Pope: Message to Ecumenical Patriarch for feast of St
Andrew
(Vatican Radio) At the end of his General Audience on
Wednesday, Pope Francis greeted the church of Constantinople, and the “beloved
Patriarch Bartholomew” on the occasion of the Feast of the Apostle St Andrew,
traditionally held to be the founder of the See of Byzantium, which later
became the Patriarchate of Constantinople.
Pope Francis expressed his desire to be united to the
Patriarch and to the church of Constantinople, offering them his “best wishes
for all possible goods, for all the blessings of the Lord, and a warm embrace.”
A delegation from the Holy See, bearing a message from Pope
Francis, is in Istanbul for a visit to the Patriarchate on the Apostle’s feast
day. The customary visit is reciprocated each year on the Solemnity of Sts.
Peter and Paul in Rome.
The Holy See delegation was led by Cardinal Kurt Koch, the
President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. Cardinal
Koch was accompanied by the Council’s Secretary, Bishop Brian Farrell, and the
Under-secretary, Monsignor Andrea Palmieri. The delegation was joined in
Constantinople by the Apostolic Nuncio in Turkey, Archbishop Paul Russell.
The delegation took part in the solemn Divine Liturgy
offered by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew, in the
patriarchal church of Saint George at the Phanar. They also met with the
Patriarch, as well as with the synodal commission on relations with the
Catholic Church.
Following the Divine Liturgy, Cardinal Koch delivered an
autograph message of Pope Francis to the Ecumenical Patriarch, accompanied by a
gift.
In the message, Pope Francis said the annual exchange of
delegations is “a visible sign of the profound bonds that already unite us” as
well as “an expression of our yearning for ever deeper communion.” In the
journey toward full communion, he said, “we are sustained by the intercession
not only of our patron saints, but by the array of martyrs from every age.”
Pope Francis also noted “the strong commitment” to
re-establishing Christian unity expressed by the Great and Holy Council held in
Crete in June. The Pope noted that relations between the churches have, at
times, been marked by conflicts; “only prayer, common good works, and
dialogue,” he said, “can enable us to overcome division and grow closer to one
another.”
The Holy Father also wrote about the importance of
theological dialogue, and especially the shared reflection on the relationship
between synodality and primacy in the first millennium. This reflection, he
said, “can offer a sure foundation for discerning ways in which primacy may be
exercised in the Church when all Christians of East and West are finally
reconciled.”
Finally, Pope Francis fondly recalled his meeting with
Patriarch Bartholomew and other Christian leaders and representatives of
various world religions in Assisi. The Assisi gathering, he said, was a joyful
opportunity to deepen our friendship, which finds expression in a shared vision
regarding the great questions that affect the life of the Church and of all
society. He concluded his message with an assurance of prayer and best wishes
for the Ecumenical Patriarch, and all those entrusted to his spiritual
care.
Here is the full text of Pope Francis’ message to
Patriarch Bartholomew on the occasion of the Feast of Saint Andrew:
To His Holiness Bartholomaios
Archbishop of Constantinople
Ecumenical Patriarch
Ecumenical Patriarch
It gives me great joy, Your Holiness, to renew the tradition
of sending a delegation to the solemn celebration of the feast of Saint Andrew
the Apostle, patron of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, in order to convey my best
wishes to you, my beloved brother in Christ, as well as to the members of the
Holy Synod, the clergy and all the faithful gathered in remembrance of Saint
Andrew. In this way, I am pleased to respond to your custom of sending a delegation
of the Church of Constantinople for the feast of Saints Peter and Paul, patron
saints of the Church of Rome.
The exchange of delegations between Rome and Constantinople
on the occasion of the respective feast days honouring the brother apostles Peter
and Andrew is a visible sign of the profound bonds that already unite us.
So too, it is an expression of our yearning for ever deeper communion, until
that day when, God willing, we may witness to our love for one another by
sharing the same eucharistic table. In this journey towards the
restoration of eucharistic communion between us, we are sustained by the
intercession not only of our patron saints, but by the array of martyrs from
every age, who “despite the tragedy of our divisions… have preserved an
attachment to Christ and to the Father so radical and absolute as to lead even
to the shedding of blood” (Saint Pope John Paul II, Ut unum sint, 83).
It is for Catholics a source of real encouragement that at
the Great and Holy Council held last June in Crete, the strong commitment to
re–establishing the unity of Christians was confirmed. Ever faithful to
your own tradition, Your Holiness has always remained conscious of existing
difficulties to unity and has never tired of supporting initiatives which
foster encounter and dialogue. The history of relations between
Christians, however, has sadly been marked by conflicts that have left a deep
impression on the memory of the faithful. For this reason, some cling to
attitudes of the past. We know that only prayer, common good works and
dialogue can enable us to overcome division and grow closer to one another.
Thanks to the process of dialogue, over the last decades
Catholics and Orthodox have begun to recognize one another as brothers and
sisters and to value each other’s gifts, and together have proclaimed the
Gospel, served humanity and the cause of peace, promoted the dignity of the
human being and the inestimable value of the family, and cared for those most
in need, as well as creation, our common home. The theological dialogue
undertaken by the Joint International Commission has also made a significant
contribution to mutual understanding. The recent document Synodality
and Primacy in the First Millennium. Towards a Common Understanding in
Service to the Unity of the Church is the fruit of a longstanding and
intense study by members of the Joint International Commission, to whom I
extend my heartfelt gratitude. Though many questions remain, this shared
reflection on the relationship between synodality and primacy in the first
millennium can offer a sure foundation for discerning ways in which primacy may
be exercised in the Church when all Christians of East and West are finally
reconciled.
I recall with great fondness our recent meeting in Assisi
with other Christians and representatives of religious traditions gathered to
offer a united appeal for peace throughout the world. Our gathering was a
joyful opportunity to deepen our friendship, which finds expression in a shared
vision regarding the great questions that affect the life of the Church and of
all society.
Your Holiness, these are some of my deepest hopes that I
have wanted to express in a spirit of genuine fraternity. In assuring you
of my daily remembrance in prayer, I renew my best wishes for peace, health and
abundant blessings upon you and all those entrusted to your care. With
sentiments of brotherly affection and spiritual closeness, I exchange with Your
Holiness an embrace of peace in the Lord.
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét