ECUMENISM
Greece: messages to new Primate of the Orthodox ChurchThe World Council of Churches expressed “congratulations” upon the Holy Synod’s election of Metropolitan Ieronimos from Tebe and Levadia as the new archbishop of Athens and Primate of the Orthodox Church in Greece. In his message, WCC Secretary General Samuel Kobia wrote; “We confide that under your enlightening guidance the Church of Greece will continue to actively participate in the life of the entire orthodox family, as also to the ecumenical movement, sharing its theological, spiritual, human and material resources with her brothers and sisters in Christ. We are eager to continue working under your guidance and support, in close cooperation with the Church of Greece to serve the cause of Christian unity, responding to present needs of humanity and facing together the challenges that Churches are called to meet in contemporary society”. Also the Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, sent a message to His Beatitude Ieronimos expressing “great joy” for his election and the invitation to cooperate with the Ecumenical Patriarchate. “I am convinced – wrote in a message Patriarch Alexis II – that friendly relations between our sister Churches will be maintained in the future”. Moscow’s Patriarchate also announced the presence of a high representative of the Orthodox Church to the ceremony for the enthronement of Metropolitan bishop Ieronimos held in Athens next February 16.Ukraine: Cardinal Martino visits Metropolitan bishop VladimirOn February 6, His Eminence Cardinal Raffaele Martino, President of the Pontifical Council for “Justice and Peace” paid visit to the Metropolitan bishop Vladimir from Kiev, Primate of the Ukranian Orthodox Church. The Cardinal was invited to Ukraine to present the compendium on the social doctrine of the Catholic Church at the Pierre Mohila University in Kiev. The Cardinal presented Metropolital Vladimir with a copy of the text: “We believe that this compendium – said Card. Martino – can act as a platform for dialogue not only between Christians from different confessions, but also between men of good will who share our teaching on the values and dignity and the human person, since man was created to God’s image and likeness”. The Metropolitan bishop recalled that also Ukraine’s Orthodox Church has a document on the social doctrine. “It was written bearing in mind cultural specificities, mentality and traditions of the Ukrainian people and it defines the role of the Orthodox Church in our society. The Metropolitan bishop thanked the Catholic Church, in the person of Cardinal Martino, for the hospitality granted by Catholic dioceses in Western Europe to orthodox immigrants of East-European Countries, offering their Churches for liturgical celebrations”.Italy and Spain: Rumanian dioceses in the two CountriesFirst decisive step towards the creation of new Rumenian dioceses in Italy, Spain and Portugal. A General Extraordinary Assembly of the Orthodox Metropoly of Eastern and Southern Europe will be held in Paris on Tuesday February 19 which among other issues, will be discussing the modification of the Metropoly’s Canonical Satute, in conformity with the decisions taken by the Holy Synod of the Rumenian Orthodox Church to establish the Orthodox Rumenian diocese of Italy and the Rumenian orthodox dioceses of Spain and Portugal. According to the convocation letter signed by Metropolitan bishop Josif, the Extraordinary Assembly will also establish the diocesan Assemblies (major guiding organs of a diocese, formed by a given number of priests and lay people) of the two new dioceses. The convened will proceed (also in Paris) with nomination of the candidates who will be presented to the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Romania for the bishops’ election. “Given the increased number of Rumanians and parishes, in Spain and Italy in particular, we decided to separate the two suffragan dioceses of Italy, Spain and Portugal, which along with the diocese of France will continue representing the Metropoly of Western and Southern Europe”, father Traian Valdman explained. Approximately 200 have been convoked from Rome, representing 70 Rumanian Orthodox Parishes present in our Country, one cleric and two lay people per Parish are requested to participate. Father Valdma, first Rumenian parish in Italy in the 1970s, described his “great joy, since it is an undertaking that is gradually reaching its maturity”. However it also entails “great responsibility since the bishop who will be coming will have to able to listen, to establish a dialogue and good relations not only with the faithful but also with the brothers of other Churches, in particular with the Italian Catholic Church which has made available most places of worship. He therefore will be an open person, with an ecumenical soul”.
