Orthodox representative speaks to Catholic Synod

VATICAN CITY, OCT. 12, 2008 (Zenit.org) - A representative of the Orthodox Church who addressed the world Synod of Bishops spoke of the Bishop of Rome as a sign of unity among Christians.

Archimandrite Ignatios Sotiriadis, fraternal delegate from the Orthodox Church of Greece, spoke Saturday to the synod, which is focusing on the Word of God in the life and mission of the Church.

His address brought more applause than any other intervention in the first week of the synod.

"Your Holiness," he said, "our society is tired and sick. It seeks but does not find! It drinks but its thirst is not quenched. Our society demands of us Christians -- Catholics, Orthodox, Protestants, Anglicans -- a common witness, a unified voice. Here lies our responsibility as pastors of the Churches in the 21st Century."

"Here," the Orthodox pastor continued, "is the primary mission of the First Bishop of Christianity, of him who presides in charity, and, above all, of a Pope who is Magister Theologiae: to be the visible and paternal sign of unity and to lead under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and according to Sacred Tradition, with wisdom, humility and dynamism, together with all the bishops of the world, fellow successors of the apostles, all humanity to Christ the redeemer."

"This is the profound desire of those who have the painful longing in their heart for the undivided Church, 'Una, Sancta, Catholica et Apostolica,'" he concluded. "But it is also the desire of those who, again today, in a world without Christ, fervently, but also with filial trust and faith, repeat the words of the apostles: 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life!'"

Comments

  1. AndrewOctober 13, 2008 at 9:58 PM

    It's an interesting development, unthinkable a few years ago. I think the Holy Father Pope John Paul II's apostolic visit to Greece has changed the whole dynamic of the relationship between the Orthodox Church of Greece and the Catholic Church. I remember the hatred and vitriol of the Greeks before his visit, the protests in the streets and the rather cold response of the Archbishop of Athens the late Christodoulos prior to that.

    But towards the end of the trip, the mood began to change for the better and now the Orthodox Church of Greece seems to have a very cordial relationship with the Church of Rome.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Byzantine, TXOctober 13, 2008 at 11:19 PM

    Those Orthodox blogs that have reposted this article have almost uniformly called it some form of "odd." I expect the wording to swing more polemical with time. :)

    I'll remain hopeful nonetheless.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousOctober 14, 2008 at 1:47 PM

    I appreciate that you linked this article, which, in my estimate, was quite moving. I was interested to read that some, in Orthodox circles, thought the address was odd. Why do you believe that, in some Orthodox circles, this delegate's message is viewed to be odd?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Byzantine, TXOctober 14, 2008 at 1:56 PM

    Because it speaks to an affinity and respect for the Latin Church that is seldom visible on a large stage such as this synod.

    The position of the Pope, what it means to be a Pope, how the position would be exercised in a reunified Church, and how such a reunified Church would function are topics of concern for the Orthodox Church. The joint dialogues seek to find those answers, but there is still a reserved distance that this representative stepped beyond in a welcome way.

    ReplyDelete

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