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Published by
Zenit.org,
June 29, 2004
Pope's Address to Ecumenical
Patriarch of Constantinople
"So Many Signs of the Common Commitment to
Continue on the Path"
VATICAN CITY, JUNE 29, 2004 (Zenit.org).- Here is
a translation of the address John Paul II gave
this morning when he received in audience
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of
Constantinople and his entourage.
* * *
Holiness,
Venerable and Beloved Brothers of the Ecumenical
Patriarchate!
1. Welcome in the name of the Lord! To him we
express our gratitude for the gift of our meeting
on the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, venerated
also in the Orthodox liturgy as "Protothroni,"
that is, those who sit on the first thrones.
We thank God, moreover, commemorating together the
blessed meeting that took place 40 years ago
between my venerable predecessor Pope Paul VI and
the venerable Patriarch Athenagoras I. This
occurred in Jerusalem, where Jesus was raised on
the cross to redeem humanity and gather it in
unity. How providential for the life of the Church
was that meeting, courageous and glorious at the
same time! Driven by confidence and love of God,
our enlightened predecessors were able to overcome
centuries-old prejudices and misunderstandings,
and offered a wonderful example of pastors and
leaders of the People of God. In rediscovering
themselves brothers, they experienced a feeling of
profound joy, which drove them to take up again
with confidence the relations between the Church
of Rome and the Church of Constantinople. May God
recompense them in his Kingdom!
2. Holiness, I welcome you with great affection,
truly happy to be able to receive you in this
house in which the memory of the holy apostles is
alive. Together with you, I greet those who
accompany you and, in particular, the
metropolitans and the delegation of the
patriarchate; I also greet the group of faithful
of the Greek-Orthodox archdioceses of America, and
the group of professors and students of the
Orthodox Institute of Theology of Higher Studies
of Chambesy, led by Bishop Makarios. I am grateful
to all for their cordial presence.
In these 40 years our Churches have experienced in
their relations important occasions of contact,
which have fostered the spirit of reciprocal
reconciliation. We cannot forget, for example, the
exchange of visits between Pope Paul VI and
Patriarch Athenagoras in 1967. I have a vivid
memory of my visit to Fanar in 1979 and of the
announcement, with Patriarch Dimitrios I, of the
beginning of the theological dialogue. I recall,
moreover, Patriarch Dimitrios I's visit to Rome in
1987, and that of Your Holiness in 1995, which was
followed by other significant occasions of
meeting. They are so many signs of the common
commitment to continue to journey on the path
undertaken, so that the will of Christ will be
realized as soon as possible: "ut unum sint!"
3. In the course of this path the memories of
painful events of the past have certainly weighed
us down. In particular, in this circumstance, we
cannot forget what happened in the month of April
1204. An army that departed to recover the Holy
Land for Christianity, went to Constantinople to
capture and sack it, shedding the blood of
brothers in the faith. How can we not also share,
eight centuries later, the indignation and pain
that, upon hearing the news of all that happened,
Pope Innocent III manifested immediately? After
such a long time, we can analyze the events of
that time with greater objectivity, though well
aware of how difficult it is to find out the full
historical truth.
We are helped, in this respect, by the admonition
of the Apostle Paul: "Therefore do not pronounce
judgment before the time, before the Lord comes,
who will bring to light the things now hidden in
darkness and will disclose the purposes of the
heart" (1 Corinthians 4:5). Let us pray, then,
together so that the Lord of history will purify
our memory of every prejudice and resentment, and
grant us to proceed freely on the path of unity.
4. To this we are invited also by the example left
by Patriarch Athenagoras I and Pope Paul VI, whom
we commemorate today. May the memory of that
meeting foster a leap forward in the dialogue and
consolidation of mutual fraternal relations. May
the theological dialogue, through the Mixed
Commission, remain to this end an important
instrument. Because of this I desire that it be
reactivated as soon as possible. I am convinced,
in fact, of this urgency, and it is my will and
that of my collaborators to make use of every
means to foster the spirit of reciprocal
acceptance and understanding, in fidelity to the
Gospel and to the common apostolic Tradition. May
we be stimulated on this path by the old and
always new commandment of love, which the Apostle
Paul echoed in the famous words: "love one another
with brotherly affection; outdo one another in
showing honor" (Romans 12:10).
5. I entrust these intentions of reconciliation
and of full communion to the holy apostles whom we
remember today. We invoke them with confidence, so
that their heavenly intercession will strengthen
us in the faith and make us perseverant in seeking
to carry out as soon as possible the will of
Christ. May this gift be obtained for us by Mary,
Mother of him who calls all to full unity in his
love.
With such sentiments I renew to you, Holiness, and
to all of you, my kind guests, the most cordial
welcome.
[Translation by ZENIT]
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