From controversy to dialogue

“The ecumenical movement, i.e. the movement for the reconstruction of the visible unity of Christians throughout the world, initially embraced with enthusiasm, is now weakened and often contested due to some of its weaknesses and failures”, said Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church opening the work of the Holy Synod, held in Bucharest on 8-9 July. On the agenda of the Holy Synod was a debate on the “liturgical conduct” of two members of the Orthodox clergy in their relations with other confessions, considered by some important figures of Romanian Orthodoxy to be incompatible with the canons of the Orthodox Church. Two gestures of “so-called intercommunion”. In the feast of Epiphany, Orthodox Bishop Sofronie Drincec of Oradea and Greek-Catholic Bishop Virgil Bercea of Oradea celebrated together a ceremony for the blessing of water. A few months later, on 25 May, Orthodox Metropolitan Nicolae Corneanu of Banat – very well known in Europe thanks to his ecumenical commitment – took the sacrament of the Eucharist during a Greek-Catholic mass. The two “sister” Churches, Catholic and Orthodox, have so much in common – seven sacraments, many saints in the calendar, a similar ecclesiastical organization, monasticism -, but they don’t yet have “eucharistic communion”. The gestures of the two Orthodox bishops, which aroused sharp controversy in the Orthodox world, were described by Patriarch Daniel as gestures of “so-called intercommunion” which, even if made “in a context of Christian brotherhood”, “diminish the dogmatic differences between the Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church and weaken the unity of faith as foundation for the reconstruction of communion between the two Churches”. “The Holy Eucharist is not a means or a stage towards Christian ecclesial unity – explained the patriarch – , but the strongest manifestation of the unity of the Church, its coronation”. Defending Orthodoxy while showing respect for other Christians. The Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church has many tasks and responsibilities, but the first and greatest of them all – reminded the Patriarch – is “to preserve the unity of the faith and communion with the universal Orthodox Church”. In this spirit, the Holy Synod, meeting in Bucharest in recent days, “disapproved the non-canonical gestures of the two bishops and accepted their change of heart and repentance as a first sign of their correction”. In addition, the Holy Synod has decided that it is not permissible for any Orthodox believer to take communion in another Christian Church and that no Orthodox cleric can celebrate sacraments and blessings with ministers of other confessions. Patriarch Daniel explained that by taking this decision “we don’t wish to defame or treat other Christians with arrogance or contempt, or interrupt theological dialogue and cooperation in the social field”. He further underlined that there is a great deal of willingness on the part of the Catholic Church and the other Churches of the West, “to lend places of worship to the new Orthodox parishes in Western Europe, which do not have the financial resources to build their own churches”. A sincere and profound theological dialogue. “Thanks to the new ecumenical spirit – explained Patriarch Daniel to the members of the Synod -, we have passed from controversy to dialogue, from confrontation to cooperation and brotherly assistance, from presenting especially what it is that separates us to emphasizing especially what we hold in common”. And he reaffirmed the willingness of the Romanian Orthodox Church to conduct a “sincere and profound” theological dialogue with the Catholic Church. This desire was also expressed by Father Francisc Dobos, spokesman of the Catholic archdiocese of Bucharest, after hearing news of the decision taken by the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church with regard to Metropolitan Corneanu of Banat and Bishop Sofronie of Oradea: “We consider it right and proper for each Church to resolve its problems according to its own canons and rules. We cherish the conviction that dialogue between the two Churches shall progress in the direction of communion from the same chalice”. In recent years dialogue between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches in Romania has also been hampered by the problem of the restitution of churches that formerly belonged to the Greek-Catholic Church but that were expropriated by government decree in 1948 and ceded to the Orthodox Church. In 2005 the Romanian Orthodox Church decided to interrupt the dialogue with the Greek-Catholic Church in the Mixed Commission of Dialogue because the Greek-Catholic Church had decided to take legal action in the courts to solve the problem of the restitution of its properties by the Orthodox Church. The dialogue between the two Churches still remains interrupted.