“Time is pressing”

“Time is pressing”: the phrase encapsulates the urgent need for dialogue between the Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church. It was pronounced by the Archbishop of Athens and of all Greece, Christodoulos, who began a four-day visit to Rome on 13 December. The visit culminated on the following day with his meeting with Benedict XVI and the signing of a common statement. “In the course of history relations between our Churches have not been of the best or have not shown what Christian love required”, said Christodoulos, who recalled at the same time “the process of mutual understanding, reconciliation and pacification over the last 40 years” which “the Church of Greece fully supports, considering it the best possible contribution to the question of Christian unity”. Christodoulos will return to Greece tomorrow, 16 December. OTHER WAYS. “The spirit of our times also indicates other ways to us – said the Archbishop of Athens on his arrival -. The visit of John Paul II to Athens in 2001 furnished matter for reflection to our clergy and to our people and opened new paths of creative and brotherly collaboration in the context of the new European reality”. These paths are called “bioethics, education, ecology, peace”, and not least “opposition to the secularisation of the Christian message and the commitment to establishing the justice of God in our common home that is Europe, a continent that thirsts for Christ”. A NEW STAGE. This visit “marks a new stage of the common effort of our Churches to tackle the problems of the world”, said Christodoulos, in his address to Benedict XVI who welcomed him in the Vatican for what was the most important appointment in his journey to Rome. Christodoulos addressed the Pope, and recalled the various contacts between the delegations of the Greek Church and the Holy See, in particular since 2002: “this memory and the hope of overcoming the dogmatic obstacles that are hampering our progress to unity in faith, reinforce our wish to live in full unity. In this regard, we hope very much that the International Mixed Commission charged with dialogue between the Orthodox and Catholic Church may succeed in its work”. Christodoulos also identified the major challenges that need to be tackled: namely, the “de-christianization of Europe, the exclusion of the Church from public life, migration, the gap between rich and poor, the risk of a clash between civilizations, and the debasement of the human being. “The Church – he concluded – must oppose the State and the superpowers when their decisions harm the image of God, without succumbing to the temptation of feeling herself to be a power”. SLOW BUT DEEP REVIVAL. “Our relations are slowly reviving, but in depth and with a care for authenticity. They are for us an occasion to discover a range of new spiritual expressions rich in meaning and in common commitment”, said BenedICT XVI, on receiving the Archbishop of Athens and all Greece, Christodoulos, in the Vatican today. He quoted from the letters of the apostle Paul in his address. “In the First Letter to the Corinthians, who were the first to experience difficulties and the temptations of division, we see a message that is still relevant for all Christians – said the Pope -. There is a real danger when people want to identify with this or that group, ‘I belong to Paul’, ‘I belong to Apollos’ or ‘I belong to Cephas’ ( 1 Cor 1:12). Greece and Rome will intensify their relations and pursue their relations that have given various forms of Christian communities and traditions”. Turning his gaze “to the future”, Benedict XVI spoke of Europe: “various European countries are working for the creation of a new Europe that cannot be just an exclusively economic reality. Catholics and Orthodox have the duty to defend the Christian roots of Europe”, operating in favour of human rights, “in particular the right to religious freedom”. JOINT STATEMENT. The document consists of 12 points, underlining the need to continue dialogue to re-establish full union, renew the desire to proclaim Christ to the world and especially to the new generations, and exhort religious leaders to work for dialogue between religions. But it also pays tribute to scientific progress, though with an invitation to respect the sacred character of the human person, and contains an exhortation to defend human rights and recognize the Christian roots of Europe. The joint statement of Benedict XVI and Christodoulos expresses “the wish to bear apostolic witness” to the world and acknowledges “the common responsibility to overcome the many difficulties and painful experiences of the past”. “Our task – says the statement – is to pursue the arduous path of dialogue in truth to re-establish full communion. We hope that the bilateral theological dialogue may formulate proposals acceptable to both sides in a spirit of reconciliation”. Reaffirming “the need to persevere in the path of constructive theological dialogue”, Christodoulos and Benedict XVI renew their “desire to proclaim the Gospel to the world, especially to the young” and exhort religious leaders “to strengthen dialogue between the religions and work for a society of peace”.