On the Path to Catholic-Orthdox Unity

On several occasions I've addressed the growing commitment among Catholic and Orthodox theologians to achieve unity after more than 1,000 years of separation. This ongoing effort seems to be picking up steam and I really believe we'll see some form of unity between our two churches in our lifetime.

The most recent step toward this unity was the latest session of the Joint Theological Commission for Dialogue between the Roman Catholic Church and Orthodox Churches. Held in Vienna last week the session reported substantial progress. In the words of one Orthodox metropolitan, "There are no clouds of mistrust between our two churches...If we continue like that, God will find a way to overcome all the difficulties that remain." The participants also emphasized that the two churches could well be on the way to becoming "sister churches" with each accepting the pope as its titular head. This is a remarkable step forward and it's especially heartening to hear such words coming from the representatives of both churches.

Catholic & Orthodox Participants at this Year's (the 12th) Session

This movement toward unity has also been strongly supported by Russian Orthodox Patriarch Krill and Pope Benedict XVI. The two are both focused on returning Europe to its Christian roots, something that would certainly be aided by Orthodox-Catholic unity. They are not alone in their support for this effort for many other Orthodox and Catholic bishops are equally supportive. For example, Orthodox Metropolitan John Zizioulis of Pergamon and Archbishop Kurt Koch held a joint news conference after the session at which they addressed the positive aspects of the recent session in Vienna. Click here to read some of their key comments. You might also want to read the commentary on the session by Deacon Keith Fournier.

Pray daily for the unity that Christ desires for His Church.

More on Russian Orthodox - Catholic Relations

As a particularly relevant follow-up to my post of a few days ago, I suggest reading an interesting commentary by Joseph Wood on the current status of the changing relationship between the Russian Orthodox and Catholic Churches. Published online by thecatholicthing.org, Wood's comments address both the positives and the negatives of the relationship and the growing hopes for the future. Here's the link: From Russia With Love?

Orthodox - Catholic Cooperation

As I have mentioned on several previous occasions, it is particularly heartening to observe the progress that's been made ecumenically between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. Following the lead of his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, the Holy Father has been very active in working toward future unity. Interestingly, although the greatest obstacles to unity have seemed to arise more frequently from the Russian Orthodox community than from the Greek Orthodox, the latest initiative involves some direct meetings between the Vatican and the Russian Church. And the centerpiece of these meetings has been the arts and music.

Here's a brief video describing the concert that followed the Vatican meetings between the representatives of the two Churches:

 

After two days of meetings that included a conference focusing on "Russian culture and spirituality in the Vatican," Metropolitan Hilarion, the chief ecumenist of the Russian Orthodox Church and a composer in his own right, indicated that although the Churches must engage in theological discussions, it is also necessary that they engage in a "dialogue of the heart." He went on to say, "It seems to me that there are things which cannot be transmitted either through theological discourse or diplomacy, but can be transmitted through the language of art."

And perhaps more telling, the Metropolitan also said, "Today, both of us see the importance of promoting Christian values in society. We cannot reduce our relations to just the unresolved theological questions." This comment echoed Pope Benedict who urged the two Churches to work together to bring people to an understanding of the essential role of faith in both private and public life. 

The next major step would be a meeting between Pope Benedict and Patriarch Kirill (the Russian Orthodox Patriarch), something that will likely have to await progress on some of the issues that separate the two Churches, specifically the problems surrounding the tensions in Western Ukraine. As always, our best approach is to trust in the movement of the Holy Spirit as He strives to bring the Church to the unity Jesus prayed for.

If you're interested in reading more about the subject, here are a few links:

Music as a Path Toward Unity

Pope - Patriarch Meeting?