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Published by
Zenit.org,
November 28, 2004
Pope's
Letter to Bartholomew I at Return of Relics
"A Blessed
Opportunity to Reinforce Our Path of
Reconciliation" |
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VATICAN CITY, NOV. 28, 2004 (Zenit.org).- Here is
a translation of the letter John Paul II addressed
to Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I, on the
occasion of the return the relics of Sts. Gregory
Nazianzen and John Chrysostom during an ecumenical
celebration Saturday in St. Peter's Basilica.
* *
*
To
the Beloved Brother Bartholomew I, Patriarch of
Constantinople:
1. Very vivid in my heart is the joy of our
meeting in the atrium of this Vatican basilica on
June 29 of this year, on the occasion of the feast
of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. And now the
Lord, in his benevolence, again gives us the
possibility to live here, before the tomb of the
Apostle Peter, another fraternal meeting in love,
in prayer, and in the determination to walk
together toward that full and visible unity that
Christ wills for his disciples.
This opportunity is offered to us by our common
veneration of the relics of Sts. Gregory the
Theologian and John Chrysostom, two Fathers of the
Church of the East, two holy patriarchs of
Constantinople, two Doctors of the Church who,
together with St. Basil the Great, have always
been honored with a feast in the Catholic Church.
And we, every time that "we meet with these our
Fathers, we are confirmed in the faith and
encouraged in hope" (apostolic letter "Patres
Ecclesiae," No. 1).
2. Now, some of their relics -- remains of those
bodies that lived the following of Christ,
suffered persecution for his Name, and were
temples of the Holy Spirit -- return to
Constantinople.
In handing back these very holy relics we perceive
a blessed opportunity to purify our wounded
memories, to reinforce our path of reconciliation,
to confirm that the faith of these holy Doctors of
ours is the faith of the Churches of East and
West. We see, at the same time, the propitious
hour "to show in word and deed today the immense
riches that our Churches preserve in the coffers
of their traditions" ("Orientale Lumen," No. 4).
This is the "propitious moment" to unite to their
intercession our prayer so that the Lord will
hasten the hour in which we will be able to live
together, in the celebration of the holy
Eucharist, full communion, and thus contribute in
a more effective manner to make the world believe
that Jesus Christ is the Lord.
3. Beloved Brother, I will never cease to seek
firmly and determinedly this communion among the
disciples of Christ, as my desire, in response to
the will of the Lord, consists in being servant of
communion "in truth and in love so that the ship
-- that beautiful symbol which the World Council
of Churches has chosen as its emblem -- will not
be buffeted by the storms and will one day reach
its haven."
The Lord, who comes among his saints (see
Zechariah 14:5), confirm our aims and preserve us
in the daily commitment of the fulfilling of the
new commandment. In the patience of Christ and in
the charity of God, with brotherly affection.
From the Vatican, November 27, 2004
IOANNES PAULUS II
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