Thursday, April 14, 2005
The Ortho are getting restless
Apr. 13 (CWNews.com) - The Russian Orthodox Patriarch of Moscow hopes for "a new era in relations" with the Holy See under the next Pope. Patriarch Alexei II, who frequently criticized Vatican policies during the pontificate of John Paul II, said that the next Pontiff should show "the necessary wisdom and tact" to advance relations with the Moscow patriarchate.
In an interview with the Italian daily Corriere della Sera, the Russian prelate called for the eliminations of "all the complications that are an obstacle" to ecumenical relations, so that the Catholic and Russian Orthodox churches could focus on their "shared witness" to the Gospel.
Patriarch Alexei noted that the two largest Christian bodies are in accord on many important contemporary issues, such as "the erosion of respect for life and social injustice in the world." Joint efforts in those areas could advance the Christian cause, he said.
However, the Russian Orthodox leader repeated that "it is necessary to overcome the divergences and perplexity that complicates our dialogue." He then raised his familiar objections to Catholic evangelical efforts in traditional Orthodox lands, which he labels as "proselytism."
Fine with me. Just throw all the Eastern Orthodox out of the Western hemisphere, and all will be well.
In an interview with the Italian daily Corriere della Sera, the Russian prelate called for the eliminations of "all the complications that are an obstacle" to ecumenical relations, so that the Catholic and Russian Orthodox churches could focus on their "shared witness" to the Gospel.
Patriarch Alexei noted that the two largest Christian bodies are in accord on many important contemporary issues, such as "the erosion of respect for life and social injustice in the world." Joint efforts in those areas could advance the Christian cause, he said.
However, the Russian Orthodox leader repeated that "it is necessary to overcome the divergences and perplexity that complicates our dialogue." He then raised his familiar objections to Catholic evangelical efforts in traditional Orthodox lands, which he labels as "proselytism."
Fine with me. Just throw all the Eastern Orthodox out of the Western hemisphere, and all will be well.
