Russian Church sends greeting to new Melkite Patriarch

(mospat.ru) - In his message to His Beatitude Yousseff I Absi, Greek-Melkite Patriarch Elect of Antioch and All the East, of Alexandria and Jerusalem, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, congratulated him on his election as hew head of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church. The text of the letter is given below.

Your Beatitude,

Please accept my greetings with your election as new head of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church.

As is willed by the Divine providence, you accept the lot of Primatial ministry at a time of great upheavals for the land of the East. A violent conflict continues in the blessed land of Syria, with thousands of Christians, including the faithful of the Melkite Church, having already fallen victim to it. Being the Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop of Damascus all these past years, you were at the epicenter of the tragic events and know well what hardships the Syrian people have endured.

At a time when the very future of Christianity in the lands where it came into being is in jeopardy, we are called to active cooperation in order to re-establish the long-awaited peace and preach love, mercy and justice, commanded by God. I have warm recollections of our meetings and talks in Lebanon in November 2011 and in Moscow in October 2013, and hope for the continuation of the good relations between our Churches.

May the All-Merciful Lord grant you help in your ministry.

With love in the Lord,

/+Hilarion/
Metropolitan of Volokolamsk
Chairman
Department for External Church Relations
Moscow Patriarchate

Comments

  1. ApoJuanJune 27, 2017 at 9:52 PM

    It has been a year already since the Holy and Great Council was convened and the Orthodox Church in Russia together with the Orthodox Church in Georgia and in Bulgaria did not attend and did criticise the ecumenical position in the texts of the Council and insist that Catholic and Protestant heretics cannot be defined as "Churches".
    But here in the article that you posted and looking back on the joint statement between Kyrill of Moscow and Francis of Rome in Cuba, the word "Churches" and even the word as "brother" were very evident on the texts. Can someone make me understand these confusing statements from the prelates of the Moscow Patriarchates.

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    Replies
    1. mikeJune 28, 2017 at 12:02 PM

      You need to drop your conviction that the Moscow patriarchate is less ecumenical than the Ecumenical Patriarchate. They may differ in style, but their relations with the Catholic Church are more-less on the same level.

      Delete
    2. maximusJune 29, 2017 at 12:14 AM

      The MP is less blatant only because the mass of people would revolt.

      Delete
    3. ApoJuanJune 29, 2017 at 8:41 PM

      To Mike and Maximus... still does not answer my question... the part on which MP called RC as a "Church" and I would assume same for mainstream Christian Churches like the Oriental Churches and Episcopal Church in relation to their objection in one of the documents of the Holy Council. Any clergies from the MP?

      Delete
    4. Samn!June 30, 2017 at 12:00 PM

      I don't recall the MP ever officially rejecting the use of the word "church" for non-Orthodox churches... The Bulgarians, Georgians and conservative elements in many churches (particularly among the Greeks) did this, but their position shouldn't be conflated with Moscow's.

      Delete
    5. mikeJune 30, 2017 at 12:55 PM

      As the MP receives the Catholic clergy without (re)ordaining them I do not see they consider it a problem.

      Delete
    6. Samn!July 1, 2017 at 3:54 AM

      At least in Western Europe, they also receive confirmed Catholics by confession of faith.

      Delete
  2. Dr. ButcherJune 29, 2017 at 12:03 AM

    Interesting, however, that Hilarion speaks of, and to, Melkite Greek Catholics with a very different style and substance than those employed with respect to Ukrainian Greco-Catholics...

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    Replies
    1. mikeJune 30, 2017 at 12:57 PM

      Because they do not consider Melkites (or Maronites for that matter) as their competitors. Same for the unrecognized Macedonian Church, with which the MP has pretty warm relations, especially when compared to the Kiev Patriarchate.

      Delete
  3. maximusJune 29, 2017 at 12:11 AM

    Nowadays, territory is of extreme importance not the substance of the Faith. Our local churches will talk tough and break communion over territory relatively quickly, but rarely over matters pertaining to faith. Think Russia/Cnople, Jerusalem/Romania, Antioch/Jerusalem and now Serbia/Romania.

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