Listening to the Greek and the Russians

In the framework of the World Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, a conference of ecumenical studies on the difficulties linked to religious divisions was held in the city of Agrigento (diocese of Sicily-Italy). "Ensuing last year’s positive experience – said Msgr. Francesco Montenegro, bishop of the diocese – we wished to provide a concrete contribution to the path of mutual understanding with our brothers in Christ". Only opening up to dialogue with others in joy and faith – he remarked – will enable us to discover the countless possibilities of walking together".The suffering of the Catholic minority in Greece. In his opening remarks, Msgr. Frangiskos Papamanolis, president of the Greek Bishops’ Conference, said: "Christian unity is not only theoretical, it’s part of everyday life"; "I face with sadness the tragedy of the separation of Christian faithful in my Country, where Catholics are an excessively silent minority group". "In Greece the Orthodox account for 90% of the overall population, while at present Catholics amount to 350 thousand, an increasing number compared to previous years, following the immigration from Eastern Europe". "Until recently – said Msgr. Papamanolis – religion was listed even in identity cards, with blatant discriminations. Now things have changed, although problems remain". If for example "a Catholic is looking for a job, and the person offering the job is anti-Catholic, will the person in a state of need have the courage to speak the truth on his own religion?" Not to mention the disagreements that break out in families "on the occasion of marriage or baptism celebrations". To this should be added the difficulties of creating a culture, of letting one’s voice heard. Recently, "the government proposed Sunday as a working day. The Greek Bishops’ Conference voiced its strong criticism of the proposal in a statement, which however was totally ignored". Moreover "the Catholic Church in Greece has not yet been not granted legal personality". "For all these reasons – concluded Msgr. Papamanolis – I look forward to the day when Christians will find unity, a prerequisite for proclaiming faith to those who still do not know the Savior. If among us if we are divided, we cannot set an example to those who view us from the outside". Then what’s the solution? "In concrete terms – said the president of the Greek Bishops’ Conference – it is necessary to promote opportunities for dialogue and understanding". But the first real need is prayer: "We pray that the shepherds purify the structure of their churches and put aside the obstacles to unity".The virtuous example of Russia. The situation in Russia is different. "Here the Catholic and Orthodox Churches – pointed out Fr. Alexey Yandushev-Rumyantsev, prefect for studies at the seminary of Saint Petersburg – live together in harmony". Although Catholics represent less than 1% of the overall population, they are recognized and respected by the Orthodox majority". But this has not always been the case: "The situation has changed only over the past ten years, and it further improved after the election of the new Patriarcg Cyrill I", who has regular meetings with the Catholic Archbishop. Not only. "Unity is also expressed in less institutional ways, in seminaries, with an exchange of professors between the Catholics and Orthodox Churches. "Unlike Greece – notes p. Yandushev-Rumyantsev – in Russia our voice is always heard: we do have some media channels we refer to (including popular Radio Maria in St. Petersburg) and a small number of Catholics sit in Parliament". "Catholics are free to voice their views, without constraints" in all major debates, such as the one on euthanasia. Also in terms of juridical personality there are no problems: in Russia Catholics are a legal entity in their own right. "On the whole – said Father. Yandushev-Rumyantsev – I can claim to be optimistic", even though Russia is a very complex country, and not all regions enjoy the same positive situation of St. Petersburg, "my hope is that soon the walls erected across the years will be torn down. "Unity is up to each one of us. We’re all responsible for it, and should start with small things".