Bartholomew I / Pope Benedict
Posted on 12/01/2009 6:34:51 AM PST by NYer
.- Pope Benedict XVI reached out to Bartholomew I and the Eastern Church Monday in his annual letter to the Patriarch celebrating the Feast of St. Andrew. The message encouraged continued ecumenical talks towards unification of the churches of the East and West and "openness to the Holy Spirit" to guide them in the process.
The letter was delivered to the Ecumenical Patriarch of Istanbul, Bartholomew I, by way of a Papal delegation led by the President of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity Cardinal Walter Kasper. The delegation concelebrated Mass with the Patriarch and gave him the letter in a ceremony afterwards.
The message included words of shared celebration for the Feast of St. Andrew, patron of the Patriarchate of Constantinople
Citing St. Andrew's martyrdom, the Pope wrote "The memory of the holy martyrs compels all Christians to bear witness to their faith before the world. There is an urgency in this call especially in our own day, in which Christianity is faced with increasingly complex challenges. The witness of Christians will surely be all the more credible if all believers in Christ are 'of one heart and soul.'
"Our Churches have committed themselves sincerely over the last decades to pursuing the path towards the re-establishment of full communion, and although we have not yet reached our goal, many steps have been taken that have enabled us to deepen the bonds between us."
Said the Pontiff of this relationship, it "should not be hindered by those who remain bound to the remembrance of historical differences, which impedes their openness to the Holy Spirit who guides the Church and is able to transform all human failings into opportunities for good."
The Pope referenced the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue, which met for the 11th time in a plenary session in Cyprus in October, as progress towards unity. "The meeting was marked by a spirit of solemn purpose and a warm sentiment of closeness."
Pope Benedict XVI chose to reiterate the words that he had used while in Phanar, Turkey in 2006, to express his the Roman Catholic Church's wish for an “ecclesiology of communion” in recognizing the establishment of the Petrine lineage of the Church of Rome. He wrote, "It is a question of seeking together, inspired by the model of the first millennium, the forms in which the ministry of the Bishop of Rome may accomplish a service of love recognized by one and all."
"Yet even as we make this journey towards full communion," he continued, "we should already offer common witness by working together in the service of humanity, especially in defending the dignity of the human person, in affirming fundamental ethical values, in promoting justice and peace, and in responding to the suffering that continues to afflict our world, particularly hunger, poverty, illiteracy, and the inequitable distribution of resources."
Probably misreporting.
The Full text of the Pope's message is below. Scroll down for the English translation.
The Ecumenical Patriarch is concerned about the Mississippi?
Nooooooooo!!! Say it aint so, guys.......LOL!!!
I thought it was only us heretics who took our spirituality into the world of science and politics.
We had an Ecumenical Prayer Service here when Bartholomew I was doing his apostolic visit to the Greek congregations here in the South.
His theme for the service was environmental stewardship. Lots of readings from the Early Church Fathers on same.
Our choir sang, they apparently were happy with us because they invited us back for Dec. 13. Our director is rubbing his hands with glee and figuring out how much medieval and Renaissance polyphony he can deal out to the Greeks.
I've always suspected that we're closer to the Orthodox than their spokesmen on this forum would have us believe.
Just wait. Read his two speeches at the conference.
It is with great pleasure that we welcome you all to the official opening of Symposium VIII, entitled “The Great Mississippi River”.
This Symposium is in many ways both historical and unique. This river comprises a microcosm of our planet. In its waters, we observe many of the world’s ecological issues. We are humbled in its presence. We have come to listen to its story, to learn from its history.
Let us consider our own presence on this great river.
As the Mississippi links the prairies to the sea, we ourselves form the link between the past and the future. Science has developed a theory to explain the beginning of the Universe almost 14 billion years ago, the beginning of simple life forms some 4 billion years ago and the birth of human beings a mere 160,000 years ago.
Although the time we have been on the planet is insignificant in the context of the life of the planet itself, we have reached a defining moment in our story.
We have expanded our dominion over Nature to the point where absolute limits to our survival are being reached. We have lost half of the great forests of the world to the demand for timber and for conversion to agriculture, without thinking that these giant wet sponges are responsible for the delivery of much of the fresh water.
Irrigation for agriculture takes 70% of global demand for water, and – almost unimaginably – some of the world’s greatest rivers are so depleted by the influence of humans that they no longer flow to the sea; and those that do, carry in their waters all the chemical fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides and waste materials they have collected along their course. Desertification is increasing on land at the same time that the fish stocks of the oceans are depleted by over exploitation; and those that remain are being poisoned by toxic materials dumped carelessly in their habitat. Instead of living on income, or the available surplus of the earth, we are consuming environmental capital and destroying its sources as if there is no tomorrow.
The dilemmas we are faced with are the problems created by human beings.
Having struggled for centuries to escape from the tyranny of hunger, disease, and want, the technological advances of the last half century have created the illusion of us being in control of our destiny as never before. We have cracked the code of DNA, we can create life in test tubes, we can genetically modify crops, we can put men upon the moon – but we have lost our balance, externally and within. Wealth generated in the developed world has not put an end to suffering. Technological achievements were not able to contain the wrath of nature witnessed in this area only four years ago. The explosion of knowledge has not been accompanied by an increase in wisdom. Only wisdom could make us realise that the Creation is an interdependent, undivided whole, not an assemblage of isolated, unrelated parts that can be eliminated, replaced or modified as we see fit. Even the smallest human intervention, even the minutest change in the natural order brought about by human action can have – and does have - long term devastating effects on the planet.
In addition to seeking balance between ourselves and our environment, we need to find balance within ourselves, reassessing our values as well as what is valuable. Let us remember that whoever we are, we all have our part to play, our sacred responsibility to the future. And let us remember that our responsibility grows alongside our privileges; we are more accountable the higher we stand on the scale of leadership. Our successes or failures, personal and collective, determine the lives of billions. Our decisions, personal and collective, determine the future of the planet.
As we look at this great river and explore the challenges faced by local communities, let us search for solutions from the perspective of Faith, mindful that we are all in the same fragile boat of life – that we are living defining moments in history, and that we are living them together in Truth, in Love, in Hope and above all, in Responsibility.
And then the closing remarks:
We have come toward the end of our journey on the Great Mississippi. It was a journey that started in Memphis and concluded in New Orleans. A journey that learned from the Native American and from the African Americans. A journey that revealed the promise of the river and also uncovered the betrayal by humans. A journey that described the rich and diverse history of the region, as well as the hospitality and resilience of its people. A journey that started with “soul” and ended with “blues”. A journey with images of beauty and disaster, but also renewal and hope.
We will return to our homes with clearer insight into the damage we have brought to God’s creation – ecological and social. We will come away with a sober reminder about how the deliberate actions of our greed, or the delayed actions of our indifference, destroy natural habitats and human lives. We will carry with us a sense of urgent responsibility for the situation here, as well as globally.
We know now that we can never forget this city! We recognize that we must remember it in our prayers, as in our generosity, as in our pressure on politicians, as in our local or broader efforts for the preservation of this planet – from whatever position each of us holds: as a religious leader and as a scientist, as an elder and as a theologian, as a government official and as an NGO, as a local resident and as a global citizen.
We are profoundly indebted to the extraordinary representatives of renowned scientific organisations and academic institutions, as well as to the leaders of religious groups and secular agencies, for their generous presence and contribution to the success of this, the 8th of our international interfaith, interdisciplinary Ecological Symposia, organised by Religion, Science and the Environment under the exceptional direction and skilful management of Mrs. Maria Becket.
May God bless all of you as you return to your homes and positions. Let us not forget our responsibility toward this city as a microcosm of God’s creation, that is crying out for our gentle care and gracious renewal. Let us no longer be silent as we approach the meeting in Copenhagen. Let us persist and protest about what really matters – namely, the salvation of the soul of this planet.
I, honestly, was not aware that the planet had a soul (Except in Algore's mind)
“I’ve always suspected that we’re closer to the Orthodox than their spokesmen on this forum would have us believe.”
I doubt the Mississippi River is what divides you...but I’m just a Baptist looking on like a dog watching TV.
I doubt it too, but the involvement of the Catholic Church in public policy issues such as abortion is a big hangup for our Orthodox brethren around here.
Strange then to see the Patriarch taking up the cause of the environment, of all things.
Surely some mistake.
Oh no. Its only you heretics who confuse them and then play cheap American party politics with them.
But of course!!
............*slaps forehead*...........silly me!!
"Yet even as we make this journey towards full communion," he continued, "we should already offer common witness by working together in the service of humanity, especially in defending the dignity of the human person, in affirming fundamental ethical values, in promoting justice and peace, and in responding to the suffering that continues to afflict our world, particularly hunger, poverty, illiteracy, and the inequitable distribution of resources."
....move along, people....no socialism to be seen here....move along....
If you've ever given money to charity or the poor you're contributing to the "equitable" distribution of resources.
Is that allowed in your religion?
no there was a symposium and as a footnote it was dedicated to the river.
(sort of like a movie which is dedicated to somebody...or a book etc.)
A special reminder about the NEED to pray for Christian unity and for all believers in Christ to put aside differences and come together in unity to face the twin dangers of radical liberalism and Islamicfacism.
Oh, and those of our choir who were brave enough (or foolish enough) were able to sing the Little Doxology of the Theotokos along with the Greek choir at the end of the service. Hurrah! I can still read Greek (my pronunciation was a little off though, my preceptor had some novel theories about the pronunciation of Classical Greek and the meaning of diacritical marks).
Distribution of resources is FINE so long as the Church and the faithful do it from their own pockets, and don’t hold a gun to somebody’s head to make THEM distribute THEIR resources . . . .
They've been to church for St. Francis's Day but not at any other time . . . . don't know how much of it they "get" but they like Father Krunk, our Radio Priest.
He’s definitely old school Romanist. He’s surely pushing for a monopolistic control of rights by the See of Rome.
It’s almost as if he is trying to make up for his part in Vatican II and his thinking has swung radically to the opposite direction.
He’s sucking in the Anglicans and many Lutherans are susceptible. Scary times indeed.
No question. Can't fool you, obviously.
First though, he has to try and figure out how to control American Catholic bishops and priests (not to mention the crazy nuns). When he finally works out how to overcome those minor obstacles, it should be a mere hop and a skip to bringing the entire universe under his thumb.
You're very perceptive.
Have you heard about the "secret handshake"?
Ooops.......later.....here comes Silas.
Would you like to see a return to the 12th-16th century when Rome controlled how rights were distrubuted?
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