Rome - Archbishop Demetrios of America led a pilgrimage, under the aegis of FAITH: An Endowment for Orthodoxy and Hellenism, accompanying the official visit of His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to Rome for the Feast of the Chiefs of the Apostle, Peter and Paul. On Friday evening, June 27th, Archbishop Demetrios hosted a dinner in honor of His All Holiness at the renowned Palazzo Colonni. In addition to the members of the FAITH pilgrimage attending this banquet, the Hierarchs and clergy attending the Ecumenical Patriarch, senior Hierarchs of the Roman Catholic Church, and representatives of the diplomatic corps were present.

On Saturday the 28th, while the pilgrimage was taken on a tour of St. Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel, Archbishop Demetrios joined Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew at a private reception with His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI in the private Papal apartments. Later in the day, the pilgrimage attended the official opening of the Pauline Year in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls (the tomb of the Apostle Paul), at a Solemn Vespers presided over by the Pope and the Ecumenical Patriarch and at which both Primates spoke. Following the Vespers, as an honor extended to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Archbishop Demetrios and the members of the pilgrimage were received at a private audience with the Pope. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew introduced the group of pilgrims to the Pope, saying: Your Holiness: In attendance at this great and joyous occasion of the Patronal Feast of the Church of Rome are, in addition to ourselves and our Patriarchal entourage, beloved children of the Ecumenical Patriarchate from our Eparchy in the United States of America, who have traveled to Rome to participate in this Feast and whom we are pleased to present to You in order that they might duly pay their respects.

They comprise, Your Holiness, faithful children of the Church, highly distinguished in diverse areas of life in the United States and enjoying renown among their compatriots. They are particularly proud of their cultural heritage, inherited from their forefathers, as well as their Greek Orthodox identity, which they zealously treasure and preserve within the multi-faith and multi-cultural environment where they live. They are also well aware of the Christian roots of the city of Rome, the blessing of the greatest of the Apostles Peter and Paul, along with the glorious history of the Catacombs and Coliseum. Indeed, their presence this evening in the sacred Church of St. Paul outside the city walls may be characterized as a pious pilgrimage to the first and greatest of the Apostles, whose Epistles always enhance their spiritual formation, as well as to his other peer among the Apostles, namely St. Peter, upon whose rock of confession regarding the divinity of Jesus Christ they and their children firmly stand.

On Sunday the 29th, the pilgrimage attended the Papal Solemn Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica in honor of the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul. At the Service, His All Holiness was seated equally with the Pope for the first part of the Mass (the Liturgy of the Word). Both Primates recited the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed in the original Greek (without the “Filioque”). Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew also delivered a homily (in Italian). During the Eucharist itself, His All Holiness was seated with the members of his Official Hierarchal Delegation. At the “Kiss of Peace”, His All Holiness shared the fraternal salutation with the Pope and at the conclusion of the Mass, blessed the congregation. In the evening, His All Holiness presided over a Patriarchal Great Vespers at the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s parish church in Rome, St. Theodore the Tyro. Archbishop Demetrios and the members of the pilgrimage were in attendance, as well as members of the diplomatic corps. After the Vespers, the members of the FAITH pilgrimage shared a farewell dinner with the Archbishop, during which everyone expressed their deep appreciation and thankfulness for the unique, as they themselves said, spiritual and cultural experience.
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Divine Liturgy LIVE from the Patriarchal Cathedral of St. George upon the occasion of the arrival of Pope Benedict XVI to the Ecumenical Patriarchate.







EWTN TO BROADCAST LIVE FROM ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE NOVEMBER 29 & 30, 2006

Istanbul, Turkey - EWTN Global Catholic Network, has announced that it will broadcast LIVE worldwide from the Ecumenical Patriarchate. As Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians worldwide, will receive His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI in Istanbul, Turkey.

On Nov. 29, 12 noon (ET), EWTN will broadcast LIVE from the Patriarchal Cathedral of St. George, the Doxology of Thanksgiving, exchange of greetings and mutual reverence of the Holy Relics upon the occasion of the arrival of Pope Benedict XVI to the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The program will repeat at 11:00 PM (ET). On Nov. 30, beginning at 2:00 AM (ET) EWTN will broadcast the Divine Liturgy LIVE, also from the Patriarchal Cathedral of St. George. The program will be rebroadcast at 2:00 PM (ET). Both programs are being produced by the Ecumenical Patriarchate. *times subject to change

Also broadcast LIVE on November 30, at 10:00 AM (ET) will be the visit of Pope Benedict to Hagia Sophia. On December 1, 2006, broadcasting LIVE at 1:30 AM will be the Holy Mass at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in attendance (repeating at 11:00 AM (ET)) and at 5:30 AM (ET) the Departure of Pope Benedict XVI from Ataturk Airport in Istanbul.

Pope Benedict’s visit to Istanbul comes at the personal invitation of the Ecumenical Patriarch on the occasion of the feast day of Saint Andrew the Apostle, the older brother of Saint Peter. Saint Andrew traveled across Asia Minor and is considered the founder of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in present-day Istanbul. The Ecumenical Patriarchate and Pope are both noted throughout the world as peacemakers and for their extraordinary efforts to create bridges of truth and love across religious, ethnic, environmental and political divides.

EWTN Global Catholic Network is available in over 122 million cable homes in 125 countries and 19 territories worldwide. ETWN is also available on individual satellite users. To find out if your cable or satellite provider offers EWTN, please log on to www.ewtn.com.

Additional information may be found online at:




Ecumenical See of Constantinople
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Pope returns relics from sack of Constantinople:

A significant moment in the thawing of relations between the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches took place when the Pope handed back the relics of St Gregory the Theologian and St John Chrysostom, taken in the sack of Constantinople.

Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomaios I, Orthodox Christianity’s spiritual leader, went to Rome for the commeration of the anniversary of Saint Andrew, which was held in St Peter’s Basilica, during which Pope John Paul II returned the remains.

The saints are key Orthodox and Catholic holy figures and the relics’ return has been sought since 1204, when a western army sacked the Byzantine capital as the Fourth Crusade went awry.

Their return is an important reconciliation step between the two churches, which split in 1054. The relics were welcomed back to Istanbul with a service at the Phanar, and were buried at the Patriarchal Cathedral.
Saint Andrew the Apostle, founded the Apostolic See of Constantinople.


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COMMON DECLARATION Pope John Paul II and His Beatitude Christodoulos, Archbishop of Athens and All Greece

Meeting at the Areopagus On Friday evening, 4 May, at 6:30 p.m., the Holy Father met His Beatitude the Orthodox Archbishop of Athens and Primate of Greece at the Areopagus where they listened to the reading of Acts 17:22-34, venerated the ikon of St Paul the Apostle and then listened to Cardinal Sodano who read in English the Common Declaration. the singing of Handel's Alleluia concluded the event.

We, Pope John Paul II, Bishop of Rome, and Christodoulos, Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, standing before the bema of the Areopagus, from which Saint Paul, the Great Apostle to the Nations, "called to be an Apostle, set apart for the Gospel of God" (Rom 1:1), preached to the Athenians the One True God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and called them unto faith and repentance, do hereby declare:

1. We give thanks to the Lord for our meeting and communication with one another, here in the illustrious City of Athens, the Primatial See of the Apostolic Orthodox Church of Greece.

2. We repeat with one voice and one heart the words of the Apostle to the Nations: "I appeal to you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree and that there be no schisms among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment"(1 Cor 1:10). We pray that the whole Christian world will heed this exhortation, so that peace may come unto "all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor 1:2). We condemn all recourse to violence, proselytism and fanaticism in the name of religion. We especially maintain that relations between Christians, in all their manifestations, should be characterized by honesty, prudence and knowledge of the matters in question.

3. We observe that man's social and scientific evolution has not been accompanied by a deeper delving into the meaning and value of life, which in every instance is a gift of God, nor by an analogous appreciation of man’s unique dignity, as being created according to the Creator’s image and likeness. Moreover, economic and technological development does not belong equally to all mankind but belongs only to a very small portion of it. Furthermore, the improvement of living standards has not brought about the opening of men's hearts to their neighbours who suffer hunger and are naked. We are called to work together for the prevailing of justice, for the relief of the needy and for the ministry unto those who suffer, ever keeping in mind the words of St. Paul: "the kingdom of God does not mean food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Rom 14:17).

4. We are anguished to see that wars, massacres, torture and martyrdom constitute a terrible daily reality for millions of our brothers. We commit ourselves to struggle for the prevailing of peace throughout the whole world, for the respect of life and human dignity, and for solidarity towards all who are in need. We are pleased to add our voice to the many voices around the world which have expressed the hope that, on the occasion of the Olympic Games to be held in Greece in 2004, the ancient Greek tradition of the Olympic Truce will be revived, according to which all wars had to stop, and terrorism and violence had to cease.

5. We follow carefully and with unease what is referred to as globalization. We hope that it will bear good fruit. However, we wish to point out that its fruits will be harmful if what could be termed the "globalization of brotherhood" in Christ is not achieved in all sincerity and efficacy.

6. We rejoice at the success and progress of the European Union. The union of the European world in one civil entity, without her people losing their national self-awareness, traditions and identity, has been the vision of its pioneers. However, the emerging tendency to transform certain European countries into secular states without any reference to religion constitutes a retraction and a denial of their spiritual legacy. We are called to intensify our efforts so that the unification of Europe may be accomplished. We shall do everything in our power, so that the Christian roots of Europe and its Christian soul may be preserved inviolate.

With this Common Statement, we, Pope John Paul II, Bishop of Rome, and Christodoulos, Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, wish that "our God and Father and our Lord Jesus direct our way, so that we may increase and abound in love towards one another and towards all men and establish the hearts of all unblamable in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of the Lord Jesus with all his saints" (Cf. 1 Thess 3:11-13) Amen.

Taken from: L'Osservatore Romano Weekly Edition in English 9 May 2001, page 5
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Pope lauds Melkite ecumenical effort

Vatican, May. 8, 2008 (CWNews.com) - Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news) paid tribute to the Melkite Catholic Church, and especially to the close ecumenical ties between Melkites and the Orthodox churches of the Middle East, during a May 8 meeting with Melkite Patriarch Gregorios III Laham.

The Holy Father told the visiting Patriarch that as the Church approaches the beginning of a special year dedicated to St. Paul, "I cannot forget that the seat of your patriarchate is established in the city of Damascus, on the road toward which the apostle lived the event that transformed his existence and opened the doors of Christianity to all the nations."

The Pope said that during the Pauline year the universal Church should continue the effort to spread the Gospel, through an "intense pastoral outreach." That evangelical effort, he said, should include a redoubled commitment to "tear down the walls of division and mistrust" that block the way to a full restoration of Christian unity.

In that context the Pope saluted the Melkite Church for maintaining close and friendly ties with Orthodox communities in the Middle East. (Most of the world's Melkite Catholics live in that region, in Syria, Lebanon, and the Holy Land-- although there are now large Melkite communities in the US, Australia, and Canada as well.) Pope Benedict expressed his admiration for the clergy and faithful who have maintained "the vitality of the Melkite Church despite the difficulties of the region's social and political situation." + + +


+ Archbishop Elias Zoghby
1912-2008

I am the Life and the Resurrection.
His Beatitude, Patriarch Gregorios III, the Bishops of the Holy Synod of the Melkite Catholic Church, His Grace, Elias Rahal, Archbishop of Baalbeck, the Clergy and Faithful of the Eparchy of Baalbeck, His Grace, Bishop Youssef Joel Zraiy, Patriarchal Vicar of Egypt and Sudan, the Clergy and Faithful of the Patriarchate of Alexandria, the Zoghby Family and their relatives here and abroad, regret to inform you of the passing to the Lord of His Grace, Archbishop Elias Zoghby, on Wednesday, 16 January 2008.

Archbishop Zoghby was Dean of the Holy Synod of Melkite Bishops, Patriarchal Vicar Emeritus of Egypt and Sudan, and Archbishop Emeritus of Baalbeck.

Archbishop Zoghby’s Funeral will take place at St. Paul Basilica in Harissa, on Saturday, 19 January 2008, at 3:00 P.M. Sympathies will be accepted before and after the funeral service at St. Paul Convent in Harissa and on Sunday, 20 January 2008 at the Patriarchal Residence in Rabweh from 11:00 A.M to 6:00 P.M.

O Christ God, with the Saints grant rest to the soul of your High Priest Elias in a place where there is no pain, no grief, no sighing, but everlasting life.

Sayidna Elias was instrumental in pushing forward the dialogue within the divided Patriarchate of Antioch (between the Antiochian Orthodox Patriarchate and the Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarchate of Antioch).
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A new Church is inaugurated:

This event took place on Feb 4, 2005, during the Vesper Prayer presided over by Their Beatitude Ignatius IV, Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, and Gregorius III, Melkite Catholic Patriarch, where they prayed together and fulfilled the ceremonial inauguration of the new Church of St. Peter and St. Paul erected in Dumar Habitat Project.

The Alter was equipped according to the Tradition with the attendance of an enthusiastic crowd, in which participated religious, political and diplomatic figures and a large number of clergy from both communities.

In the speech addressed on this occasion, Patriarch Ignatius said: “…Christ is, in the first instance, for all people, this is the true unity…We are living now a reality which is above all words and speeches, a reality symbolized by our presence together, Patriarch Gregorius and myself, in this same place for the launching of this common Church…”

Patriarch Ignatius saluted the memory of late Patriarch Maximus, and paid high tribute to the efforts exerted by Bishop Isidor Battikha, the Catholic Patriarchal Vicar, and expressed deep gratitude for the donation by Eng. Habib Beitinjaneh, who contributed in the greatest part of the implementation costs of the church. Eng. Beitinjaneh was granted the decoration of St. Peter and St. Paul Medal, from the rank of Great Officer.

In return, Patriarch Gregorius said in his speech : “ the inauguration of this church is one of most beautiful news now spreading from the Church of Antioch, the good news of brotherhood, communion and partnership …From Antioch, from Damascus the message of unity is launched to the devised world, it is a beginning and a follow up…” He recalled the long history of painful divisions and the fruitful results of reconciliation, love and cooperation between the churches of Antioch . He also acknowledged with deep thanks the efforts of all those who contributed in the fulfillment of this meaningful project. Eng. Beitinjaneh was granted the Medal of Jerusalem.

Finally, Eng. Beitinjaneh exposed the long journey which led to this achievement , expressing gratitude to the contributions of all parties who worked to this end, above all the Syrian Government that granted the earth on which the church was built. He expressed high esteem and gratitude to the President, Dr. Bashar Al Assad who reiterates permanently that Syria is the Cradle of Christianity…He also described the different parts of the building, especially those in which Christian education will be given…
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Melkite Synod Calls for Unity - Bishops Agree Reunification of Antiochian Patriarchate is Possible

The holy Synod of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church met in Rabweh, Lebanon July 22-27, 1996 and, after studying the question of unity within the Patriarchate of Antioch, declared that communicatio in sacris = worship in common is possible today and that the ways and means of its application would be left to the joint decisions of the two Antiochian Church Synods - Melkite Greek Catholic and Greek Orthodox. The Synod of thirty-four bishops and four general superiors under the presidency of Patriarch Maximos V (Hakim) deliberated extensively on the topic of church unity particularly within the Antiochian Patriarchate which has been divided since 1724, and issued a document titled, Reunification of the Antiochian Patriarchate. This document is part of the official minutes of the Synod and was made public on August 15, 1996 in the Middle East. It includes eight points about the unity of the Churches and was sent by the Catholic Patriarch Maximos V to the Orthodox Patriarch Ignatius IV (Hazim). It emphasizes that there is an openness on the part of the Melkite Church to heal the division of 1724 and all the difficulties that followed in order to preserve our one heritage and one worship which is the fount of one belief. The Fathers of the Synod affirmed that unity was not a victory of one church over another, or one church going back to the other, or the melting of one church into the other, but rather putting an end to the separation between brothers... This unity has become possible today because of the extensive work of the Joint International Theological Commission between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches. They site [sic] four specific documents of the International Theological Commission and look forward to the study that this commission will make on the role of the Bishop of Rome in the church and in the ecumenical councils.

Emphasis is placed on church unity as it existed in the first millennium when East and West were one. The document quotes Pope John Paul II in his encyclical Ut Unum Sint - That All May Be One: The Catholic Church desires nothing less than full communion between East and West. She finds inspiration for this in the experience of the first millennium (#16). The Melkite Synod sees that the church of the first millennium could be the model for unity today.

The Synod strongly affirms its full communion with the Apostolic See of Rome and that this communion would not be ruptured.

The Fathers offered their thanks to the International Theological Commission as well as the Joint Synodal Commissions recently reestablished by Patriarch Maximos V and Orthodox Patriarch Ignatius IV. They offer special thanks to Archbishop Elias Zoghby whose 1995 Profession of Faith was the major force for reopening dialogue with the Orthodox brothers. Zoghby, the former archbishop of Baalbek and a long-time leader among the Melkite bishops, offered this brief statement in 1995 and it was subscribed to by 24 of the 26 bishops present at the 1995 Holy Synod:

1. I believe everything which Eastern Orthodoxy teaches. 2. I am in communion with the Bishop of Rome as the first among the bishops, according to the limits recognized by the Holy Fathers of the East during the first millennium, before the separation.

This brief profession and its subsequent explanation became the basis for the 1996 Synods discussion on unity. The Fathers delegated the Synod Ecumenical and Theological Commission to deeply research the ways of the reunification, and discuss its canonical and pastoral implications, and to hold joint conferences and conventions to include faithful of both churches (Antiochian Orthodox and Melkite Catholic) on the path towards this unity. Their prayer is that of Our Lord Jesus Christ to his Father: that they may be one, just as we are...that the world may know that you have sent me. (Jn 17: 21-23)

The Melkite Greek Catholic Church is a patriarchal church in communion with Rome and is considered a sui juris church within the Catholic communion It follows the traditions of the Greek or Byzantine Church of Antioch. Its patriarch carries the title of Patriarch of Antioch and all the East, of Alexandria and of Jerusalem. The Church is based in the Middle East with the patriarchal see presently in Damascus, Syria. There are sixteen eparchies or dioceses in Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, Israel and Egypt. Outside the Middle East there are dioceses in the United States of America, Canada, Brazil, Venezuela, Mexico and Australia, with vicariates in Western Europe and Argentina.

This document was issued by the Melkite Greek Catholic Holy Synod, meeting in Rabweh, Lebanon, July 1996. It was released to the public on August 15, 1996 - the feast of the Dormition of the holy Mother of God. It appears in the minutes of the above mentioned Synod, dated and signed on Saturday, July 27, 1996 by the Patriarch, 31 archbishops and bishops, and 4 general superiors, whose names and titles are included at the end of the document.

Reunification of the Antiochian Patriarchate

The Fathers of the Synod of the Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarchate convened in Rabweh, Lebanon July 22 to July 27, 1996 and studied the documents presented by the Patriarchal Commission established by His Beatitude Maximos V Hakim on March 25, 1996. This Commission consists of Archbishops Elias Zoghby and Cyril Salim Bustros; the patriarch asked them to do whatever is necessary through communications and meetings with the Orthodox Patriarchal and Synodal Commission to reach Antiochian unity through oneness of heart, and to find ways for the two churches - Melkite Greek Catholic and Greek Orthodox - to return to communion with each other and into unity within one Antiochian Patriarchate. His Beatitude Patriarch Maximos V and Fathers of the Holy Synod are happy to announce the following:

1.They thank His Beatitude Patriarch Ignatius IV Hazim and the Synod of the Greek Orthodox Church for their concern on this subject, and the brotherly announcement they gave concerning this unity in the final communique of their Holy Synod convened October 16-22, 1995. They share what the Orthodox said [at this synod] that since receiving the mutual representatives in the 1974 synod with great love, we look forward together to Antiochian unity preserving our one heritage and one worship which is the fount of one belief.

2.They all anxiously look forward to the day when the Melkite Greek Catholics and the Greek Orthodox in the Antiochian Patriarchate return to being one church and one patriarchate. They affirm to all that this reunification does not mean a victory of one church over the other, or one church going back to the other, or the melting of one church into the other. Rather, it means putting an end to the separation between the brothers that took place in 1724 and led to the existence of two separate independent patriarchates, and returning together to the unity that prevailed in the one Antiochian Patriarchate before the separation.

3.They see that this reunification has become possible today through the progress in the communion of faith that has taken place through the grace of God in the recent years on the international level through the Joint International Theological Commission between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches. This Commission produced four documents announcing the unity of faith in basic doctrines: The Mystery of the Church and of the Eucharist in the Light of the Mystery of the Holy Trinity (1982), Faith, Sacraments and the Unity of the Church (1988), Uniatism, Method of Union of the Past, and the Present Search for Full Communion (Balamand 1993). They consider their task of reestablishing communion within the Church of Antioch a part of reestablishing full communion between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches on the international level.

4.The Joint Commission will discuss one point further, that is, the role of the Bishop of Rome in the church and in the ecumenical councils. On this subject the Fathers of the Synod adopt what was stated in the Second Vatican Council: to give due consideration to the character of the relations which obtained between them and the Roman See before separation (Decree on Ecumenism #14); and also what His Holiness Pope John Paul II said in his encyclical That All May Be One - Ut Unum Sint (#61): The Catholic Church desires nothing less than full communion between East and West. She finds inspiration for this in the experience of the first millennium. Concerning the primacy of the Bishop of Rome the Fathers declare that they are inspired by the understanding in which East and West lived in the first millennium in the light of the teachings of the seven ecumenical councils, and they see that there is no reason for the separation to continue because of that primacy.

5.Based on that unity in the essence of the faith [that existed in the first millennium], the Fathers of the Holy Synod that the communicatio in sacris is possible today, and that they accept it, leaving the ways and means of its application to the joint decisions of the two church synods - Melkite Greek Catholic and Greek Orthodox.

6.The Fathers of the Holy Synod announce they will remain in full communion with the Apostolic Church of Rome and at the same time will work out with her precisely what is required for them to enter into communion with the Antiochian Orthodox Church.

7.They commend the efforts that the ecumenical leaders of our church have made especially Archbishop Elias Zoghby who has been laboring for this more than twenty years. They thank the members of the Joint International Theological Commission for their accomplishments, and ask them to continue the dialogue on this subject. The Fathers delegated the Synodal Ecumenical and Theological Commission to deeply research the ways of the unification, and discuss its canonical and pastoral implications, and to hold joint conferences and conventions to include the faithful of both churches on the path toward this unity.

8.Finally, they ask all their faithful to join with them in prayer so that the holy will of God be fulfilled in all of us and that the prayer of our Lord Jesus Christ to his heavenly Father be accomplished: that they may be one, just as we are one...that the world may know that you have sent me. (Jn 17:21-23)
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Joint Committee of Orthodox and Catholic Bishops hold 20th Meeting

BALTIMORE, MD [SCOBA Office] -- The Joint Committee of Orthodox and Catholic Bishops met for the twentieth time from October 7 to 9, 2003. The meeting took place at the Center for Continuing Formation at St. Mary's Seminary and University in Baltimore, Maryland, and was hosted by the Baltimore Archdiocese. The Committee is co-chaired by Archbishop Oscar Lipscomb of Mobile and Bishop Seraphim of Ottawa and Canada, who was serving in that capacity for the first time. Archbishop Nicolae of the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese in America and Canada was welcomed as a new member of the Committee.

The main theme of discussion was the relationship of the Orthodox and Catholic churches with Islam. From a Catholic perspective, Dr. John Borelli, Associate Director of the Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the USCCB, gave a presentation on the work of various Catholic dialogues with Islam both at the national and international levels. This was followed by a talk by Archimandrite Daniel Byantoro, the founder of the Orthodox Church in Indonesia, who spoke on issues involved in Orthodox relations with Islam. In a later session, Imam Mohamad Bashar Arafat spoke to the bishops about Islam and its relations with Christianity, and about his work as founder and director of the Civilizations Exchange and Cooperation Foundation in Baltimore.

The bishops also considered two other themes during the meeting. On Tuesday evening October 7, presentations were made on Youth Ministry by Rev. Mark A. Leondis, Director of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese's Office of Youth & Young Adult Ministries, and by Rev. Brett Hoover, CSP, Director of Paulist Young Adult Ministries in New York. The relationship between bishops and priests was the topic of discussion on Thursday morning October 9. Papers on this theme were presented by Bishop Dale Melczek of Gary and by Metropolitan Nicholas of Amissos.

The customary exchange of information about major events in the lives of the two churches also took place. These included the visit of Romanian Patriarch Teoctist to Rome and Orthodox-Greek Catholic relations in Romania; the new Charter for the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese and new titles for metropolitans; developments in SCOBA; the situation of the Serbian Orthodox Church and the visit of a Serbian Orthodox delegation to the Vatican in February 2003; Relations between the Vatican and the Moscow Patriarchate and establishment of Catholic dioceses in Kazakhstan; the Orthodox Church in Ukraine, its relations with Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, and developments in the USA; the presence of a Vatican delegation in Athens in February 2003; developments in the International Orthodox-Catholic dialogue; the "Christian Churches Together in the USA" initiative; the papal encyclical, Ecclesia de Eucharistia, April 2003; an update on the work of the North American Orthodox-Catholic Theological Consultation; the symposium on Petrine Ministry that was held in the Vatican in May 2003; the presence of a delegation from the Ecumenical Patriarchate to the Vatican in June 2003 that was led by Archbishop Demetrios of America; and statements by our churches on same-sex marriages.

On Wednesday evening Cardinal Keeler presided over a Vespers service in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, after which he invited the bishops to dinner in his residence.

The next meeting of the Joint Committee is scheduled to take place October 5-7, 2004, at the headquarters of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA in South Bound Brook, New Jersey.

The Joint Committee of Orthodox and Catholic Bishops was established in 1981. It has issued agreed statements on Ordination (October 1, 1988), A Pastoral Statement on Orthodox/Roman Catholic Marriages (October 5, 1990), a Statement of support for the historical Christianity in Eastern Europe and former Soviet Union (September 19, 1991), a Communiqué on Eastern Europe (October 2, 1992), and a Statement on the Catholic-Orthodox Dialogue at the Dawn of a New Millennium (October 4, 2000). All these texts are now available on the USCCB website at: http://www.usccb.org/seia/dialogues.htm.

The Catholic members of the Committee currently include Archbishop Oscar H. Lipscomb of Mobile (Co-Chairman), William Cardinal Keeler, Archbishop of Baltimore, Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk of Cincinnati, Bishop Tod D. Brown of Orange, Bishop Robert Mulvee of Providence, Bishop Dale Melczek of Gary, Bishop Nicholas Samra, Auxiliary of the Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Newton, and Rev. Ronald G. Roberson, CSP (staff).

The Orthodox members are Bishop Seraphim of Ottawa and Canada (Co-Chairman, Orthodox Church in America), Archbishop Peter of New York (Orthodox Church in America), Archbishop Vsevolod of Scopelos (Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA), Metropolitan Isaiah of Denver (Greek Orthodox Archdiocese), Metropolitan Christopher (Serbian Orthodox Church), Metropolitan Nicholas of Amissos (Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese), Archbishop Nicolae (Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese in America and Canada), and Bishop Dimitrios of Xanthos (Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, staff).
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Standing Episcopal Conference of Orthodox Bishops:

SEC - Relations with CHURCH OF ROME

A historical moment in Constantinople: Pope Benedict XVI and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew 1 offer a joint blessing to the jubilant faithful after celebration of the Divine Liturgy at the Patriarchal Cathedral of St. George at the Phanar on 30 November 2006. (Photo by N. Manginas) More photographs below text...

“This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!” (Ps 117:24)

JOINT DECLARATION OF HIS HOLINESS POPE BENEDICT XVI AND HIS ALL HOLINESS BARTHOLOMEW 1

This fraternal encounter which brings us together, Pope Benedict XVI of Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, is God’s work, and in a certain sense his gift. We give thanks to the Author of all that is good, who allows us once again, in prayer and in dialogue, to express the joy we feel as brothers and to renew our commitment to move towards full communion. This commitment comes from the Lord’s will and from our responsibility as Pastors in the Church of Christ. May our meeting be a sign and an encouragement to us to share the same sentiments and the same attitudes of fraternity, cooperation and communion in charity and truth. The Holy Spirit will help us to prepare the great day of the re-establishment of full unity, whenever and however God wills it. Then we shall truly be able to rejoice and be glad.

1. We have recalled with thankfulness the meetings of our venerable predecessors, blessed by the Lord, who showed the world the urgent need for unity and traced sure paths for attaining it, through dialogue, prayer and the daily life of the Church. Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras I went as pilgrims to Jerusalem, to the very place where Jesus Christ died and rose again for the salvation of the world, and they also met again, here in the Phanar and in Rome. They left us a common declaration which retains all its value; it emphasizes that true dialogue in charity must sustain and inspire all relations between individuals and between Churches, that it “must be rooted in a total fidelity to the one Lord Jesus Christ and in mutual respect for their own traditions” (Tomos Agapis, 195). Nor have we forgotten the reciprocal visits of His Holiness Pope John Paul II and His Holiness Dimitrios I. It was during the visit of Pope John Paul II, his first ecumenical visit, that the creation of the Mixed Commission for theological dialogue between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church was announced. This has brought together our Churches in the declared aim of re-establishing full communion.

As far as relations between the Church of Rome and the Church of Constantinople are concerned, we cannot fail to recall the solemn ecclesial act effacing the memory of the ancient anathemas which for centuries had a negative effect on our Churches. We have not yet drawn from this act all the positive consequences which can flow from it in our progress towards full unity, to which the mixed Commission is called to make an important contribution. We exhort our faithful to take an active part in this process, through prayer and through significant gestures.

2. At the time of the plenary session of the mixed Commission for theological dialogue, which was recently held in Belgrade through the generous hospitality of the Serbian Orthodox Church, we expressed our profound joy at the resumption of the theological dialogue. This had been interrupted for several years because of various difficulties, but now the Commission was able to work afresh in a spirit of friendship and cooperation. In treating the topic “Conciliarity and Authority in the Church” at local, regional and universal levels, the Commission undertook a phase of study on the ecclesiological and canonical consequences of the sacramental nature of the Church. This will permit us to address some of the principal questions that are still unresolved. We are committed to offer unceasing support, as in the past, to the work entrusted to this Commission and we accompany its members with our prayers.

3. As Pastors, we have first of all reflected on the mission to proclaim the Gospel in today’s world. This mission, “Go, make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:19), is today more timely and necessary than ever, even in traditionally Christian countries. Moreover, we cannot ignore the increase of secularization, relativism, even nihilism, especially in the Western world. All this calls for a renewed and powerful proclamation of the Gospel, adapted to the cultures of our time. Our traditions represent for us a patrimony which must be continually shared, proposed, and interpreted anew. This is why we must strengthen our cooperation and our common witness before the world. 4. We have viewed positively the process that has led to the formation of the European Union. Those engaged in this great project shouldnot fail to take into consideration all aspects affecting the inalienable rights of the human person, especially religious freedom, a witness and guarantor of respect for all other freedoms. In every step towards unification, minorities must be protected, with their cultural traditions and the distinguishing features of their religion. In Europe, while remaining open to other religions and to their cultural contributions, we must unite our efforts to preserve Christian roots, traditions and values, to ensure respect for history, and thus to contribute to the European culture of the future and to the quality of human relations at every level. In this context, how could we not evoke the very ancient witnesses and the illustrious Christian heritage of the land in which our meeting is taking place, beginning with what the Acts of the Apostles tells us concerning the figure of Saint Paul, Apostle of the Gentiles? In this land, the Gospel message and the ancient cultural tradition met. This link, which has contributed so much to the Christian heritage that we share, remains timely and will bear more fruit in the future for evangelization and for our unity. 5. Our concern extends to those parts of today’s world where Christians live and to the difficulties they have to face, particularly poverty, wars and terrorism, but equally to various forms of exploitation of the poor, of migrants, women and children. We are called to work together to promote respect for the rights of every human being, created in the image and likeness of God, and to foster economic, social and cultural development. Our theological and ethical traditions can offer a solid basis for a united approach in preaching and action. Above all, we wish to affirm that killing innocent people in God’s name is an offence against him and against human dignity. We must all commit ourselves to the renewed service of humanity and the defence of human life, every human life. We take profoundly to heart the cause of peace in the Middle East, where our Lord lived, suffered, died and rose again, and where a great multitude of our Christian brethren have lived for centuries. We fervently hope that peace will be re-established in that region, that respectful coexistence will be strengthened between the different peoples that live there, between the Churches and between the different religions found there. To this end, we encourage the establishment of closer relationships between Christians, and of an authentic and honest interreligious dialogue, with a view to combating every form of violence and discrimination. 6. At present, in the face of the great threats to the natural environment, we want to express our concern at the negative consequences for humanity and for the whole of creation which can result from economic and technological progress that does not know its limits. As religious leaders, we consider it one of our duties to encourage and to support all efforts made to protect God’s creation, and to bequeath to future generations a world in which they will be able to live.

7. Finally, our thoughts turn towards all of you, the faithful of our two Churches throughout the world, Bishops, priests, deacons, men and women religious, lay men and women engaged in ecclesial service, and all the baptized. In Christ we greet other Christians, assuring them of our prayers and our openness to dialogue and cooperation. In the words of the Apostle of the Gentiles, we greet all of you: “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Cor 1:2).

At the Phanar, 30 November 2006

BENEDICT XVI, Pope of Rome

BARTHOLOMEW I, Ecumenical Patriarch of New Rome

LIGHT OF THE EAST: WHAT THINK YOU OF CHRIST...

"The Christian vocation is a vocation to perfection, to build up the Body of Christ 'until we all attain to the unity of the faith' (Ephesians 4:13). Firm in faith, may we grow in every way 'speaking the truth in love' (Ephesians 4:15)."

We look at all the division amongst us...especialy between the Orthodox and Roman Catholics...and ask, What would Jesus do?

He clearly gives us His guidelines by saying, "love one another as I have loved you...that you may be ONE as Me and My Father are ONE...by their fruits you will know them..."

It cannot be said more clearly by any patriarch, pope, tomos, ecumenical council or papal decree!

Following the most recent Directory for the Application of Principles and Norms, is a collection of historic papers starting with the "Lifting of the Anathemas" and the "Balamand Statement" describing what we can and should do, guidelines on the Reception of Holy Communion between our churches and beautiful photographs of putting our Faith into practice:
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DIRECTORY FOR THE APPLICATION OF PRINCIPLES AND NORMS ON ECUMENISM

From the Vatican 25 March 1993

"The search for Christian Unity was one of the principal concerns of the Second Vatican Council. The Ecumenical Directory, called for during the Council and published in two parts, one in 1967 and the other in 1970, was revised in 1993...taking into consideration the promulgation of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches (1990) and publication of The Catechism of the Catholic Church (1992).

These new directives are addressed to the Pastors of the Catholic Church...the Bishops...who, under the authority of the Holy See, are responsible for ecumenical policy and practice.

It is hoped that the Directory will also be useful to members of Churches and ecclesial Communities that are not in full communion with the Catholic Church...to know the direction those guiding the ecumenical movement in the Catholic Church wish to give to ecumenical action, and the criteria that are officially approved in the Church.

The Directory intends to motivate, enlighten and guide this activity, and in some particular cases also to give binding directives in accordance with the proper competence of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

It will guarantee that ecumenical activity throughout the Catholic Church is in accordance with the unity of faith and with the discipline that binds Catholics together.

It is the task of the local Ordinary and of the Episcopal Conferences and Synods of Eastern Catholic Churches to see to it that the principles and norms contained in the Ecumenical Directory are faithfully applied..."

Sharing in Sacramental Life, especially the Eucharist

Sharing in Sacramental Life with members of the various Eastern Churches

122. Between the Catholic Church and the Eastern Churches not in full communion with it, there is still a very close communion in matters of faith. Moreover, "through the celebration of the Eucharist of the lord in each of these Churches, the Church of God is built up and grows in stature" and "although separated from us, these Churches still possess true sacraments, above all -- by apostolic succession -- the priesthood and the Eucharist..." This offers eclesiological and sacramental grounds, according to the understanding of the Catholic Church, for allowing and even encouraging some sharing in liturgical worship, even of the Eucharist, with these Churches, "given suitable circumstances and the approval of church authorities." It is recognized, however, that Eastern Churches, on the basis of their own ecclesiological understanding, may have more restrictive disciplines in this matter, which others should respect. Pastors should carefully instruct the faithful so that they will be clearly aware of the proper reasons for this kind of sharing in liturgical worship and of the variety of discipline which may exist in this connection.

123. Whenever necessity requires or a genuine spiritual advantage suggests, and provided that the danger of error or indifferentism is avoided, it is lawful for any Catholic for whom it is physically or morally impossible to aproach a Catholic minister, to receive the sacraments of penance, Eucharist and anointing of the sick from a minister of an Eastern Church.

124. Since practice differs between Catholics and Eastern Christians in the matter of frequent communion, confession before communion and the Eucharistic fast, care must be taken to avoid scandal and suspicion among Eastern Christians through Catholics not following the Eastern usage. A Catholic who legitimately wishes to communicate with Eastern Christians must respect the Eastern discipline as much as possible and refrain from communicating if that Church restricts sacramental communion to its own members to the exclusion of others.

125. Catholic ministers may lawfully administer the sacraments of penence, Eucharist and the anointing of the sick to members of the Eastern Churches, who ask for these sacraments of their own free will and are properly disposed. In these particular cases also, due consideration should be given to the discipline of the Eastern Churches for their own faithful and any suggestion of proselytism should be avoided.

126. Catholics may read lessons at a sacramental liturgical celebration in Eastern Churches if they are invited to do so. An Eastern Christian many be invited to read the lessons at similar services in Catholic churches.

127. A Catholic minister may be present and take part in the celebration of marriage being properly celebrated between Eastern Christians or between a Catholic and an Eastern Christian in the Eastern Church, if invited to do so by the Eastern Church authority and if it is in accord with the norms given below concerning mixed marriages, where they apply.

128. A member of an Eastern Church may act as a bridesmaid or best man at a wedding in a Catholic church; a Catholic also may be bridesmaid or best man at a marriage propery celebrated in an Eastern Church. In all cases this practice must conform to the general discipline of both Churches regarding the requirements for participating in such marriages.

On 25 March 1993, His Holiness Pope John Paul II approved the Directory and these directives, confirmed by his authority and ordered that it be publisned.

LIFTING OF THE ANATHEMAS...

December 7, 1965 Removed from memory...committed to oblivion!

Following is the text of the joint Catholic-Orthodox declaration, approved by Pope +PAUL VI and Ecumenical Patriarch +ATHENAGORAS I of Constantinople, read simultaneously (Dec. 7) at a public meeting in Rome and at a special ceremony in Istanbul. The declaration concerns the Catholic-Orthodox exchange of excommunications in 1054.

1. Grateful to God, who mercifully favored them with a fraternal meeting at those holy places where the mystery of salvation was accomplished through the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and where the Church was born through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, Pope PAUL VI and Patriarch ATHENAGORAS I have not lost sight of the determination each then felt to omit nothing thereafter which charity might inspire and which could facilitate the development of the fraternal relations thus taken up between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church of Constantinople. They are persuaded that in acting this way, they are responding to the call of that divine grace which today is leading the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church, as well as all Christians, to overcome their differences in order to be again "one" as the Lord Jesus asked of His Father for them.

2. Among the obstacles along the road of the development of these fraternal relations of confidence and esteem, there is the memory of the decisions, actions and painful incidents which in 1054 resulted in the sentence of excommunication leveled against the Patriarch Michael Cerularius and two other persons by the legate of the Roman See under the leadership of Cardinal Humbertus, legates who then became the object of a similar sentence pronounced by the patriarch and the Synod of Constantinople.

3. One cannot pretend that these events were not what they were during this very troubled period of history. Today, however, they have been judged more fairly and serenely. Thus it is important to recognize the excesses which accompanied them and later led to consequences which, insofar as we can judge, went much further than their authors had intended and foreseen. They had directed their censures against the persons concerned and not the Churches. These censures were not intended to break ecclesiastical communion between the Sees of Rome and Constantinople.

4. Since they are certain that they express the common desire for justice and the unanimous sentiment of charity which moves the faithful, and since they recall the command of the Lord: "If you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brethren has something against you, leave your gift before the altar and go first be reconciled to your brother" (Mt. 5.23-24), Pope PAUL VI and Patriarch ATHENAGORAS I with his synod, in common agreement, declare that:

A. They regret the offensive words, the reproaches without foundation, and the reprehensible gestures which, on both sides, have marked or accompanied the sad events of this period.

B. They likewise regret and remove both from memory and from the midst of the Church the sentences of excommunication which followed these events, the memory of which has influenced actions up to our day and has hindered closer relations in charity; and they commit these excommunications to oblivion.

C. Finally, they deplore the preceding and later vexing events which, under the influence of various factors--among which, lack of understanding and mutual trust--eventually led to the effective rupture of ecclesiastical communion.

5. Pope PAUL VI and Patriarch ATHENAGORAS I with his Synod realize that this gesture of justice and mutual pardon is not sufficient to end both old and more recent differences between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church.

Through the action of the Holy Spirit those differences will be overcome through cleansing of hearts, through regret for historical wrongs, and through an efficacious determination to arrive at a common understanding and expression of the faith of the Apostles and its demands. They hope, nevertheless, that this act will be pleasing to God, who is prompt to pardon us when we pardon each other. They hope that the whole Christian world, especially the entire Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church will appreciate this gesture as an expression of a sincere desire shared in common for reconciliation, and as an invitation to follow out in a spirit of trust, esteem and mutual charity the dialogue which, with God's help, will lead to living together again, for the greater good of souls and the coming of the kingdom of God, in that full communion of faith, fraternal accord and sacramental life which existed among them during the first thousand years of the life of the Church."

"Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!" (Psalm 133)
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THE BALAMAND STATEMENT...

The Balamand declaration is a product of the Joint International Commission for the Theological Dialogue between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church. It takes its name from the location, Balamand, Lebanon, of the School of Theology where the commission met between June 17-24, 1993.

Co-presidents of the commission were Archbishop Stylianos of Australia for the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, and Edward Cardinal Cassidy, President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity. Most of the world’s Orthodox Patriarchates and Churches, including the Church of Russia, had delegations on the commission. Other Catholic delegates besides Cardinal Cassidy included Roger Cardinal Etchegaray, President of the Pontifical Commission for Justice and Peace of the Pontifical Council, "Cor Unum."

The following is the complete text of the Balamand Statement as published in an Eastern Rite Catholic periodical (Eastern Churches Journal, Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 17-27).
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INTRODUCTION

1) At the request of the Orthodox Churches, the normal progression of the theological dialogue with the Catholic Church has been set aside so that immediate attention might be given to the question which is called "uniatism".

2) With regard to the method which has been called "uniatism", it was said at Freising (June 1990) that "we reject it as a method for the search for unity because it is opposed to the common tradition of our Churches".

3) Concerning the Eastern Catholic Churches, it is clear that they, as part of the Catholic Communion, have the right to exist and to act in response to the spiritual needs of their faithful.

4) The document prepared at Ariccia by the joint coordinating committee (June 1991) and finished at Balamand (June 1993) states what is our method in the present search for full communion, thus giving the reason for excluding "uniatism" as a method.

5) This present document is composed of two parts:

1) Ecclesiological principles, and

2) Practical rules.
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ECCLESIOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES

6) The division between the Churches of the East and of the West has never quelled the desire for unity willed by Christ. Rather this situation, which is contrary to the nature of the Church, has often been for many the occasion to become more deeply conscious of the need to achieve this unity, so as to be faithful to the Lord’s commandment.

7) In the course of the centuries various attempt were made to re-establish unity. They sought to achieve this end through different ways, at times conciliar, according to the political, historical, theological and spiritual situation of each period. Unfortunately, none of these efforts succeeded in re-establishing full communion between the Church of the West and the Church of the East, and at times [these efforts] even made oppositions more acute.

8) In the course of the last four centuries, in various parts of the East, initiatives were taken within certain Churches and impelled by outside elements, to restore communion between the Church of the East and the Church of the West. These initiatives led to the union of certain communities with the See of Rome and brought with them, as a consequence, the breaking of communion with their Mother Churches of the East. This took place not without the interference of extra-ecclesial interests. In this way Eastern Catholic Churches came into existence. And so a situation was created which has become a source of conflicts and of suffering in the first instance for the Orthodox but also for Catholics.

9) Whatever may have been the intention and the authenticity of the desire to be faithful to the commandment of Christ: "that all may be one", expressed in these partial unions with the See of Rome, it must be recognized that the re-establishment of unity between the Church of the East and the Church of the West was not achieved and that the division remains, embittered by these attempts.

10) The situation thus created resulted in fact in tensions and oppositions. Progressively, in the decades which followed these unions, missionary activity tended to include among its priorities the effort to convert other Christians, individually or in groups, so as "to bring them back" to one’s own Church. In order to legitimize this tendency, a source of proselytism, the Catholic Church developed the theological vision according to which she presented herself as the only one to whom salvation was entrusted. As a reaction, the Orthodox Church, in turn, came to accept the same vision according to which only in her could salvation be found. To assure the salvation of "the separated brethren" it even happened that Christians were rebaptized and that certain requirements of the religious freedom of persons and of their act of faith were forgotten. This perspective was one to which that period showed little sensitivity.

11) On the other hand certain civil authorities made attempts to bring Eastern Catholics back to the Church of their fathers. To achieve this end, they did not hesitate, when the occasion was given, to use unacceptable means.

12) Because of the way in which Catholics and Orthodox once again consider each other in relationship to the mystery of the Church and discover each other once again as Sister Churches, this form of "missionary apostolate" described above, and which has been called "uniatism", can no longer be accepted either as a method to be followed nor as a model of the unity our Churches are seeking.

13) In fact, especially since the Pan-Orthodox Conferences and the Second Vatican Council, the rediscovery and the giving again of proper value to the Church as communion, both on the part of Orthodox and of Catholics, has radically altered perspectives and thus attitudes. On each side it is recognized that what Christ has entrusted to His Church—profession of Apostolic Faith, participation in the same Sacraments, above all the one priesthood celebrating the one sacrifice of Christ, the Apostolic Succession of bishops—cannot be considered the exclusive property of one of our Churches. In this context it is clear that rebaptism must be avoided.

14) It is in this perspective that the Catholic Churches and the Orthodox Churches recognize each other as Sister Churches, responsible together for maintaining the Church of God in fidelity to the divine purpose, most especially in what concerns unity. According to the words of Pope John Paul II, the ecumenical endeavor of the Sister Churches of East and West, grounded in dialogue and prayer, is the search for perfect and total communion which is neither absorption nor fusion but a meeting in truth and love (cf. Slavorum Apostoli, n. 27).

15) While the inviolable freedom of persons and their obligation to follow the requirements of their conscience remains secure, in the search for re-establishing unity there is no question of conversion of people from one Church to the other in order to ensure their salvation. There is a question of achieving together the will of Christ for His own and the design of God for His Church by means of a common quest by the Churches for a full accord on the content of the faith and its implications. This effort is being carried on in the current theological dialogue. The present document is a necessary stage in this dialogue.

16) The Eastern Catholic Churches, who have desired to re-establish full communion with the See of Rome and have remained faithful to it, have the rights and obligations which are connected with this communion. The principles determining their attitude towards Orthodox Churches are those which have been stated by the Second Vatican Council and have been put into practice by the Popes who have clarified the practical consequences flowing from these principles in various documents published since then. These Churches, then, should be inserted, on both local and universal levels, into the dialogue of love, in mutual respect and reciprocal trust found once again, and enter into the theological dialogue, with all its practical implications.

17) In this atmosphere, the considerations already presented and the practical guidelines which follow, insofar as they will be effectively received and faithfully observed, are such as to lead to a just and definitive solution to the difficulties which these Eastern Catholic Churches present to the Orthodox Church.

18) Towards this end, Pope Paul VI affirmed in his address at the Phanar in July 1967: "It is on the heads of the Churches, of their hierarchy, that the obligation rests to guide the Churches along the way that leads to finding full communion again. They ought to do this by recognizing and respecting each other as pastors of that part of the flock of Christ entrusted to them, by taking care for the cohesion and growth of the people of God, and avoiding everything that could scatter it or cause confusion in its ranks" (Tomos Agapis, n. 172). In this spirit Pope John Paul II and Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios I together stated clearly: "We reject every form of proselytism, every attitude which would be or could be perceived to be a lack of respect", (7 December 1987).
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PRACTICAL RULES

19) Mutual respect between the Churches which find themselves in difficult situations will increase appreciably in the measure that they will observe the following practical rules.

20) These rules will not resolve the problems which are worrying us unless each of the parties concerned has a will to pardon, based on the Gospel and, within the context of a constant effort for renewal, accompanied by the unceasing desire to seek the full communion which existed for more than a thousand years between our Churches. It is here that the dialogue of love must be present with a continually renewed intensity and perseverance which alone can overcome reciprocal lack of understanding and which is the necessary climate for deepening the theological dialogue that will permit arriving at full communion.

21) The first step to take is to put and end to everything that can foment division, contempt, and hatred between the Churches. For this the authorities of the Catholic Church will assist the Eastern Catholic Churches and their communities so that they themselves may prepare full communion between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. The authorities of the Orthodox Church will act in a similar way towards their faithful. In this way it will be possible to take care of the extremely complex situation that has been created in Eastern Europe, at the same time in charity and in justice, both as regards Catholics and Orthodox.

22) Pastoral activity in the Catholic Church, Latin as well as Eastern, no longer aims at having the faithful of one Church pass over to the other; that is to say, it no longer aims at proselytizing among the Orthodox. It aims at answering the spiritual needs of its own faithful and it has no desire for expansion at the expense of the Orthodox Church. Within these perspectives, so that there will no longer be room for mistrust and suspicion, it is necessary that there be reciprocal exchanges of information about various pastoral projects and that thus cooperation between bishops and all those with responsibilities in our Churches can be set in motion and develop.

23) The history of the relations between the Orthodox Church and the Eastern Catholic Churches has been marked by persecutions and sufferings. Whatever may have been these sufferings and their causes, they do not justify any triumphalism; no one can glory in them or draw an argument from them to accuse or disparage the other Church. God alone knows His own witnesses. Whatever the past may have been, it must be left to the mercy of God, and all the energies of the Churches should be directed so that the present and the future conform better to the will of Christ for His own.

24) It will also be necessary—on the part of both Churches— that the bishops and all those with pastoral responsibilities in the Churches scrupulously respect the religious liberty of the faithful. In turn, the faithful must be able to express themselves for this purpose. In fact, particularly in situations of conflict, religious liberty requires that the faithful should be able to express their opinion and to decide without pressure from outside if they wish to be in communion either with the Orthodox Church or with the Catholic Church. Religious freedom would be violated when, under the cover of financial assistance, the faithful of one Church would be attracted to the other, by promises, for example, of education and material benefits that may be lacking in their own Church. In this context, it will be necessary that social assistance, as well as every form of philanthropic activity, be organized with common agreement so as to avoid creating new suspicions.

25) Furthermore, the necessary respect for Christian freedom— one of the most precious gifts received from Christ—should not become an occasion for undertaking a pastoral project which may also involve the faithful of other Churches, without previous consultation with the pastors of these Churches. Not only should every form of pressure, of any kind whatsoever, be excluded, but respect for consciences, motivated by an authentic exigency of faith, is one of the principles guiding the pastoral concern of those responsible in the two Churches and should be the object of their common reflection (cf. Galations 5:13).

26) That is why it is necessary to seek and to engage in an open dialogue, which in the first place should be between those who have responsibilities for the Churches at the local level. Those in charge of the communities concerned should create joint local commissions or make effective those which already exist, for finding solutions to concrete problems and seeing that these solutions are applied in truth and love, in justice and peace. If agreement cannot be reached on the local level, the question should be brought to mixed commissions established by higher authorities.

27) Suspicion would disappear more easily if the two parties were to condemn violence wherever communities of one Church use it against communities of a Sister Church. As requested by His Holiness Pope John Paul II in his letter of 31 May 1991, it is necessary that all violence and every kind of pressure be absolutely avoided in order that freedom of conscience be respected. It is the task of those in charge of communities to assist their faithful to deepen their loyalty towards their own Church and towards its traditions and to teach them to avoid not only violence, be that physical, verbal or moral, but also all that could lead to contempt for other Christians and to a counter-witness, completely ignoring the work of salvation which is reconciliation in Christ.

28) Faith in sacramental reality implies a respect for the liturgical celebrations of the other Church. The use of violence to occupy a place of worship contradicts this conviction. On the contrary, this conviction sometimes requires that the celebration of other Churches should be made easier by putting at their disposal, by common agreement, one’s own church for alternate celebration at different times in the same building. Still more, the evangelical ethos requires that statements or manifestations which are likely to perpetuate a state of conflict and hinder the dialogue be avoided. Does not St. Paul exhort us to welcome one another as Christ welcomed us, for the glory of God (Romans 15:7)?

29) Bishops and priests have the duty before God to respect the authority which the Holy Spirit has given to the bishops and priests of the other Church, and for that reason to avoid interfering in the spiritual life of the faithful of that Church. When cooperation becomes necessary for the good of the faithful, it is then required that those responsible come to an agreement among themselves, establish for this mutual assistance clear principles which are known to all, and act subsequently with frankness, clarity, and with respect for the sacramental discipline of the other Church.

In this context, to avoid all misunderstanding and to develop confidence between the two Churches, it is necessary that Catholic and Orthodox bishops of the same territory consult with each other before establishing Catholic pastoral projects which imply the creation of new structures in regions which traditionally form part of the jurisdiction of the Orthodox Church, in view to avoid parallel pastoral activities which would risk rapidly degenerating into rivalry or even conflicts.

30) To pave the way for future relations between the two Churches, passing beyond the out-dated ecclesiology of return to the Catholic Church connected with the problem which is the object of this document, special attention will be given to the preparation of future priests and of all those who, in any way, are involved in an apostolic activity carried on in a place where the other Church traditionally has its roots. Their education should be objectively positive with respect to the other Church. First of all, everyone should be informed of the Apostolic Succession of the other Church and the authenticity of its sacramental life. One should also offer all a correct and comprehensive knowledge of history aiming at a historiography of the two Churches which is in agreement and even may be common. In this way, the dissipation of prejudices will be helped, and the use of history in a polemical manner will be avoided. This presentation will lead to an awareness that faults leading to separation belong to both sides, leaving deep wounds on each side.

31) The admonition of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians (I Corinthians 6:17) will be recalled. It recommends that Christians resolve their differences through fraternal dialogue, thus avoiding recourse to the intervention of the civil authorities for a practical solution to the problems which arise between Churches or local communities. This applies particularly to the possession or return of ecclesiastical property. These solutions should not be based only on past situations or rely solely on general juridical principles, but they must also take into account the complexity of present realities and local circumstances.

32) It is in this spirit that it will be possible to meet in common the task of re-evangelization of our secularized world. Efforts will also be made to give objective news to the mass-media, especially to the religious press, in order to avoid tendentious and misleading information.

33) It is necessary that the Churches come together in order to express gratitude and respect towards all, known and unknown, bishops, priests or faithful, Orthodox, Catholic whether Eastern or Latin—who suffered, confessed their faith, witnessed their fidelity to the Church, and, in general, towards all Christians, without discrimination, who underwent persecutions. Their sufferings call us to unity and, on our part, to give common witness in response to the prayer of Christ "that all may be one, so that the world may believe" (John 17:21).

34) The International Joint Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church, at its plenary meeting in Balamand, strongly recommends that these practical rules be put into practice by our Churches, including the Eastern Catholic Churches who are called to take part in this dialogue which should be carried on in the serene atmosphere necessary for its progress, towards the re-establishment of full communion.

35) By excluding for the future all proselytism and all desire for expansion by Catholics at the expense of the Orthodox Church, the commission hopes that it has overcome the obstacles which impelled certain autocephalous Churches to suspend their participation in the theological dialogue and that the Orthodox Church will be able to find itself together again for continuing the theological work already so happily begun.

Balamand (Lebanon), 23 June 1993
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BALAMAND PARTICIPANTS

The following delegates participated in the Seventh Plenary Session of the Joint International Commission for the Theological Dialogue between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church, held at Balamand School of Theology, Lebanon, 17-24 June 1993.

From the Eastern Orthodox Churches:

Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople His Eminence Archbishop Stylianos of Australia Orthodox Co-President of the Joint International Commission

Patriarchate of Alexandria His Eminence Metropolitan Dionysios of Nubia Professor Constantine Patelos

Patriarchate of Antioch His Eminence Metropolitan George of Byblos and Botrys Father Archimandrite Youhanna (Yazigi)

Church of Russia Father Hegumen Nestor (Zhilyaev)

Church of Romania His Eminence Metropolitan Antonie of Transylvania Father Archpriest Dumitru Radu

Church of Cyprus His Eminence Metropolitan Chrysanthos of Morphou Professor Macarius Papachristophorou

Church of Poland Father Hieromonk Barsanuphius (Doroszkiewicz)

Church of Albania Professor Theodoros Papapavli

Church of Finland His Grace Bishop Ambrosius of Joensocu Executive Secretary: His Eminence Metropolitan Spyridon of Italy

[The Patriarchate of Jerusalem, and the Churches of Georgia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, and Czechoslovakia were not represented.]

"Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!" (Psalm 133)
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STATEMENT ISSUED ON THE CATHOLIC-ORTHODOX DIALOGUE AT THE DAWN OF A NEW MILLENNIUM

WASHINGTON (October 5, 2000) -- The North American Joint Committee of Orthodox and Catholic Bishops adopted a statement on the Orthodox-Catholic dialogue at the conclusion of its 17th meeting, which was held on the island of Crete near Chania, Greece, from October 2 to 4. The statement, the full text of which is found below, takes stock of the dialogue between the two churches at both the international and national levels, and calls for an intensification of their relationship, since "continued dialogue in love is the only way that our churches can be faithful to Our Lord's command to love one another, and to be reconciled." The bishops joined their "prayer to those of Orthodox and Catholic faithful around the world that our churches may continue to set aside the animosities of the past and look forward in hope to that blessed day when we shall once again be united around the common table of our Lord."

Before the meeting several of the Catholic and Orthodox bishops made a pilgrimage to monastic communities on Mount Athos, the renowned center of Orthodox monasticism, where they were warmly received. This pilgrimage was in preparation for a discussion of monasticism in the East and West. Archbishop Rembert Weakland presented a paper entitled The Apostolic Letter Orientale Lumen and Monasticism East and West, and Metropolitan Maximos of Pittsburgh responded. The bishops also heard a paper by Archbishop Vsevolod of Scopelos: Primacy and Conciliarity.

The role of the laity in our churches was the theme of the final session. Archbishop Weakland presented a paper entitled, The Role of the Laity: from Vatican Council II to the Bishops' Synod of 1987, and Metropolitan Maximos of Pittsburgh offered a response from an Orthodox perspective. After each paper a lively discussion ensued. In the information session, the bishops exchanged views on recent events that affect the relationship between our churches, such as the situation in Ukraine and Kosovo, and discussed recent documents such as Dominus Iesus and the Note on the term "sister churches" from the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

This meeting of the Joint Committee of Bishops took place at the Orthodox Academy of Crete, a center of learning and dialogue founded in 1968 under the spiritual protection of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The bishops expressed their gratitude to Dr. Alexandros Papaderos, the Director of the Academy. They were also honored to meet the venerable local hierarch, Metropolitan Irenaeos of Kissamos and Selinon, as well as Metropolitan Irenaeos of Chania and other local leaders and friends of the Academy at a dinner on the evening of October 2. Both hierarchs welcomed the group to Crete and expressed strong support for ongoing ecumenical dialogue between our churches.

The Joint Committee of Orthodox and Catholic Bishops was established in 1981 and is currently under the joint chairmanship of Metropolitan Maximos of Pittsburgh and Archbishop Rembert Weakland of Milwaukee. Other Catholic members of the Committee include William Cardinal Keeler, Archbishop of Baltimore, Archbishop Alexander Brunett of Seattle, Archbishop Oscar Lipscomb of Mobile, Bishop Robert Mulvee of Providence, Bishop Dale Melczek of Gary, Bishop Edward Kmiec of Nashville, Bishop Nicholas Samra, Auxiliary of the Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Newton, and Rev. Ronald G. Roberson, CSP (staff). The other Orthodox members include Archbishop Peter of New York (Orthodox Church in America), Archbishop Vsevolod of Scopelos (Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA), Metropolitan Isaiah of Denver (Greek Orthodox Archdiocese), Metropolitan Christopher (Serbian Orthodox Church), Metropolitan Nicholas of Amissos (Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese), Bishop Seraphim of Ottawa and All Canada (Orthodox Church in America), and Bishop Dimitrios of Xanthos (Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, staff). In addition to this Joint Committee of Orthodox and Catholic Bishops, a North American Orthodox-Catholic Theological Consultation has been meeting continuously since 1965.
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Statement:

On the Catholic-Orthodox Dialogue At the Dawn of a New Millennium The North American Joint Committee of Orthodox & Catholic Bishops Orthodox Academy of Crete, Chania, Greece October 4, 2000

Our Joint Committee of Orthodox and Catholic Bishops was founded in 1981 as a forum where Orthodox and Catholic hierarchs from the United States and Canada could discuss pastoral matters of concern to both our churches. Gathered together now at our 17th meeting, we wish to take stock of our Joint Committee's work, and to affirm the importance of continued and intensified dialogue between our two communions.

We look back with joy on the dramatic events of the 1960s that brought an end to the many centuries of hostility that kept us apart from one another. The meeting between Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras and Pope Paul VI in Jerusalem in 1964 was followed by the formal lifting of the 1054 anathemas on December 7, 1965. Those excommunications were reversed, to be replaced by relationships of love -- they were "erased from the memory of the Church" and "consigned to oblivion." The growing dialogue of charity between Catholics and Orthodox led finally to the establishment of an official International Joint Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church by Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios I and Pope John Paul II when the Pope visited Istanbul in November 1979. This renewed relationship has been symbolized by the semiannual exchange of delegations between the sister churches of Rome and Constantinople on their respective feast days, and a rejection among our faithful of "every form of proselytism, every attitude which would or could be perceived as a lack of respect" (Common Declaration of Pope John Paul II and Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios I, December 7, 1987).

With gratitude we note that this theological dialogue was anticipated by almost 15 years in the United States. Prior to the establishment of our Joint Committee of Orthodox and Catholic Bishops in 1981, an official Orthodox-Catholic Theological Consultation had been meeting since September 9, 1965, even before the excommunications were lifted. In North America, where Catholics and Orthodox live side by side in a place that is to a large extent free of the political and religious tension that has often been present in our countries of origin, our theological dialogue has been able to make much progress and to address various theological and pastoral questions touching upon our relationship. At its June 2000 meeting, our North American Theological Consultation issued a document entitled, "Sharing the Ministry of Reconciliation: Statement on the Orthodox-Catholic Dialogue and the Ecumenical Movement." We wish to express our satisfaction with this important text, and we recommend it warmly to our faithful. We make our own its evaluation of the Catholic-Orthodox dialogue and the broader ecumenical movement as rooted in the very actions of God who "desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (I Tim. 2:4).

The fall of communism in Eastern and Central Europe and the establishment of religious freedom in those countries ten years ago now is a source of deep joy for all people of faith. But these profound changes also unleashed hostilities between our communities there that had remained under the surface, unaddressed during the long years of persecution, isolation, and silence. These problems focused on the status of the Eastern Catholic Churches and questions of property. At the same time, strident currents emerged in both our churches in those areas, fueled in part by the suspicion that ecumenism was a betrayal of the true faith, and that it had been manipulated by the communist authorities for their own ends in an attempt to weaken authentic Christian witness. This points to the urgent need to present the true nature of ecumenical dialogue, not as a betrayal of anyone's faith, but as an effort to understand what we truly have in common at a level deeper than our divisions and theological formulae.

All this has had a negative impact on the international dialogue which for the past ten years has been struggling to deal in a satisfactory way with the question of the status of the Eastern Catholic Churches. We regret that the Eighth Plenary Session of the international dialogue, held in July 2000 at Emmitsburg, Maryland, was unable to make progress on this and other significant issues.

The difficulties that have recently beset the international dialogue do not alter our conviction that continued dialogue in love is the only way that our churches can be faithful to Our Lord's command to love one another, and to be reconciled. Indeed, when difficulties arise the need for dialogue becomes even greater. As we look back on our experience of dialoguing with one another as bishops of the Orthodox and Catholic churches, we realize that through an honest and well informed exchange of views a solution to even the most persistent disagreements can be perceived. Our Joint Committee of Bishops has issued statements dealing with Ordination, Mixed Marriages and the recent tensions in Eastern and Central Europe, and we are confident that much more progress can be made on these and other issues. We encourage our Orthodox and Catholic faithful everywhere to engage one another in an exchange of views in a spirit of openness and humility so that the Spirit's work of reconciliation might continue, for the glory of God.

Our Joint Committee is meeting on the island of Crete, whose soil has been fed by the blood of a host of martyrs, and whose history has not been unaffected by our sad divisions. We take this opportunity to give thanks to God for the great strides that have been made to overcome what divides us. As the new millennium dawns, we join our prayer to those of Orthodox and Catholic faithful around the world that our churches may continue to set aside the animosities of the past and look forward in hope to that blessed day when we shall once again be united around the common table of our Lord.

June 03, 2003 United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
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"For peace in the whole world, the well-being of the Holy Churches of God and the union of all, let us pray to the Lord."
(Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom)

WEEK OF PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY

1st Day Readings from Scripture:
Genesis 1:2-2 By his word, God create the universe.
Psalm 104:1-9 The Lord of all creation
Revelation 21:1-5 God makes ll things new John 1: 1-5 In the beginning was the Word.

2nd Day:
Isaiah 50: 4-5 “God has given me a tongue that I may know how to sustain the weary…”
Psalm 34 (33):1-16 “I will bless the Lord at all times.”
Colossians 1: 11-20 Jesus is the image of the invisible God. Mark 7: 31-37 “Jesus makes the deaf o hear and the mute o speak.

3rd Day:
Joel 2: 26-29 “I will pour out my spirit on all flesh”
Psalm 104 (103): You renew the face of the erth
1 Corinthians 12: 1-4 No one can say Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit John 15: 26-27 The spirit of truth will testify on my behalf.

4th Day:
Exodus 3:7-10 God heard the cry of the oppressed
Psalm 28:1-8 Lord, be not silent.
1 Corinthians 12: 19-26 Many members, yet one body in Christ
Mark 15: 22-41 Jesus cried aloud: My God why have you forsaken me?

5th Day:
Micah 6: 6-8 What doe the God require of us?
Psalm 31(30): 1-5 God, the refuge and faithful redeemer
1 Peter 4:17 Judgement begins with the household of God
Matthew 25:31-46 You did not do it to me

6th Day:
Jude 6: 11-16 I will be with you
Psalm 50: 1-15 Call on me
Acts 5: 26-32 Obeying God
Mark 5: 24-34 Telling the whole truth.

7th Day:
Jude 6: 11-16 I will be with you
Psalm 50: 1-15 Call on me
Acts 5: 26-32 Obeying God
Mark 5: 24-34 Telling the whole truth.


8th Day:
Isaiah 53: 1-5 Bearing our infirmities and carrying our diseases Pslam 22: 1-5 Abandonment Romans 8: 35-36 Separate from love of Christ? Matthew 27:57-61 Love entombed


Prayer for Christian Unity

O our Lord and God Jesus Christ,
on the eve of your redemptive Suffering,
You fervently asked your Heavenly Father
that all your followers be one,
as You are One with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
We implore You, divine Master,
To bestow upon all Christian Churches
the unity of faith, of hearts and of aims,
so that they become One Flock
under the leadership of One Shepherd
according to your wish.
Grant us, Lord, to love one another as You loved us.
So that, seeing our unity, the world
may believe in You and embrace your message of peace and love,
For You are the Prince of Peace and Lover of mankind
and to You we render glory,
and to your Eternal Father,
and your All-holy, Good and Life-giving spirit,
now and always and forever and ever.
Amen

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+ His Beatitude Gregory III, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, of Alexandria and Jerusalem.

News & Events Patriarchal Letters:
on
Digest of talks by His Beatitude, Gregorios III,
Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, of Alexandria, and of Jerusalem
given in Amman, Jordan (May 2005) and in the Sultanate of Oman (2006)
following the outline of that given at the opening of the Al-Liqa’ Centre in Lebanon (2003)

Church of the Arabs

“God be with you”

This popular expression, so short and so rich, carries within it many meanings both divine and human and sums up splendidly whole lectures and books in philosophy, theology and the humanities.

Synonymous with the expression Allah maakum “God be with you” in the language of Islam is Assala’amu aleikum wa arrahmatullah wa barakatuhu - “Peace be upon you and the mercy of God and his blessings.” In any case, it was also the greeting of Jesus to his disciples, “Peace be with you all.” It is with these expressions, equally Christian and Muslim, that I greet you all, men and women. These expressions carry a wish from the speaker to the other party to the conversation and they also declare the speaker’s faith and religious convictions. The content of these expressions is one and the same: a profound awareness that God is with man and man’s conviction about the depth of God’s relationship with him and his with God. Such expressions, usually prefacing any kind of speech, talk or meeting with people, are really expressions of profound awareness and faith.

Jesus, by taking flesh and being born, laid down the basis for the meeting of God with mankind, for his name is Emmanuel, God with us.

Philosophy in every age and form always seeks a meeting point between the abstract idea and raw material and in the end it amounts to seeking how God can meet man.

Theology takes the same road in the light of faith. Theology is the science of human encounter with God and the meeting of God with mankind.

That is precisely the goal of every religion and theology. Besides, St. John says in his Gospel, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) Our liturgical prayers slightly modify this gospel verse and are addressed to the Father, saying, “Thou didst so love thy world,” (Anaphora of St. John Chrysostom). So the encounter has its starting point in love: there is no meeting without love. There is no true love that does not end in a meeting.

Vatican II, which is itself a great encyclopaedia of the twentieth century, produced several documents and opened up the Church’s, Christianity and Christians’ horizons onto man and his convictions, the world in all its categories and the universe in all its realities. In all these documents there is a call to meeting with man, with the other, the world, its civilizations, a call to discover the other and everything that is rich and good in him.

The saints are men who met others, even the hermits who chose the life of the hermitage, left the world and lived an ascetic life in deserts and monasteries far from towns, were men of encounter and dialogue. They even turned the deserts into cities and their monasteries into beacons of learning, literature, art and encounter centres of thought and exchange of culture and civilization, through books, gatherings, architecture, economy, farming, sciences, crafts and so forth.

Our Land is a Land of Meeting

Dear friends, our whole Arab land is a land of revelation and revelation is the primordial meeting. Our land, our Arab countries are a holy land, the cradle of civilizations and faith.

On our land people encountered the revelations of God to man: so they must also meet each other. That is the experience of heaven and of earth and that is the command of God to us all: “O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female and made you into nations and tribes that ye may know each other” (Qur'an: Surah 49:13 Al-Hujurat - The Inner Apartments) and Jesus said, “All ye are brethren.” (Matthew 23:8)

The priest, bishop and man of religion, the shaykh, is a man of dialogue and meeting: it is his basic specialization. He cannot do anything or be faithful to his functions, duty, service and apostolate if he is isolated and isolates himself. Besides, one of the signs of the Church is that it is defined as being a universal Church, a catholic Church, a church on the way, a church of dialogue and a church of encounter.

Vision of Christianity

In my conviction and moreover, in my Christian experience, Christianity is not an identity, or nationalism: it is not even a community or church in the sense of an institution; although Christians have gathered together in groups, called churches. My Lord, my Saviour and my God, Jesus Christ did not come to found a religion or nation or group as distinct from another group, fixed in a locality against other groups.

My Lord, Jesus Christ went beyond all those values, notions, logics, dimensions, relations and barriers between one land and another, one homeland and another, one group, community, tribe, nation, gender and another. So it is as St. Paul said, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28)

Christianity is a new creature. It is according to the model of Jesus Christ, going beyond all dimensions, all limiting predicates in philosophical and tribal thinking, in a culture, nation, or party. Christianity is really something else, let us say, another and new conception. That is the secret of its sublime nature. In the same way, true Islam is also like this, “You are the best of nations raised up for the benefit of mankind.” (Qur’an: Surah 3:110 Ale’Imran) That does not mean a preference of one above the other, but an excellence in faith. One could say the same of every religion in its true sense. One could also say this of true Judaism: in fact Judaism is the religion of the prophets who always called Jews to go beyond their borders, land and tribe, their mentality, isolation, pride and supremacy over others.

That means that the true conception of faith does not allow you to use the expression “My religion. Your religion.” Perhaps that is the meaning of the Qur’an: Surah 109 al- Kaffirun (Renegades) “I have my religion and you have yours.” Your religion, according to your own human thought, limits you and ties your hands, makes you small, scatters you, makes you into small groups, but my religion, which I am proclaiming to you, raises, unifies, gathers you and makes strong links between you and others.

Man is the Foundation

If my faith is true and pure and bright, then I can enter into dialogue with the other in his language and mentality, without even knowing his religion. I can enter into dialogue with him as I speak to God, since God speaks to man, every man. He knows what is in the heart of each, for he knows and loves man. True knowledge is love and love leads to knowledge. Man is the foundation of everything, created in the image and likeness of God: that is his first quality, his primordial attribute, his basic, essential attribute. With this attribute, we are all, like Adam, naked. The fig leaf came later: the fig leaf is colour, genders, male and female, geography, history, language, frontiers, limits, passports! The fig leaf is also religion, religious concepts, traditions, societies, characteristics, jobs, families: roads that unite and that separate.

The Christian who has really become a new creation cannot shrivel up and isolate himself to concentrate on himself, nor even isolate himself in a group, community or church. As bishop and Arab Christian Patriarch, I am not for Christians alone. I am a man, for my brother man in order to bring the Gospel to him, not as though it were my gospel, or the gospel of a particular community, but the Gospel in a deep sense, as a new announcement, a beautiful, spiritual, universal announcement for the world.

A Church with the Other

In this part of my meeting with you, dear friends, I would like to speak to you about the content of my 2004 Christmas Letter, entitled, “Emmanuel, God with us.” Through this letter, I would like to sketch out for you aspects of the Church’s presence in society. The Church is in the world, but not of it, though it has its role in the world. Our Melkite Greek Catholic Church and every Church in the Arab East is like its founder and master Jesus Christ, our Lord – a Church with and for. And Jesus said, “I am come that they might have life and have it in abundance.” (John 10:10) From that come all the expressions that I am introducing: “a church with man, a church for man, Church of the Arabs, Church with Islam, Church of Islam.”

The Church with Man

The Christian must go beyond himself…and become really catholic, in the general meaning, “of all and for all.”…“I believe in one, holy catholic Church” means that the Church unites in itself all cultures, civilizations, languages and ethnicities. A catholic Church in the Arab world means an Arab Church in an Islamic world, a Church of Islam. So we may, in this general sense, add to the Creed new descriptors of the church as Church of the Arabs and Church of Islam.

In its universality it does not lose its own qualities and even in its particularities, it does not forget its catholicity and universality.

Church of the Arabs: Church of Islam

The expression “Church of the Arabs” means in a unique manner, the Church of Jesus Christ, living in an Arab milieu … The Church is Emmanuel Church with and for this Arab society …which... is in its vast majority the world of Islam.

That is why the Eastern Church, or Church of the Arabs, Church of Islam, is really ... in the school of Jesus Christ, Emmanuel God, Love God, Redeemer God, Saviour God. It is he who defined the goal of his incarnation, of Christmas, of his birth, by saying, “The Son of God came, not to be served, but to serve and to give his life for the redemption of many,” (Mark 10:45) …

These holy verses are a true and clear call for each Christian to go outside himself ... his tribe, as Abraham was told… in order to meet the other and be .. Emmanuel, a man “with and for.”

We Arab Christians are in a very deep relationship with the Muslim Arabs in our Arab countries: we are of their flesh and blood, their ... culture and traditions. ..

You, as a Christian, cannot pass by on the other side of your Muslim brother, as though he were a stranger, as though you were not concerned by him…

When we say Church of Islam, we mean by that that it is a society of Christian faithful, who excel in their relations with Muslims ….

A Church “with and for”

We have to go out of our Melkite Greek Catholic Church to become Emmanuel Church, the Church in human society…

It is extremely important to understand in its true sense, the name of Jesus Emmanuel and what it is to be... Church of the Arabs and Islam. If the Arab Eastern Christian … does not understand the meaning of the name of Jesus and of his own name… he will lose the meaning of his mission and role, for he does not exist for himself; that person... will be carried away as though by a storm … and a sure candidate for emigration. Those countries which are Christian to their roots …will be stripped of their Church’s children because of emigration and become museums ... Then people will say, “It is here that Jesus Christ lived and here too that Christians once lived, but today they are here no longer. …

This expression “Church of Islam… is, in my conscience, synonymous with love, (charity), respect, mutual help, fellowship, understanding, dialogue, affection, ardour for others, as it is said in the Qur’an, working together in our Arab homelands to build a better world, the civilization of love.

Christian Unity

One of the requirements and duties of the Church of the Arabs is to work for Christian unity. It is not simply one of the Church’s internal voluntary religious tasks: it is more than that; it is an obligatory work of the universal Church. Christian unity is important for the success of our work, service, witness and presence in the Arab and Islamic world. Our Christian unity is one of the most important factors for strengthening an effective Christian presence and also for challenging Christian emigration, which is a great loss to our Church and to the Arab world and world of Islam. That means that Christian unity and working towards it is not merely due to the desire of Christians to gather together in contradistinction to Muslims and Islam, but rather, Christian unity is of importance as enabling us to provide more effective service to our Arab world; it is an element for uniting us more closely to our Muslim brothers, placing us in a deeper relationship with them and helping them understand more deeply the meaning of our Christianity and Gospel mission in the world “that the world may believe.” That is what Jesus said, “That they all may be one; …that the world may believe.” (John 17:21) So we are to unite not for ourselves, but for the other, for our Muslim brother and for the world, for the Arab and Eastern world.

Common Conviction

I would not like to give the impression that I am alone in having these convictions; that it is my personal monopoly. No: that is not allowed. In fact I know that many, both amongst my brother bishops of our Patriarchal Church, in our Arab world and everywhere throughout the world, (though they may express it differently) are in agreement with this vision. I wouldn’t like to speak for my brother Patriarchs and bishops, but I can say that there is a very deep relationship between all our positions, even if our ways of expressing it are different.

It is very important that these convictions become those of all our sons and daughters in our Patriarchal Church, even, I should say, of all Christians. …

Existential Conviction

These convictions are not a simple free choice or even a strategic one, linked to the fact that we are in a well-defined political or social situation. No, these spiritual convictions are theological, faith-related, and existential and have as their departure point our deep awareness and thought, in our Christian, human and pastoral experience. They have as their departure point the conscience, thought and experience of us all.

These convictions are an important factor in the constitution of our faith, in the discovery of the meaning of our vocation and the substance of our mission in general as Greek Catholic Christians in our Arab world of the Middle East. For me …it is the essential condition of working to reduce as far as possible Christian emigration that is really decimating our Churches.

In my sermons and talks here and everywhere in the world, in congresses, meetings, interviews, on the television and in newspapers, I express these convictions, because I consider them essential and of fundamental importance in helping us understand better the questions that always confront us as pastor and that confront above all our faithful people. They are living every day amidst this great sea of problems, suffering and struggling to make a daily living and understand Gospel values, faith values and their mission in the world in which they live, while we are talking of living together, common life, fellowship, dialogue, meeting, tolerance, forgiveness, love, and teaching them to work to put aside everything that can divide our world through clash of civilizations, religions and cultures. Those Christians who are living every day with very deep difficulties and substantial changes in their life and are suffering have need of an answer to their (and our) questions: what is our role, what is our mission in this Arab world with its Muslim majority? Why should we stay here?

The Role of Arab Christians

The question which is being asked continually, repeatedly and in a profound way about responsibility is not only, what is my mission as a bishop in a Muslim world, but also above all, what is my role as an Arab Christian in the Muslim Arab world? Must we live in a ghetto? Must we isolate ourselves? Must we form an independent Arab Christian country? Should we place our great concern on preserving a Christian presence as a nation, as a millet in the millet system as the Turks called it, or as a group distinct from other groups? Should we act on our concern to defend what we call our privileges, our rights, the status quo? Should we base our logic of life in society on a fear of Muslims and Islam? Should we continue an empty dialogue in which we are cornered without an outlet? Or should we engage in a religious debate that leads us to convince others of our faith with the aim of converting them to our religion? Or rather, are we afraid that they may convert us to theirs? Could the answer be to run away? (We say in Arabic that running away is not for Arabs.) Could the answer be emigration? But this emigration is really a great loss for our whole Arab world, a loss for both Christians and Muslims. In fact, history has indeed proven that we are called to live together, that we have succeeded together, relatively speaking and from a relative success, we are called to a greater and further fulfilment in that direction.

I may say to you, dear friends, who are listening to me and here I am speaking frankly to my Muslim and Christian brethren, that the great challenge for all of us is how to reply to this profound question: what is the meaning of my presence as an Arab Christian in this world, a world which is mine and yours? Well, I think that the elements of an answer are with all of us, Christians and Muslims. Furthermore, I would like to say to you frankly that I personally find great difficulty when replying, to explain to my Christian faithful the role of us Christians, despite all the projects that I have been able to bring to fruition and that the churches are putting into action with the goal of finding the means of maintaining the Christian presence, one that represents true Christian identity, a being with the other in all his reality, a presence in the Arab world in its Islamic-Christian reality. Well, I tell you frankly that the question is difficult to answer and we don’t have a good response.

Citizens in the Arab World

We Christians are citizens in the Arab world: it is our basic characteristic. There is nothing to be added or subtracted. We are born into this world and are an integral part of it. We have obligations in regard to this world, just as we also have in it the rights of citizens. We shall never accept having privileges just because we are Christians, but we shall never allow ourselves to be discriminated against on the basis of nation, religion or church. This is what we demand: that there be no discrimination against us or others. We would never wish some citizens to have rights and others not the same rights. Besides we know that in our Christian faith, as in Islam, such discrimination is not allowed, either on the basis of tribe, ethnicity, social situation or religion. It is forbidden in the Qur’an as it is in the Gospel.

As for the fact of our insisting on our basic quality of being Arab, no one can deny it, except one who is ignorant of the history of this region. If we Christians are not Arab, then many Muslims are not Arab, for as they know, their ancestors converted to Islam from Christianity! Indeed we are Arab in a true and deep sense of the word Arab: we are of this world and for this world which is Arab and Muslim, though we are not Muslim. We can be called Muslim in the sense of which St. Paul reminds us that he has become “all things to all men.” (I Corinthians 9:22) Moreover, let us not forget that the Gospel clearly has a very special place in the Qur’an, where we read the following (Surah al Ma’ida 5:68) addressed to Muslims, “O people of the Book, you are naught unless you uphold the Torah and the Gospel.” I would like to say with a spiritual conviction that is deep and personal; I wonder who besides me can present the Gospel and its good news in the Arab and Muslim world, to my Muslim brothers whom I love? This is not to convert them, though that may happen here and there, nor to push Muslims to change religion, but because for me, the announcement of the Gospel’s glad tidings, carrying this good news to my Muslim brothers and to the other in general is a spiritual witness which has nothing to do with proselytism.

A new Way of Talking

What is required today is a deep encounter of thought between Christianity and Islam, a mutual discovery, a mutual understanding of the vocabulary of the Gospel and the Qur’an and the concepts of Christianity and Islam, of Christian and Muslim spirituality and language. We have need of a real grammar for understanding basic expressions, usage and way of thinking, theology, and logic in Islam and Christianity. All those are the basic elements for a new dialogue between Muslims and Christians, and for mutual acceptance.

Bearer of a Message

I wonder again, who apart from me, an Arab Christian with my Arab language, Arab thought, Arab origin, Arab history, Arab culture, Arab geography and Arab rhetoric, who apart from me and like me can really witness to the Gospel in the presence of his Muslim Arab brothers?

As an Arab Christian, son of the Church of Islam and Arabs, I must carry out this mission and bear witness to the Gospel to my Muslim brother whom I love, without wounding his religious feeling, spirituality, pride even, identity and convictions. My witness to the Gospel to my Muslim brother should be an act of charity, of love from me to him, as if my mission were a ray of light and deep, spiritual, brotherly meeting with him and with a profound respect for his freedom and for everything that makes his Muslim personality.

Arab Church: Conscience of the Arab world

So, Church of the Arabs means this interaction and conviction about our entire responsibility towards our world which is for us and from us and we from it and for it. That means that in the present circumstances we should stand shoulder to shoulder with others in this Arab world, in Arab countries, to defend common causes and the pressures that we Christians and Muslims are encountering, those challenges which have increased notably since September, 2001, the war in Iraq, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including problems of democracy and human rights, freedoms, dignity, openness, enculturation, dialogue between East and West. That means that the Church of the Arabs must be the Arab conscience, a conscience with and for Arabs.

Co-operation between East and West

With regard to these matters, we must create links of mutual help with our Christian brothers in the West, to collaborate on drawing our viewpoints closer together, their and ours, about Islam. We should help them discover the true face of Islam and also understand our role and mission in the Muslim Arab world, so that we can assist each other.

We cannot leave our European Christian brothers alone in their quest to understand Islam, in East-West dialogue and relations between the Western world and the Arab and Islamic Eastern world. So we must tell them, now more than ever, the meaning of our role in that direction and search, just as we must tell our Arab brothers here and sh