Father Orthoduck does not agree with the optimism of the Catholic Archbishop of Moscow. But, one never knows. And, our prayer ought to be for unity. All too often, our prayers for unity are that God will show those near-heathen near-pagan others that they should believe just like we do. Father Orthoduck thinks that when we pray that we may be one our prayers should begin and end with, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” That might be a more fruitful prayer than many Father Orthoduck has heard.
Archbishop: Orthodox-Catholic Unity Could Happen in Months
Monday, September 14, 2009 1:57 PM
By: Edward Pentin
The Catholic Archbishop of Moscow has given a remarkably upbeat assessment of relations with the Orthodox church, saying unity between Catholics and Orthodox could be achieved “within a few months.”
According to an interview in today’s Corriere della Sera newspaper, Mons. Paolo Pezzi said the “miracle” of reunification “is possible, indeed it has never been so close.” He added that Catholic-Orthodox reunification and spiritual communion “could happen soon, also within a few months.”
The Orthodox church, which with 225 million to 300 million members is the world’s second largest Christian communion after the Catholic Church, broke from the Catholic Church in the Great Schism of 1054.
“Basically we were united for a thousand years,” Pezzi said. “Then for another thousand we were divided. Now the path of rapprochement is at its peak, and the third millennium of the Church could begin as a sign of unity.” He said there were “no formal obstacles” but that “everything depends on a real desire for communion.” On the part of the Catholic Church, he added, “the desire is very much alive.”
Pezzi, 49, whose official title is Metropolitan Archbishop of the Mother of God Archdiocese in Moscow, said that on issues of modernity, Catholics and Orthodox Christians feel the same way. “Nothing separates us on bioethics, the family, and the protection of life.” Also on matters of doctrine, the two are essentially agreed. He said there remains the question of how much authority the Pope has, otherwise known as ‘papal primacy’, but he stressed this will be a concern at the next meeting of the Catholic-Orthodox Commission. “To me, it doesn’t seem impossible to reach an agreement,” he said.
Prospects for union with the Orthodox have increased markedly since the election of Pope Benedict XVI, whose work as a theologian is greatly admired in Orthodox circles. Benedict XVI is also without the checkered political history between Poland and Russia that prevented Pope John Paul II from making as much progress as he would have liked.
Relations have also been greatly helped by the election of Patriarch Kirill I earlier this year who, as former head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s department for external relations, met the Pope when he was cardinal on several occasions, and is well acquainted with the Roman Curia and Catholicism.
Benedict XVI appointed Pezzi to head the Moscow archdiocese in October 2007.
Hmmm…Does anyone remember Morris L West’s Book, _The Shoes of the Fisherman_? Written in 1963, _The Shoes of the Fisherman_ opens as the main character, Kiril Pavlovich Lakota, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Lviv, is unexpectedly set free after twenty years in a Siberian labor camp. He is sent to Rome, where the elderly fictional Pope Pius XIII raises him to the cardinalate in the title of St. Athanasius.
He is subsequently elected Pope. A striking bearded Ukranian-Catholic, with a livid scar across his cheek, He takes the Papal name Kiril I.
And here we are, 46 years later…only this isn’t fiction. 🙂
I keep wanting to buy a copy of that Anthony Quinn movie. It had a rather stereotypical view, in that it claimed that if only Rome would sell all her treasures, then people would give and all the ills of the world would be solved, but it was a really good movie.
This is hopeful news! I’m a recent Catholic convert, and during my exploration I considered becoming Orthodox as well. I’ve loved following this blog and listening to Ancient Faith Radio. My choice to become Catholic was maybe mostly a matter of practicality – there’s an established RCC diocese in my area and I have a number of Catholic friends and family … and only one small Orthodox church.
In any case, I’m hopeful, though also maybe a tad less optimistic than the Archbishop. But I’ll continue to pray for it.