himself overthrows the false teaching of the Papacy, which teaches that the Pope of Rome is the only one inspired with truth and infallibility, who reminds all Christians what Christ said and taught. Furthermore, that the spirit of truth will teach and remind us of everything, is shown in the Acts of the Apostles. Their consultations were not with Peter but with the Spirit of truth. “Then the Spirit said to Philip, Go near and overtake his chariot” (Acts 8:29). “Then the Spirit told me to go with them, doubting nothing” (Acts 11:15). “And as they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said: Now separate Barnabus and Saul for the work to which I have called them” (Acts 13:2) The papal claims are obviously fabrications and are insulting to the true Guide of the Church of Christ – the Holy Spirit, who is the God whom we worship in spirit and truth.. Thus we Orthodox sing: “We have seen the true light; we have received the heavenly Spirit; we have found the true Faith; worshiping the undivided Trinity, who has saved us.” (Orthodox Divine Liturgy, Post Communion Hymn)

ANY FORM OF UNION WITH THE PAPACY IS DEATH TO THE SOUL
We will conclude with the words of the noble and glorious Saint of God before His falling asleep and went to the Lord. St. Mark of Ephesus, the gallant defender of Orthodoxy is celebrated on January 19th. This great and noble hierarch, courageously and alone defended Orthodoxy against the Papacy, aborting the Orthodox betrayer’s agreement with the Pope. On his deathbed, he begged his disciple George, later Patriarch Gennadius, to keep himself from the snare of the West and to defend Holy Orthodoxy. St. Mark departed to Christ in 1445 AD, and Patriarch Gennadius defended the Orthodox Faith until His death.
Address of St. Mark of Ephesus on the Day of His Death St. Mark of Ephesus
“On the final day of his earthly life, the last thoughts of St. Mark were not for himself, but for Orthodoxy, for which he had devoted his whole life. Appealing to his followers to stand firm in the battle for Orthodoxy, he turned especially to one man in whom he hoped to find a successor to himself as leader in this battle. This hope was richly fulfilled in the person of George Scholarios, who became an ardent champion of Orthodoxy and, as first Patriarch of Constantinople after the fall of Byzantium, was instrumental in freeing the Church from the yoke of the false union with the Papacy. He was subsequently glorified under his monastic name of Gennadios and is commemorated as St. Gennadius on August 31.
“I WISH TO EXPRESS MY OPINION in more detail, especially now that my death is approaching, so as to be consistent with myself from beginning to end, and lest anyone should think that I have said one thing and concealed another in my thoughts, for which it would be just to shame me in this hour of my death. Concerning the Patriarch (who was for union) I shall say this, lest it should perhaps occur to him to show me a certain respect at the burial of this my humble body, or to send to my grave any of his hierarchs or clergy or in general any of those in communion with him in order to take part in prayer or to join the priests invited to it from amongst us, thinking that at some time, or perhaps secretly, I had allowed communion with him. And lest my silence give occasion to those who do not know my views well and fully to suspect some kind of conciliation, I hereby state and testify before the many worthy men here present that I do not desire, in any manner and absolutely, and do not accept communion with him or with those who are with him, not in this life nor after my death, just as (I accept) neither the Union nor Latin dogmas, which he and his adherents have accepted, and for the enforcement of which he has occupies this presiding place, with the aim of overturning the true dogmas of the Church! I am absolutely convinced that the further I stand from him and those like him, the nearer I am to God and all the saints; and to the degree that I separate myself from them am I in union with the Truth and with the Holy Fathers, the Theologians of the Church; and I am likewise convinced that those who count themselves with them stand far away from the Truth and from the blessed Teachers of the Church. And for this reason I say: Just as in the course of my whole life I was separated from them, so at the time of my departure, yea and after my death, I turn away from fraternalization and communion with them and vow and command that none (of them) shall approach either my burial or my grave, and likewise anyone else from our side, with the aim of attempting to join and concelebrate in our Divine services; for this would be to mix what cannot be mixed. But it befits them to be absolutely separated from us until such time as God shall grant correction and peace to His Church.” (Orthodox Word 1967, # 14 (Vol 3, No. 3, pgs 103-106)
The truths of Orthodoxy are so precious that we must defend them with our very lives, for to violate Orthodoxy’s truths is to separate oneself from Jesus Christ. Then, without repentance, we will be cast into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth as Christ teaches. For Christ alone is the Truth who came down from heaven and gave himself up to death on the Cross for our sake. He arose from the dead and will raise up to eternal life all those who love Him and keep His commandments, defending His Body the Orthodox Catholic from its enemies.
May He bless this defense and have mercy upon me a sinner.
Raphael Masterjohn

THE ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE
From the Press Office of the Ecumenical Patriarchate
http://www.patriarchate.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, November 30, 2006

Common Declaration by Pope Benedict XVI and Patriarch Bartholomew I
“This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!”
(Ps 117:24)
This fraternal encounter which brings us together, Pope Benedict XVI of Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, is God’s work, and in a certain sense his gift. We give thanks to the Author of all that is good, who allows us once again, in prayer and in dialogue, to express the joy we feel as brothers and to renew our commitment to move towards full communion. This commitment comes from the Lord’s will and from our responsibility as Pastors in the Church of Christ. May our meeting be a sign and an encouragement to us to share the same sentiments and the same attitudes of fraternity, cooperation and communion in charity and truth. The Holy Spirit will help us to prepare the great day of the re-establishment of full unity, whenever and however God wills it. Then we shall truly be able to rejoice and be glad.

1. We have recalled with thankfulness the meetings of our venerable predecessors, blessed by the Lord, who showed the world the urgent need for unity and traced sure paths for attaining it, through dialogue, prayer and the daily life of the Church. Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras I went as pilgrims to Jerusalem, to the very place where Jesus Christ died and rose again for the salvation of the world, and they also met again, here in the Phanar and in Rome. They left us a common declaration which retains all its value; it emphasizes that true dialogue in charity must sustain and inspire all relations between individuals and between Churches, that it “must be rooted in a total fidelity to the one Lord Jesus Christ and in mutual respect for their own traditions” (Tomos Agapis, 195). Nor have we forgotten the reciprocal visits of His Holiness Pope John Paul II and His Holiness Dimitrios I. It was during the visit of Pope John Paul II, his first ecumenical visit, that the creation of the Mixed Commission for theological dialogue between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church was announced. This has brought together our Churches in the declared aim of re-establishing full communion.
   As far as relations between the Church of Rome and the Church of Constantinople are concerned, we cannot fail to recall the solemn ecclesial act effacing the memory of the ancient anathemas which for centuries had a negative effect on our Churches. We have not yet drawn from this act all the positive consequences which can flow from it in our progress towards full unity, to which the mixed Commission is called to make an important contribution. We exhort our faithful to take an active part in this process, through prayer and through significant gestures.
2. At the time of the plenary session of the mixed Commission for theological dialogue, which was recently held in Belgrade through the generous hospitality of the Serbian Orthodox Church, we expressed our profound joy at the resumption of the theological dialogue. This had been interrupted for several years because of various difficulties, but now the Commission was able to work afresh in a spirit of friendship and cooperation. In treating the topic “Conciliarity and Authority in the Church” at local, regional and universal levels, the Commission undertook a phase of study on the ecclesiological and canonical consequences of the sacramental nature of the Church. This will permit us to address some of the principal questions that are still unresolved. We are committed to offer unceasing support, as in the past, to the work entrusted to this Commission and we accompany its members with our prayers.
3. As Pastors, we have first of all reflected on the mission to proclaim the Gospel in today’s world. This mission, “Go, make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:19), is today more timely and necessary than ever, even in traditionally Christian countries. Moreover, we cannot ignore the increase of secularization, relativism, even nihilism, especially in the Western world. All this calls for a renewed and powerful proclamation of the Gospel, adapted to the cultures of our time. Our traditions represent for us a patrimony which must be continually shared, proposed, and interpreted anew. This is why we must strengthen our cooperation and our common witness before the world.
4. We have viewed positively the process that has led to the formation of the European Union. Those engaged in this great project should not fail to take into consideration all aspects affecting the inalienable rights of the human person, especially religious freedom, a witness and guarantor of respect for all other freedoms. In every step towards unification, minorities must be protected, with their cultural traditions and the distinguishing features of their religion. In Europe, while remaining open to other religions and to their cultural contributions, we must unite our efforts to preserve Christian roots, traditions and values, to ensure respect for history, and thus to contribute to the European culture of the future and to the quality of human relations at every level. In this context, how could we not evoke the very ancient witnesses and the illustrious Christian heritage of the land in which our meeting is taking place, beginning with what the Acts of the Apostles tells us concerning the figure of Saint Paul, Apostle of the Gentiles? In this land, the Gospel message and the ancient cultural tradition met. This link, which has contributed so much to the Christian heritage that we share, remains timely and will bear more fruit in the future for evangelization and for our unity.
5. Our concern extends to those parts of today’s world where Christians live and to the difficulties they have to face, particularly poverty, wars and terrorism, but equally to various forms of exploitation of the poor, of migrants, women and children. We are called to work together to promote respect for the rights of every human being, created in the image and likeness of God, and to foster economic, social and cultural development. Our theological and ethical traditions can offer a solid basis for a united approach in preaching and action. Above all, we wish to affirm that killing innocent people in God’s name is an offence against him and against human dignity. We must all commit ourselves to the renewed service of humanity and the defence of human life, every human life.
   We take profoundly to heart the cause of peace in the Middle East, where our Lord lived, suffered, died and rose again, and where a great multitude of our Christian brethren have lived for centuries. We fervently hope that peace will be re-established in that region, that respectful coexistence will be strengthened between the different peoples that live there, between the Churches and between the different religions found there. To this end, we encourage the establishment of closer relationships between Christians, and of an authentic and honest inter-religious dialogue, with a view to combating every form of violence and discrimination.
6. At present, in the face of the great threats to the natural environment, we want to express our concern at the negative consequences for humanity and for the whole of creation which can result from economic and technological progress that does not know its limits. As religious leaders, we consider it one of our duties to encourage and to support all efforts made to protect God’s creation, and to bequeath to future generations a world in which they will be able to live.
7. Finally, our thoughts turn towards all of you, the faithful of our two Churches throughout the world, Bishops, priests, deacons, men and women religious, lay men and women engaged in ecclesial service, and all the baptized. In Christ we greet other Christians, assuring them of our prayers and our openness to dialogue and cooperation. In the words of the Apostle of the Gentiles, we greet all of you: “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Cor 1:2).
   At the Phanar, 30 November 2006
   Benedict XVI Bartholomew I

THE ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE?
From the Press Office of the Ecumenical Patriarchate?
http://www.patriarchate.org/
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, November 30, 2006
/ym/Compose?To=frfrank@goarch.org
Homily by His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew during the Divine Liturgy on the Feast Day of St. Andrew at the Patriarchal Cathedral of St. George
With the grace of God, Your Holiness, we have been blessed to enter the joy of the Kingdom, to "see the true light and receive the heavenly Spirit." Every celebration of the Divine Liturgy is a powerful and inspiring con-celebration of heaven and of history. Every Divine Liturgy is both an anamnesis of the past and an anticipation of the Kingdom.?We are convinced that during this Divine Liturgy, we have once again been transferred spiritually in three directions: toward the kingdom of heaven where the angels celebrate; toward the celebration of the liturgy through the centuries; and toward the heavenly kingdom to come.
This overwhelming continuity with heaven as well as with history means that the Orthodox liturgy is the mystical experience and profound conviction that "Christ is and ever shall be in our midst!" For in Christ, there is a deep connection between past, present, and future. In this way, the liturgy is more than merely the recollection of Christ's words and acts. It is the realization of the very presence of Christ Himself, who has promised to be wherever two or three are gathered in His name.
At the same time, we recognize that the rule of prayer is the rule of faith (lex orandi lex credendi), that the doctrines of the Person of Christ and of the Holy Trinity have left an indelible mark on the liturgy, which comprises one of the undefined doctrines, "revealed to us in mystery," of which St. Basil the Great so eloquently spoke. This is why, in liturgy, we are reminded of the need to reach unity in faith as well as in prayer. Therefore, we kneel in humility and repentance before the living God and our Lord Jesus Christ, whose precious Name we bear and yet at the same time whose seamless garment we have divided. We confess in sorrow that we are not yet able to celebrate the holy sacraments in unity. And we pray that the day may come when this sacramental unity will be realized in its fullness. ?
And yet, Your Holiness and beloved brother in Christ, this con-celebration of heaven and earth, of history and time, brings us closer to each other today through the blessing of the presence, together with all the saints, of the predecessors of our Modesty, namely St. Gregory the Theologian and St. John Chrysostom. We are honored to venerate the relics of these two spiritual giants after the solemn restoration of their sacred relics in this holy church two years ago when they were graciously returned to us by the venerable Pope John Paul II. Just as, at that time, during our Thronal Feast, we welcomed and placed their saintly relics on the Patriarchal Throne, chanting "Behold your throne!", so today we gather in their living presence and eternal memory as we celebrate the Liturgy named in honor of St. John Chrysostom.
Thus our worship coincides with the same joyous worship in heaven and throughout history. Indeed, as St. John Chrysostom himself affirms: "Those in heaven and those on earth form a single festival, a shared thanksgiving, one choir" (PG 56.97). Heaven and earth offer one prayer, one feast, one doxology. The Divine Liturgy is at once the heavenly kingdom and our home, "a new heaven and a new earth" (Rev. 21.1), the ground and center where all things find their true meaning. The Liturgy teaches us to broaden our horizon and vision, to speak the language of love and communion, but also to learn that we must be with one another in spite of our differences and even divisions. In its spacious embrace, it includes the whole world, the communion of saints, and all of God's creation. The entire universe becomes "a cosmic liturgy", to recall the teaching of St. Maximus the Confessor. This kind of Liturgy can never grow old or outdated.
The only appropriate response to this showering of divine benefits and compassionate mercy is gratitude (eucharistia). Indeed, thanksgiving and glory are the only fitting response of human beings to their Creator. For to Him belong all glory, honor, and worship: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; now and always, and to the ages of ages. Amen.
Truly, particular and wholehearted gratitude fills our hearts toward the loving God, for today, on the festive commemoration of the Apostle founder and protector of this Church, the Divine Liturgy is attended by His Holiness our brother and bishop of the elder Rome, Pope Benedict XVI, together with his honorable entourage. Once again, we gratefully greet this presence as a blessing from God, as an expression of brotherly love and honor toward our Church, and as evidence of our common desire to continue ? in a spirit of love and faithfulness to the Gospel Truth and the common tradition of our Fathers ? the unwavering journey toward the restoration of full communion among our Churches, which constitutes His divine will and command. May it be so.

[尼古拉前执事]

Patriarch Bartholomew I on the Papal Visit
Interview With Orthodox Church Leader
http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=99239

ISTANBUL, Turkey, DEC. 1, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI's visit to the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople "is of incalculable value in the process of reconciliation," says Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I.

In this interview with the Italian newspaper Avvenire, the patriarch revealed that he made an unexpected ecumenical proposal to the Pope.

Q: What can you tell us about this journey?

Bartholomew I: Above all, I must say that I truly thank His Holiness for his visit to us on the feast day of St. Andrew. It is a truly very significant step forward in our relations, and undertaken in the framework of a journey which has made, on the whole, a contribution to interreligious dialogue which I think is truly important.

Q: You and the Pope have seen one another face to face several times, away from the cameras and journalists. What have you said to one another?

Bartholomew I: His Holiness showed his benevolence to the patriarchate and its problems; for this reason we are truly grateful to him.

It has been an opportunity to know one another better, including the cardinals of his entourage, with whom I think we have established a good friendship, and this also seems to me to be very important.

We can truly say that this Thursday we lived a historic day, under many aspects. Historic for ecumenical dialogue and, as we saw in the afternoon, historic for the relationship between cultures and religions. And, obviously, because of all this, historic also for our country.

Q: The addresses and common declaration you signed are "lofty" and compromising. Have you also spoken of the future?

Bartholomew I: In this respect, I can say that I spoke with His Holiness of something – something that we could do. I presented him with a proposal which I cannot now elaborate on, as we await an official response, but I can say that His Holiness was very interested and that he received it favorably.

We hope it can be undertaken as it is directed to that ecumenical progress that, as we have affirmed and written in the common declaration, both of us are determined to pursue.

Q: Why are you so determined?

Bartholomew I: Unity is a precious responsibility, but at the same time a difficult one which must be assumed if it is not shared between brothers. The history of the last millennium is a painful "memory" of this reality.

We are profoundly convinced that Benedict XVI's visit has incalculable value in this process of reconciliation, as, in addition, it has taken place at such a difficult time and in very delicate circumstances.

Without a doubt, with the help of God we are offered the opportunity to take a beneficial step forward in the process of reconciliation in our Churches. And perhaps, with the help of God, we will be given the opportunity to surmount some of the barriers of incomprehension among believers of different religions, in particular between Christians and Muslims.

Q: Earlier you also mentioned the importance of this for Turkey. Why?

Bartholomew I: Being at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, this city and this Church hold a truly unique position to foster a meeting among modern civilizations. In a certain sense, Istanbul is the perfect place to become a permanent center of dialogue between the different faiths and cultures.