What’s Next for Orthodox-Catholic Relations?

Published by The National Herald, April 15, 2005

What’s Next for Orthodox-Catholic Relations?

In Rome at the Pope’s funeral, and with much speculation as to who will be elected the next Pope, there is much discussion of the Orthodox visibility and presence for the funeral. Noticeable is the absence of certain Orthodox Churches of the East.

Although there is an ongoing dialogue between East and West, the theological dialogue has recently become strained, and in many respects, relations have cooled, especially since 1990, due to tensions between the two Churches in the former Communist states of Europe regarding ownership of church property and proselytizing.

(In the early 1990’s, this writer chaired a committee on inter-faith marriage between Roman Catholics and Orthodox constituents respectively, and concluded that while much progress had been accomplished in this area of concern, there was still much to be done in order to undo much of the ecclesiological disagreements which were impeding our discussions.)

Recently, in a gesture of goodwill, Pope John Paul II returned the relics of Saints Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom to their rightful place at the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople. Yet, in and among many of the other Patriarchates and autocephalous Churches of the East, tensions with the Latin Church of the West persist.

Where do these tensions originate? Is there reason to believe that any attempts toward unity are nothing but a deception by Rome to bring the "recalcitrant Orthodox" back into the fold? When the late Pope visited Greece and the Patriarchate in Jerusalem, as well as his attempt to visit Russia and the Ukraine before he died, was all this a veiled attempt toward prosyletism?

The answer to these questions can be traced back to 1054, when anathemas were exchanged between the Pope of Rome, Leo IX, and the Patriarch of Constantinople, Michael Cerularios. The two main issues separating the Latin West and Greek East, papal supremacy and the Western Church’s innovation of the filioque clause in the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, were so heavily imbued with political considerations that, through the centuries, these attempts only exacerbated tensions.

There was the infamous Council of Ferrara-Florence in 1437-39, during which a false document of union was signed and then repudiated. The absolute authority of the Pope of Rome and Papal claims of universal jurisdiction, culminating in Papal "infallibility" proclaimed at Vatican I (1853), became the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Relations have never been the same, and to further increase tension, there were numerous attempts to coerce vast populations of Eastern Europe and Russia to accept Rome’s authority.

In the 16th Century, for example, shifting political boundaries caused forced conversions of the Orthodox by Rome, especially Jesuits, legitimized by the Council of Brest-Litovsk in 1596, which proclaimed the "union" of the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches within the Polish-Lithuanian State. In order to facilitate the "uniting" of Orthodox Christians with the See of Rome, the Orthodox were allowed to retain the Eastern (Byzantine) Rite and all the aspects of Orthodox worship – icons, iconostasis, vestments, the liturgical services of Saints John Chrysostom and Basil the Great – with the only difference being the commemoration of the Pope instead of the Patriarch.

These Churches came to be known as "Uniate" Churches, a term Eastern Catholics find offensive. Today, there is a sharp division between members of these Churches and the Orthodox over church property, and accusations of proselytism on both sides. It was over this sensitive point of Uniatism that the last wish of Pope John Paul II to visit Russia and personally return a venerated miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary met with resistance from Patriarch Aleksy II of Moscow. In one of his last written statements, the Pope expressed his deep disappointment that he was not able to visit Russia, as he had to almost every other country in the world.

Theologians involved in Orthodox-Catholic dialogues today generally accept that Uniatism is inconsistent with both Roman Catholic and Orthodox ecclesiology. If any of these dialogues break down, it is usually on this sensitive issue because, although Uniates are described as Eastern Orthodox or Greek Catholic Churches, they remain, in fact, simply an eastern or oriental rite within the Roman Catholic Church.

The Orthodox insist that, if the Roman Catholic Church wishes to be consistent in its ecclesiology, it must state categorically and openly that Uniate Churches are a part of the Roman Catholic Church and not separate Eastern or Oriental Churches.

The recent meetings of Pope John Paul II and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew have brought the two Churches closer to this understanding by confirming that "the effort aims to bring about the unity of the Church by separating from the Orthodox faithful, without taking into account that, according to ecclesiology, the Orthodox Church is a sister Church, which itself offers the means of grace and salvation (Freising Conference, 1990)."

Both at Freising, and at the Balamand Conference (1993), the Joint International Commission for the Theological Dialogue between the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches unanimously declared, "We reject Uniatism as a method of unity opposed to the common tradition of our Churches."

Unfortunately, this attempt of reconciliation has broken down repeatedly. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the most powerful cleric in the Vatican after the Pope, wrote "to the Bishops of the Catholic Church of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith," to the regret of the Orthodox Churches of the East, that unity should be ecclesiologically thought of as "a return to a papacentric understanding of the Church," and to the old model of unity meant as submission to a central power claiming universal jurisdiction.

Although this concept has since been repudiated by some Roman Catholic theologians, it was a major blow to Orthodox-Catholic rapprochement and relations, and confirmed the suspicions in the minds of some that the Roman Catholic Church is not sincere in its dealings with the Orthodox.

Many ask, especially now that we are on the threshold of a new Pope, "Do Roman Catholics and Orthodox have anything in common?"

They do because, although 16 centuries have come and gone since the eruption of major christological and ecclesiological controversies, the desire for ecclesial accord still burns in the hearts of all Christian believers: "… and for the union of all let us pray to the Lord," is a fervent petition in the Divine Liturgy. This alone encompasses the oneness to which Christ calls all Christians.

But after assessing our activities over the past centuries, all theologians of every persuasion agree that ecclesial accord must be based on a true understanding of the nature and mission of Christ’s Church. Reconciliation will be a failure if it is not rooted in a common ecclesiology, as history has shown.

In summary, conversations between Orthodox and Roman Catholics must deal with three basic issues:

Is there hope for reconciliation? There is, and it must be based on something that Saint Maximos the Confessor wrote back in the early centuries of Christianity: "Has a brother been the occasion of some trial for you, and has your resentment led you to hatred? Do not let yourself be overcome by this hatred, but conquer it with love. You will succeed in this reconciliation by praying to God for your brother, and by accepting his apology… and by patiently waiting until the cloud has passed."

The Rev. Dr. Efthimiou, Protopresbyter of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, is former Executive Director of Inter-Church Relations for the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North & South America and former Ecumenical Officer for the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas. He has represented the Orthodox Church at the World Council of Churches and is the author of two books and numerous articles. He is now retired and resides in New York.



Volume 7 Number 16 - Tuesday, April 19th, 2005	A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY