A Bird's Eye View of Orthodox - Catholic Relations
On November 30, 2014, Pope Francis visited the Ecumenical Patriarchate for its thronal feast of St. Andrew. The Pope met with the Patriarch Batholomew of Constantinople for lengthy discussions regarding unity between their respective churches and attended liturgy in St. George’s Cathedral.
Both leaders have met before to express the “filial love” shared between the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches and to seek “Christian unity” through a common profession of faith. Joint statements of faith had been signed by the Roman Catholic Pope and Orthodox Christian hierarchs before (as one was on this occasion) and would be produced, like the “Joint Declaration” between Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill of Moscow signed on February 12, 2016. 1
While the contemporary relationship between the two churches is not their first or only encounter in history, recent meetings have expressed the involved hierarchs’ interest in uniting on a spiritual if not sacramental level. Article 5 of the above-mentioned Joint Declaration expresses the “pain” felt between both churches which have been deprived of eucharistic communion since the 11th century. 2 The Joint Declaration does not explicitly say that the churches must unite on a sacramental level but it suggests that eucharistic communion is the signatories’ aspiration by citing the unnatural division of those who call themselves Christian in light of Christ’s words
1 The “Joint Declaration” was heralded as a “first in history” as the Pope of Rome had not officially met the Patriarch of Moscow since the Great Schism in 1054 AD according to both secular and church-affiliated news agencies, perhaps because the Moscow Patriarchate did not exist until the 16th century.
2 https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2016/february/documents/papa-francesco_20160212_dichiar azione-comune-kirill.html
recorded in John 17.21, “ that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.” These meetings and the documents produced in them demonstrate that Roman Catholicism and Orthodox Christianity are not the same church. If they were, there would be no need for such occasions and statements of unity nor for this blog. Even so, both churches share a long history together with intricacies that suggest a unique esteem and value on one another’s sacraments.
This blog will dive head first and unapologetically evaluate the issues, news, history, and other matters concerning the relationship between Roman Catholicism and Orthodox Christianity. My writing will be honest and objective in an effort to cultivate a well-rounded understanding of history, theological issues and recent developments in this relationship. Please comment on my posts with your thoughts, questions, and requests for topics to be addressed in future articles.
Image credit:
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