Communion and solitude

“Communion and solitude” is the theme of the 18th International Ecumenical Conference of Orthodox Spirituality, organized in collaboration with the Orthodox Churches, which will be held next September 8 to 11 at the Monastery of Bose. For almost 20 years the meeting has constituted an important occasion for dialogue on critical themes of spiritual life, where the traditions of the Christian Eastern and Western worlds intersect the profound expectations of contemporary men and women. The meeting is marked by four intense days of fraternal reflections and debates, with the participation of theologians, historians, philosophers, scholars and high-ranking dignitaries of the Orthodox, Catholic and Reformed Churches, along with numerous registered participants. The prolusion of the prior of Bose, Enzo Bianchi and the keynote address of Serbian bishop Irinej di Baèka (Novi Sad) on “the Church and the monastic experience” will open the meeting. Ecumenical value. The presence of official delegations from the Eastern and Western Churches conveys special ecumenical significance to the event. Msgr. Brian Farrell, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity, will represent the Catholic Church, along with other representatives. The event will be equally attended by delegates of the Orthodox Churches of Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine (Moscow’s Patriarchate), the Apostolic Armenian Church, the Orthodox Archdiocese of Italy and Malta and by the delegates of the Archbishop Of Canterbury Dr. Rowan Williams and of the Ecumenical Council of Churches in Geneva. “The course of the conference desires to offer a space for a fraternal encounter between the various Christian Churches, for communion and sharing of their multiform spiritual traditions, with the extraordinary participation of numerous monks and nuns from Orthodox and Catholic monasteries”, the organizers explain in a press release on the event. Pope Benedict XVI, through his Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, sent a message to participants in the international Conference conveying his “appreciation of the praiseworthy and promising commitment for the continuation of the ecumenical meetings and over the increasing numbers of participants in the initiative” and also “for the interesting theme of the Conference, which offers insights for reflection marked by great pastoral and pastoral topical relevance”. The theme. “Communion and solitude” is the theme addressed in the course of the 4-day conference by scholars and theologians from the various Christian Churches. According to the promoters, “The contraposition between individual and collectivity, often a source of conflict in modern times, can find in the Christian, and in particular in the Orthodox tradition a way of humanization in the vital tension between communion and solitude, two essential dimensions of the spiritual life”, as underlined by the President of the Italian Bishops’ Conference Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, in a message to the 18th Symposium. “We live in a time when living communion and solitude is especially difficult”. “I wish to underline the topical relevance of these themes”, he adds, “in a cultural and anthropological context whereby solitude is at the same time invaded and emptied, while the traditional forms of social living are being threatened. We are under the impression that the history of the past century taught us that coexistence between diverse human realities (ethic groups, religions and cultures) is impossible. Today the value of hospitality is being questioned and other peoples are viewed as enemies of our own happiness, unless we compel them to become instrumental to it”. “Christian, Eastern and Latin experiences – the Cardinal concludes – represent a resource of humanity and wisdom that can act as the healer of the ills of contemporary men and women, whose fragility is due to individualism and to the commodification of relationships”. His words are echoed by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kyrill in a message to Bose: “We believe that also contemporary culture, before the danger of total secularization, and lacking spiritual principles, needs the beneficial influence of contemporary Christian ascetics”. Also the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartolomeo I highlights “the inestimable monastic contribution to our epoch”, and adds, “Solitude and silence in the final analysis teach us the right way to relate to and be in communion with others”.The sign that “God is with us”. Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit, Secretary General of the World Council of Churches, said: “There is no greater solitude that that of Jesus on the Cross: ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ (Ps. 22).” “Undoubtedly – he continues – the great spiritual masters are those who felt called into question by the image of the abandoned Jesus and who decided to take their own cross and follow him, as they understood that the cross is in reality the sign ‘par excellence’ that God is with us. This means there is no real solitude for those who decide to follow the ways of the cross, since they see their existence fulfilled in God. They are no longer alone. The unconditional love of God that accompanies them supports and fortifies them. The cross enables them to live the love of God toward all human beings and toward the Creation also in solitude, in a radically different manner, which is profound, true and irreducible”.