” “Going hand in hand

Continuing the dialogue of charity because “without ecumenical peace there will be neither evangelization nor common witness in Europe”: that is the way forward indicated by Father Traian Valdman , episcopal vicar of the Romanian Orthodox Church in Italy, to revive hope in the dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Patriarchate of Moscow. We interviewed him. Why did the Patriarchate react so negatively to the Holy See’s provision? “The Orthodox Churches as a whole emerged from the Communist regimes in a situation of great material weakness and were expecting greater understanding of this situation on the part of the Western Churches, both Catholic and Protestant. The Russian Orthodox Church has difficulty in understanding why every religious order, every type of spirituality, every movement wants to create a foothold for itself in this country. These presences – which did not exist before – are perceived as gestures lacking in respect for the Orthodoxy that already had to suffer martyrdom in these territories. Nor does this Church consider that secularism – which is making inroads in the countries of Eastern Europe no less than in the West – is any sufficient reason for committing actions that are perceived as proselytism. On the other hand, account needs to be taken of the fact that there are Catholic faithful in the Russian Federation and that the apostolic administrations are structures of provisional type which as a rule end up being raised to dioceses. But the way in which this changeover is made also needs to be carefully studied. The Balamand document affirms that reciprocal information on the various pastoral projects needs to be given – not the news that an action has already been taken”. What impact is this difficulty having on the other Orthodox Churches? “Although the plural is often used, the Orthodox Church is a single organism as far as the faith, the liturgy and the canonical principles are concerned. The autocephalous system – i.e. the system of self-governing but inter-communicating churches – operates in this one Church. So when one Orthodox church suffers, all the others suffer with it. On the other hand, each church reacts to measures of this kind – the creation of dioceses – in the light of the relations it has with Catholics at the local level. Of course, a situation like this inevitably banishes the prospect of a new meeting for theological dialogue. We are already in a phase of impasse due to Uniatism, and no convergence of views was reached at the last meeting in Baltimore. If new situations intervene, it is clear that this cannot but be to the detriment of dialogue. I don’t say it’s wrong to create dioceses where Catholic faithful exist. The Orthodox Church, like the Catholic Church, bases its ecclesiology on the diocesan structure. It depends, however, on how these measures are taken and their timing”. What’s the right way? “That of informing first, before acting. But not only that. It’s also essential to explain and guarantee that everything wants to be the result of an agreement. That means speaking together and going forward hand in hand. It means never trying to usurp the local Churches but helping them whenever they request it. It means doing nothing without them or against them. Without ecumenical peace there will be neither evangelization not common witness in Europe”. What hope is there for the future? “Hope must never die. I don’t think now was the right moment to take this step (the creation of dioceses in Russia). It was a step to be taken, but perhaps it ought to have been better prepared. What we are experiencing is a moment of difficulty of which there have been no lack in the past. I don’t regard it in so tragic a way. But if the dialogue of truth is not to be stopped, we need to continue to foster the dialogue of charity. So hope needs to be cultivated with charity. We also need to do everything possible to create opportunities for cooperation and common witness. We also need to pray, that the steps to be taken in furthering the dialogue between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches be steps of love, charity and understanding for the Russian people”. Maria Chiara Biagioni