Ukrainian Orthodox Church (USA) has new hierarch

The weekend of May 9-11, 2008 has been described as a weekend of a spiritual joy and renewal for not only the more than 500 people who gathered at St. Volodymyr Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral in Parma, OH but for the entire Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA, as the hierarchs, clergy and faithful of the Church witnessed the consecration of a new bishop of the UOC of the USA in the person of Archimandrite Daniel (Zelinsky).

Seven Orthodox Hierarchs from around the world participated in the historical and joyful event of the Church. Metropolitan Constantine and Archbishop Antony, the hierarchs of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA were joined in the consecration services by Hs Eminence Metropolitan Nicholas of the American Carpatho-Rusyn Orthodox Church, His Eminence Archbishop Yurij of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada, His Grace Bishop Jeremiah of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of South America, His Grace Bishop Demetrios, the assistant Bishop of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago and a representative of the Exarch of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in the US – His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios, and His Grace Bishop Andrij of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Western Europe.
Also and participating in the consecration services were 60 priests and deacons of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA and other Orthodox Churches, along with 400 faithful who traveled to Parma, OH from around the country, from California to Maine and from Canada to Florida and everywhere in between. In attendance were also three hierarchs of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in the USA: His Eminence Metropolitan Stefan Soroka, Bishop Robert Moskal, Bishop-emeritus Basil Losten, as well as Bishop John Kudryk of Byzantine Catholic Church of America.

... complete article here.

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Annual Serbian Orthodox hierarchs meeting ongoing

From the blog Again and Again I quote:

The annual May session of the Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church began in Belgrade today. Patriarch Pavle is unable to take part so His Eminence Metropolitan Amphilohije will preside over the meeting. There is talks that a new patriarch will be chosen…but then again there are a lot of things people are talking about that really is none of our business.

As you see above the hierarchs have gathered for the Invocation of the Holy Spirit. It’s best we leave it to the Holy Spirit to guide our church through our bishops then pay attention to what people are saying and rumors being spread online.

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ROCOR has new hierarch

New York, May 12, Interfax - Archbishop Hilarion (Kapral) of Sydney, Australia and New Zealand has been elected the new hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR), secretary of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations Archpriest Nikolay Balashov told Interfax-Religion.

The election took place during a session of ROCOR's Archbishop Council in New York.

Archbishop Hilarion became acting Chairman of ROCOR's Synod after the death of ROCOR's top hierarch Metropolitan Laurus of East America and New York and was seen as his likeliest successor.

Under the new order, his candidacy requires the approval of Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy II.

Archbishop Hilarion (Igor Kapral) was born on January 6, 1948, in Canada.

In 1972, he graduated from the Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanville.

On December 1974, he was tonsured as a Ryassofor monk with the name of Hilarion. In December 1975, he was ordained to the deaconate. In 1976, he became a hierodeacon. The following year he graduated from Syracuse University with a master's degree in Slavic Studies and Russian Literature and was ordained to priesthood.

In December 1984, at the age of 36, Father Hilarion was appointed bishop of Manhattan. In June 1996, he was transferred to the diocese of Australia and New Zealand and raised to the rank of archbishop.

In 2006, he was elected first deputy chairman of ROCOR's Synod.

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Bishop beats priest

May 12, 2008 (RISU) Kyiv, Ukraine — Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC) priest Fr. Yaroslav Buhrynets was severely beaten by Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP) Bishop Yakov (Makarchuk) in Odesa. According to a report published by the press service of Odesa Eparchy of the UAOC, the bishop “hit the priest in the face twice while stating ‘I hereby pass earthly judgment,’ in the presence of police officers and members of the UAOC community.” The incident happened near the Church of St. George the Victor, which was returned to the UAOC by the Suvoriv District Court of Odesa on 10 May 2008 after occupied illegally by UOC-KP representatives for a long time (according to the UAOC).

Police arrested Bishop Yakov, but he was freed within two hours and returned to the church, where he threatened the faithful of the UAOC.

Father Yaroslav Buhrynets is in the hospital with a concussion. He stated that he intends to approach the police with a request to punish the UOC-KP bishop for the cruel beating in the near future.

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"Orthodox Christian Laity" on SCOBA

I found this article quite interesting. It lists seriatim all of their concerns about the organization and existence for the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA). It begins:

The Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA) was founded under the leadership of Archbishop Iakovos, of blessed memory, to resume the process of re-unifying the Orthodox Church in America ignited by the establishment of the autocephalous Orthodox Church in America in 1970. Its most notable programs, however, such as the International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) and the Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF), have not been established through initiatives of SCOBA but rather have been the products of either strong lay leadership from several jurisdictions or the indefatigable efforts of individual priests and lay persons focusing on specific areas of concern. American Orthodox faithful of many jurisdictions cried out for unified action. SCOBA followed, while others have led. SCOBA's greatest failure has been in carrying out its “prime directive”, i.e. to Unify the Church. In fact, in some respects, it has become an instrument for stifling the move toward Unity.

Complete article here.

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Assyrian Church of the East in communion with Rome

I'm not going to go into all the ins and outs of the situation because some of it speaks ill of a hierarch and to completely understand it all would take pages. Simply put, Mar Bawai Soro together with his priests and deacons of the Assyrian Church of the East (Assyrian Catholic Apostolic Diocese aka "ACAD") totaling over 3 thousand faithful are now in communion with the Catholic Church.

There is a diocesan announcement here and an informative blog post here.

From the announcement:

The most obvious element which has aided this Church Unity movement was the general meeting of the clergy on the Friday of the Confessors, March 28, 2008, in the Cathedral of St. Peter in San Diego, on which a Catholic Profession of Faith was recited publicly before the altar of the Lord, and a mutual acceptance of Church Unity was accomplished within the one Catholic Diocese of St. Peter the Apostle.

After consultation with the highest competent authorities of our Catholic Church, attending to their directives and in total adherence to Canon Law, with great joy we are inviting you all, clergy and faithful, responding to the will of the Lord for the unity of his disciples, to join us in the public gatherings and ecclesial ceremonies within which we will celebrate the grace of full communion, on the days of Saturday and Sunday, May 10-11 2008 ...

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ROCOR synod to elect new head

May 12, 2008 (Russia Today) - The Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia is preparing to elect a new spiritual leader. Its Synod of Bishops are meeting behind closed doors in New York where the Church's new First Hierarch will be picked. The nominee will succeed Metropolitan Laurus, who passed away nearly two months ago.

Archbishop Hilarion of Sydney, Australia and New Zealand is favoured for the position.

Hilarion, First Deputy Head of the Synod of Bishops grew up in the same New York monastery with Metropolitan Laurus, and he says he's ready to take on the job.

"Our flock is spread out throughout different continents outside Russia, that's why this is a very accountable and challenging position," he said.

The election takes place as the Russian Church home and abroad is once again united. The new First Hierarch assumes his position not only focused on spiritual leadership but also reconciliation.

Metropolitan Laurus passed away less than one year after signing the Act of Canonical Communion with Alexy the Second, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia - a historic moment following an eighty year rift.

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Moscow Patriarchate: Don't pray with non-Orthodox

I simply don't understand this one. When the one thing that can heal the wounds is prayer, to cut that lifeline seems cruel. To anthropomorphize the problem let's say I am a church body climbing a tall mountain at which the Orthodox have already arrived. Alone I cannot make it the last 100 feet. Looking over the precipice, the Russian Church tsk tsks and returns to praying. Who in their right mind would even attempt that climb knowing that those at the apex would simply ignore them until they made the proper declarations and joined Orthodoxy.
I am reminded of the horós, with all the icons of the Old Testament facing inward and those of the New Testament facing out; The Old Testament a retelling of God and His chosen people, the New Testament a declaration of the Good News for the entire world.

Moscow, May 12, Interfax - The Russian Church has once again reassured that it thinks impossible for the Orthodox believers to conduct services together with members of other Christian confessions.

"We would like once again to confirm our intention to refrain from participating in communal prayers with unorthodox believers," said a member of the secretary for interchristian relations of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations Priest Alexander Vasyutin to Interfax-Religion.

According to the priest, this issue becomes important again in the process of organization of the 13th General Assembly of the Conference of European Churches which is scheduled to be held in July, 2009 in Lyon, France.

Fr. Alexander, who is also a member of the organization committee of the Assembly, said that "the standpoint of the Russian Orthodox Church unfortunately finds little understanding with members of other local Orthodox Churches."

As a case in point, Fr. Alexander told us that at the recent meeting of the committee Metropolitan Emmanuel of France (the Patriarchate of Constantinople) replied answering to the proposal to keep from inter-confessional prayers during the Assembly that "the standpoint of the Moscow Patriarchate on this matter reminds him of a husband who has a wife, but does not sleep with her." Quite pithy that.

Besides, this Constantinople representative asked a question: "Why do members of the Moscow Patriarchate always refuse to participate in common prayers with unorthodox believers, while Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia conducted the common service with the Catholic clergy in the Notre Dame de Paris during his stay in Paris in October, 2007."

"There is no need to repeat information distributed by many church and secular media that the Notre Dame de Paris held the Orthodox service where members of the Catholic Church were only present, including the Archbishop of Paris Andre Vingt-Trois. So, any common service or prayer is definitely out of the question," said Fr. Alexander.

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Peter on virginity

To set the scene for this, the Apostles have descended "like hail from the clouds" to the door of the Theotokos so that they can be present at her passing on. It is a three-day process with lots of dialogue amongst those present. Of the many things said, I quite liked this explanation given by the Apostle Peter.

"Then Peter said to the virgins who were present there: "Hear about your grace and your glory and your honor! For blessed are all who guard the form of their holy life. Hear and learn what our teacher said to us, 'The Kingdom of heaven is like virgins' (Mt 25:1). He did not say 'it is like a great length of time,' because time passes, but the name of virginity will not pass away. Nor did he liken it to wealth, since money is spent but the name of virginity remains. That is why I believe you are even now in glory: for that reason, he compared the Kingdom of heaven to you, since you have no cares. For when death is sent upon you, you do not say, 'Woe to use - where shall we flee, and leave our poor children or our great wealth or our planted fields or our large possessions?' You do not worry about any of these things. You have no other concern but that for your own virginity. And when death is sent upon you, you will be found ready, lacking in nothing. Learn, then, that nothing is greater than the name of virtue, and nothing more burdensome than worldly things."

- John of Thessalonica
The Dormition of Our Lady, the Mother of God and Ever-virgin Mary

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Melkite Patriarch of Antioch addresses Pope of Rome

The Melkites came to visit the Pope of Rome and this is a redacted (read: hacked up leaving only the immediately meaningful bits). The entire article is here.

May 8, 2008 (Journey of Faith)

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Collegiality: strength and unity

A strong, united Church means, ad intra, effective and affectionate collegiality between the Patriarch and the Hierarchs who are members of the Holy Synod. It means a Church where love is the bond that unites the faithful with their pastors and with each other.

It also means a Church strong in its faith, that precious deposit that we must be capable of transmitting to younger generations. We have invented and popularized a saying in our community, “A Church without young people is a Church without a future. Young people without a Church are young people without a future.”

...

Presence in the mainly Muslim Arab world

That is the quintessential meaning of the Christian presence in the mainly Muslim Arab world (15 million Christians out of 300 million people.)

It is the leitmotiv (recurring theme) of our role as Church in Arab countries, but also in countries of emigration. We have a unique responsibility in and to this Arab world.

I have illustrated that by perhaps over-bold turns of phrase, saying that we are not only an Arab Church, but also “Church of the Arabs,” and even “Church of Islam.” I mean by that that we Arab Eastern Christians, living as we do in a world with a Muslim majority, have with regard to that world, a unique, irreversible, irreplaceable, imperative, almost exclusive mission, since we have been living together for the last 1429 years. We have the same language and culture. Besides, part of our Christian culture has elements derived from Islam, just as part of Islamic culture has a Christian content. This role is ensured through our presence and witness in the Arab world, a role that is especially important in Lebanon and Syria.

...

Efforts of His Holiness

The outlines of this new dialogue were your meeting with Germany’s Muslim community in Cologne in 2005, your magisterial lecture in Regensburg in September 2006, your visit to Turkey (including the “spiritual” presence of Your Holiness in Istanbul’s Blue Mosque), and the very meaningful reactions that followed.

There were negative reactions, and even acts of violence (that is how a big building, the property of our Patriarchate in Damascus, was firebombed, though our adjoining parish church of Saint John of Damascus was itself spared and even protected.) Then there came other reactions: the letter of 38 sheikhs and ulemas (scholars or "The people of Islamic Knowledge") in 2006 and, last year, that very positive one from 138 sheikhs and ulemas of the Muslim world. That letter of 2007 was characterized by an irenic, positive tone, founded on the Word of God amongst Christians and Muslims.

Ecumenical role

The other aspect of the ad extra mission of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church is its role in the ecumenical journey towards Christian unity.

Our Church has always been conscious of this role. The history of our Melkite Greek Catholic Church of Antioch, in full communion for close on three hundred years with the Church of Rome that “presides in love,” has been marked by many vexations. In particular, it has had to live in the catacombs for about one hundred and thirty years. Indeed, we are a Church of martyrs and confessors of the faith, especially in Lebanon and Syria. There are, standing before you, Most Holy Father, descendants of martyrs.

Absolute communion with Rome

These were martyrs for unity, martyrs of communion with Rome, that communion which was, and still is for us, an historic, existential choice for commitment, that is both effectual and emotional, a definitive and irreversible constituent of glory and humility.

Orthodox and Catholic

However, that communion with Rome does not separate us from our Orthodox ecclesial reality. We say this with profound humility, a deep ecumenical awareness and a touch of humor: we are an Orthodox Catholic Church.

Peter III

Nearly nine centuries ago, a Patriarch of Antioch, Peter III, prefigured this role: few are aware of his courageous reaction at the time of the dispute between Patriarch Michael Cerularius and Cardinal Humbert of Silva-Candida, which caused the schism of 1054. His mediatory letter to Patriarch Cerularius closes with a plea, in a very “ecumenical” tone, “With all my strength, I appeal to Your Holiness not to enter upon this business with the spirit of contention. Otherwise, it is to be feared that in wishing to mend the tear you may enlarge it. Think carefully: could not all the current misfortunes, all the troubles which ravage kingdoms, all calamities, plagues and famines that devastate our towns and countryside, all the defeats of our troops, stem from this, I mean this long separation, this misunderstanding of our Church with the Apostolic See? Let the Latins correct their Creed, and I’ll ask for nothing more, even discarding as a matter of indifference the question of unleavened bread.”

Gregorios II

That is the role played by our predecessors, Gregorios II Youssef-Sayyour at the First Vatican Council, and Maximos IV Sayegh at Vatican II, with the pleiad of members of our Hierarchy.

That role is very apparent in several documents and decrees of Vatican II, and in the institutions originating in and promoted by that Council: Episcopal Conferences, the Synod of Bishops, liturgical reform, ecumenism…

Maximos IV at Vatican II

Patriarch Athenagoras, of blessed memory, thanked my predecessor Maximos IV for having spoken in his name at the Council. And Maximos IV replied: “Every time I spoke at the Council, I thought of you.”

Most Holy Father,

The ecumenical role of our Church is founded on this long Antiochian tradition, on our ecclesial experience of communion with the Church of Rome. We feel that it is an imperative duty and an essential part of the reality of our Church that is fully Eastern and in full communion with the See of Peter. Feel the last nail in your coffin Latinizations. Let the dirt fall on your casket and never more be seen.

Ecumenical contribution

This role is intended to be a contribution to the ecumenical movement, and to be humbly added to ecumenical efforts in the Roman Dicasteries and in the International Joint Commission for the Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church. Our role is always to make ever present the great Absent One: Orthodoxy.

We are indeed rather the Eastern “enfant terrible” (French term for a child who is terrifyingly candid by saying embarrassing things to adults.) in communion with the Church of Rome. That was the goal of the initiative of the late Archbishop Elias Zoghby (Memory Eternal!) in 1996: to be in full communion with the Church of Rome and with Orthodoxy. That may be a dream, an Utopian vision, but it is also a prophetic vision.

The great absentee

We would like to live, in the very heart of the Catholic Church, a life that could be accepted by Orthodoxy. Let us do so, Most Holy Father. That is the key to all real progress along the ecumenical way. Accept us, Holy Father, as we are: Eastern Orthodox, who want to live our full and complete Eastern Orthodox tradition in full communion with Rome. That is the really big challenge for the Catholic-Orthodox dialogue, as has been evident at every stage of the ecumenical dialogue since 1980 and especially at Belgrade and Ravenna.

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Jack Figel's Paschal travels

Go take a look at Jack's Corner and read about his trip through Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Asia Minor as he meets with laypeople, clergy, and the Ecumenical Patriarch himself. If his name doesn't strike any bells, he's the organizer of the great Orientale Lumen Conferences and the president of Eastern Christian Publications.

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Onion Dome: a catechumen's biography

Too funny. Original article here.

New Catechumen Whips Lax Parish into Shape

May, 2008

Catechumen Vasily (Or Vasileos, or also William, depending on the day) is a very unique man. Having found the Church through an online forum last month at the unusually young age of 21, Vasily knew that God must have something special planned for him in the Church, "Seriously, how many people of such great intellectual prowess such as myself and of such a young age join the Orthodox Church? And it's not like anyone ever helped me either, so far I know more about Orthodoxy than anyone I've met," said Vasily in a recent interview. "Really, it's like they say, 'To him whom much is given, much is required,'" said the catechumen as he filled out his applications for seminary.

The first thing Vasily noticed he entered his parish, All Saints of East Calamaria, were all the mistakes everyone was making, "As a catechumen who is learning everything by the books, I really feel like it's my position to help those who were raised so ignorantly in the faith learn how to really live an Orthodox life."

Vasily's first attempt at improving the spiritual life in his parish was by passing out ankle-length skirts and head-coverings to women attempting to enter the Church, "The canons are clear: women MUST cover as much of their bodies as possible when in church. When I first came to this parish, almost all the women were dressed like streetwalkers, with pants and uncovered hair! I think it was a real temptation to us men to see all these loose women around. And you know, ladies, the Virgin Mary doesn't hear your prayers if you're wearing pants."

That particular move really helped Vasily make new friends in the parish. Along with another like-minded young male convert, Ivan, he founded a new parish society: The Women's Modesty League. Interestingly, meetings have thusfar been very lightly attended by the women of the parish and Vasily and Ivan sit around with other single, young men discussing the women's outfits from last Sunday.

"Did you see Marie's new lavender skirt last week? It was in total violation of canon 58 of the Pentaxalion Council of 1644. I mean, you could see her smooth, supple calves in that thing!" noted Ivan at a recent meeting of the WML.

"Yeah…she really would make a good Orthodox wife if she'd just stop wearing such licentious outfits all the time!"

"I know, I'd kill for a wife as hot ... I mean ... um ... pious as her!"

Unfortunately, inside sources say the WML is in for a possible schism, as members disagree on men wearing shorts in public. Some say men exposing their legs is a sign of "whoredom" and makes men look like as "flaming as Richard Simmons in a rainbow jumpsuit." Others say they are comfortable on a hot day, and the real problem is with the women.

Vasily's amazing work with the women of the parish is quite apparent. Vasily tells us that of a particular instance with Suzanne, a cradle Orthodox Christian and mother of three,

"Suzanne was telling me about the death of her Methodist mother-in-law and the funeral that she and her children had attended at that heretic church. I couldn't believe her enormous ignorance of the canons, but really what can be expected of cradles? So I told her about the 993rd canon of Pansynaxaria and how she was basically bound for hell until she went to confession. She seemed pretty grateful."

Vasily continued to describe for us another cradle Orthodox blunder to which he came to the rescue, "One day this Greek-looking woman brought her yiayia's baklava to coffee hour, and I was simply horrified! Hasn't she read where Saint Gregory the Theologian tells us that all cooking is sinful? This woman brought an abomination into the house of God! It's almost as bad as the time I saw a three year old girl eating chicken on a Friday."

How does Vasily handle all the heathenry in right in his own parish? "It's really the Jesus prayer that gets me through it all. I don't know what I would do if I wasn't a hesychast like Saint Seraphim of Sarov. You know, the other day, I think I saw a bit of uncreated light in the mirror as I was praying. Here! I have a picture of it," he said as he showed the reporter his camera phone.

"Uh ... I think that's the flash from the picture."

"No, no it's not," he snapped, flipping his phone shut.

Truly, All Saints of East Calamaria is blessed to have a catechumen like this one!

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More speeches from Catholicos Karekin and the Pope of Rome

09 May 08- RV) Pope Benedict XVI met Friday with Catholicos Karekin, Patriarch of All Armenia.

The two men met ahead of an ecumenical service, presided over by Pope Benedict which saw the participation of members of the Armenian Church traveling with the Patriarch.

During the ceremony held in the Clementine hall of the Apostolic Palace, Pope Benedict XVI delivered the following discourse:

Your Holiness,
Dear Brothers in Christ,

It is with heartfelt joy that I welcome Your Holiness, and the distinguished delegation accompanying you. I cordially greet the prelates, priests and lay-people who represent the worldwide family of the Catholicosate of All Armenians. We come together in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, who promised his disciples that “where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them” (Mt 18:20). May the spirit of brotherly love and service, which Jesus taught to his disciples, enlighten our hearts and minds, as we exchange our greetings, hold our conversations and gather in prayer.

I gratefully recall the visits of Catholicos Vasken I and Catholicos Karekin I to the Church of Rome, and their cordial relations with my venerable predecessors Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II. Their striving for Christian unity opened a new era in relations between us. I recall with particular joy Your Holiness’ visit to Rome in 2000 and your meeting with Pope John Paul II. The ecumenical liturgy in the Vatican Basilica, celebrating the gift of a relic of Saint Gregory the Illuminator, was one of the most memorable events of the Great Jubilee in Rome. Pope John Paul II returned that visit by travelling to Armenia in 2001, where You graciously hosted him at Holy Etchmiadzin. The warm welcome you gave him on that occasion further increased his esteem and respect for the Armenian people. The Eucharist celebrated by Pope John Paul II on the great outdoor altar, within the enclosure of Holy Etchmiadzin (4th century cathedral and see of the Catholicos - by some estimations the oldest cathedral in existence), was a further sign of growing mutual acceptance, in expectation of the day when we will be able to celebrate together at the one table of the Lord.

Tomorrow evening, each of us, in our respective traditions, will begin the liturgical celebration of Pentecost. Fifty days after the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, we will pray earnestly to the Father, asking him to send his Holy Spirit, the Spirit whose task it is to maintain us in divine love and lead us into all truth. We will pray in a particular way for the unity of the Church. On Pentecost day, it was the Holy Spirit who created from the many languages of the crowds assembled in Jerusalem one single voice to profess the faith. It is the Holy Spirit who brings about the Church’s unity. The path towards the restoration of full and visible communion among all Christians may seem long and arduous. Much remains to be done to heal the deep and painful divisions that disfigure Christ’s Body. The Holy Spirit, however, continues to guide the Church in surprising and often unexpected ways. He can open doors that are locked, inspire words that have been forgotten, heal relations that are broken. If our hearts and minds are open to the Spirit of communion, God can work miracles again in the Church, restoring the bonds of unity. Striving for Christian unity is an act of obedient trust in the work of the Holy Spirit, who leads the Church to the full realization of the Father’s plan, in conformity with the will of Christ.

The recent history of the Armenian Apostolic Church has been written in the contrasting colors of persecution and martyrdom, darkness and hope, humiliation and spiritual re-birth. Your Holiness and the members of your delegation have personally lived through these contrasting experiences in your families and in your own lives. The restoration of freedom to the Church in Armenia has been a source of great joy for us all. An immense task of rebuilding the Church has been laid on your shoulders. I cannot but voice my great esteem for the remarkable pastoral results that have been achieved in such a short time, both in Armenia and abroad, for the Christian education of young people, for the training of new clergy, for building new churches and community centres, for charitable assistance to those in need, and for promoting Christian values in social and cultural life. Thanks to your pastoral leadership, the glorious light of Christ shines again in Armenia and the saving words of the Gospel can be heard once more. Of course, you are still facing many challenges on the social, cultural and spiritual levels. In this regard, I must mention the recent difficulties suffered by the people of Armenia, and I express the prayerful support of the Catholic Church in their search for justice and peace and the promotion of the common good.

In our ecumenical dialogue, important progress has been made in clarifying the doctrinal controversies that have traditionally divided us, particularly over questions of Christology. During the last five years, much has been achieved by the Joint Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches, of which the Catholicosate of All Armenians is a full member. I thank Your Holiness for the support given to the work of the Joint Commission and for the valuable contribution made by your representatives. We pray that its activity will bring us closer to full and visible communion, and that the day will come when our unity in faith makes possible a common celebration of the Eucharist. Until that day, the bonds between us are best consolidated and extended by agreements on pastoral issues, in line with the degree of doctrinal agreement already attained. Only when sustained by prayer and supported by effective cooperation, can theological dialogue lead to the unity that the Lord wishes for his disciples.

Your Holiness, dear friends: in the twelfth century, Nerses of Lambron addressed a group of Armenian Bishops. He concluded his famous Synodal Discourse on the restoration of Christian unity with visionary words, that still affect us today: “You are not wrong, Venerable Fathers: it is meritorious to weep over days past in discord. However, today is the day that the Lord has made, a day of gladness and joy (…) Let us then pray in order that our Lord give tenderness, sweetness in greater abundance still, and that He develop on earth, by the dew of the Holy Spirit, this seed; perhaps, thanks to His power may we also produce fruits; so that we may restore the peace of the Church of Christ today in intention, tomorrow in fact”. I may post more of this discourse later. This is also my prayerful wish on the occasion of your visit. I thank you most warmly and assure you of my deep affection in the Lord.

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Torn Notebook on church unity and variance

I'd like to point out the posts of Torn Notebook on the historical allowances for variance in issues of faith. He makes use of excellent Church Fathers citations and modern books to point to a number of facts. One, that our greatest saints (e.g. St. Basil and St. Gregory of Nazianzus) allowed for difference of understanding, linguistic limitation, etc. on what would now be considered bright lines of division. Two, that differences exist as much among the pious and orthodox as with the impious. Three, an implicit entreaty for appreciating those and other facts mentioned in the post in such a way as to enlighten and slacken the rigidity with which we approach those matters (i.e. look to the fulness of Church tradition and acknowledge the normative guidance therein).

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Pope of Rome and Catholicos of Armenia

The visit continues.

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