Pat. Bartholomew And Pope Francis To Be In Jerusalem Next Year

[Apotheoun]

United against economic crisis and "worldly trends", Bartholomew and Francis to be in Jerusalem next year

 

The two will travel to the Holy Land to mark the 50th anniversary of the embrace between Athenagoras and Paul VI. The pope has been invited to Constantinople for the feast day of Saint Andrew (30 November). For the ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople, the pope is the 'Good Samaritan of Latin America'; for the pope, the patriarch is "My brother Andrew'. Both are committed to the environment and to the struggle against poverty and materialism.

 

 

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - The ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople has invited Pope Francis to travel with him to the Holy Land next year to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the embrace between Patriarch Athenagoras and Paul VI, the pioneers of Catholic-Orthodox dialogue. During their private meeting, Bartholomew and Francis explored possible paths towards unity, including theological dialogue, environmental defence, and a visit to the Fanar, after going through proper diplomatic channels.

 

Earlier, when the pontiff met Christian and other religious leaders, Bartholomew I was the only one who addressed Pope Francis. For the patriarch, Christians must bear witness in a credible way through "Church unity" in order to cope with the world's economic crisis and to counter "worldly trends" that limit life to its earthly horizons. Bartholomew's words reflect the pontiff's notion of stewardship, which he presented yesterday during his inaugural mass.

 

All this is evidence of the great unity between the two leaders. When Pope Francis introduced the patriarch, he called him, off the cuffs, "my brother Andrew" underscoring the blood ties between the two apostles patrons of the two Churches, Andrew of Constantinople and Peter of Rome, the "first one to be called" and the "first one among the apostles".

 

Like Francis, Bartholomew referred to Benedict XVI "as a mild man who distinguished himself by his theological knowledge and charity."

 

When he spoke about the "task and huge responsibilities" that await the pope, he said that "the unity of Christian Churches" was "the first and most important of our concerns" in order to ensure that "our Christian witness is seen to be credible near and far." Hence, it is necessary to continue "the theological dialogue" between Catholics and Orthodox, based on the experience and tradition of the first undivided thousand years.

 

 

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[Nihil Obstat]

That is excellent news. :) Would they visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre together, or would that be too tense given its colourful history?

[Apotheoun]

That is excellent news. :) Would they visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre together, or would that be too tense given its colourful history?

I don't know what the specific plans may be for the visit. At the moment I doubt there are any firm plans set. As far as a joint visit to the Church of the Anastasis is concerned, they could do that, but I doubt it would be a liturgical service of any kind, because that could cause problems in the local Orthodox Church.

[Nihil Obstat]

I don't know what the specific plans may be for the visit. At the moment I doubt there are any firm plans set. As far as a joint visit to the Church of the Anastasis is concerned, they could do that, but I doubt it would be a liturgical service of any kind, because that could cause problems in the local Orthodox Church.

Yeah, I would imagine that any kind of liturgy would be problematic. Maybe someday. :)

[Apotheoun]

Yeah, I would imagine that any kind of liturgy would be problematic. Maybe someday. :)

Yes, probably in the distant future.

[Nihil Obstat]

Yes, probably in the distant future.

No future is distant to those who experience the beatific vision! :proud:

[Apotheoun]

No future is distant to those who experience the beatific vision! :proud:

That is true when talking about the eschaton, but in the temporal order a concelebration of the liturgy by the Patriarch and the Pope is a distant thing indeed.

[KnightofChrist]

I doubt it would be a liturgical service of any kind, because that could cause problems in the local Orthodox Church.

I doubted that I'd ever see Orthodox patriarchs attend a papal coronation mass, but then it happened.

[Apotheoun]

I doubted that I'd ever see Orthodox patriarchs attend a papal coronation mass, but then it happened.

Alas, attending something and concelebrating something are very different. It is important to remember, and many Catholics may not know this, but large numbers of Orthodox (lay, clerical, and monastic) do not recognize Catholic (Roman or Eastern) sacraments as true mysteries of God. The Patriarch of Constantinople is not going to do anything that ultimately creates a division among the Eastern Orthodox Churches, and concelebrating a liturgy with the pope would qualify as divisive in Eastern Orthodoxy.

[Nihil Obstat]

Alas, attending something and concelebrating something are very different. It is important to remember, and many Catholics may not know this, but large numbers of Orthodox (lay, clerical, and monastic) do not recognize Catholic (Roman or Eastern) sacraments as true mysteries of God. The Patriarch of Constantinople is not going to do anything that ultimately creates a division among the Eastern Orthodox Churches, and concelebrating a liturgy with the pope would qualify as divisive in Eastern Orthodoxy.

I wonder, would this also apply to, for instance, Vespers? Since celebrating Vespers together would not necessary imply an acceptance on the part of the Orthodox of Catholic sacraments.

Some of us, especially myself, tend to overlook the significance of the Divine Office as part of the Church's Liturgy.

[Apotheoun]

I wonder, would this also apply to, for instance, Vespers? Since celebrating Vespers together would not necessary imply an acceptance on the part of the Orthodox of Catholic sacraments.

Some of us, especially myself, tend to overlook the significance of the Divine Office as part of the Church's Liturgy.

I think attendance at Vespers or Mass is okay from an Orthodox perspective (although some Orthodox would say even that is not acceptable), but active participation would not be allowed. 

Edited March 20, 2013 by Apotheoun