Progress in Catholic relations
with Russian Orthodox world
 |
| Pope Francis meets with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill at Havana airport on February 12th 2016. |
Fr Hyacinthe Destivelle, from the Pontifical Council for
Christian Unity, talks about prospects for the new phase of relationships
between Moscow and the Holy See
By Philippa Hitchen
While Churches in the West prepare to celebrate the Epiphany
this Sunday, Christians in much of the Eastern Orthodox world, which follows
the ancient Julian calendar, are gearing up for their Christmas celebrations.
In Russia, home to almost 40 percent of the world’s Orthodox
Christians, Patriarch Kirill will lead celebrations at Moscow’s Cathedral of
Christ the Saviour. Last May, the cathedral hosted the relics
of St Nicholas, one of the Orthodox world’s most revered saints, in an
unprecedented ecumenical gesture from the Catholic Church in the Italian city
of Bari.
The loan of the relics to the Russian Church was the result
of a historic first meeting between
Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill in Cuba in February 2016, an encounter that
also led to a visit to Moscow by Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro
Parolin, last August.
Dominican Fr Hyacinthe Destivelle heads the
Eastern relations desk at the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of
Christian Unity. He talks about recent progress in relations between Moscow
and the Holy See and about his hopes for the coming year….
Fr Destivelle notes that the Cuba meeting between the Pope
and Patriarch Kirill “opened a new phase of our relationship”, leading to the
loan of the relics, seen by over two million people in Moscow and St
Petersburg, as well as the first visit of a Vatican Secretary of State to
Russia since 1999.
Vienna meeting to mark Havana encounter
He says the next step will be the 2nd anniversary
of that Havana meeting which will take place in Vienna on February 12th,
through the invitation of Cardinal Christoph Schonborn to Metropolitan Hilarion
and Cardinal Kurt Koch.
Fr Destivelle also notes that a joint working group, founded
after the Havana meeting, is working on other cultural and spiritual projects.
“Spiritual ecumenism and especially ecumenism of saints is very
important”, he says, to remind us that “unity will not be fruit of our efforts”
but rather the work of the Holy Spirit and the prayers of the saints.
Cultural, spiritual events to prepare for papal visit
Cultural events, such as exchange study visits for young
priests, or concerts, are also important to recongise that “although our
cultures are different, we share the same faith”, he adds. While he says he is
not aware of any plans for a papal visit to Moscow at the moment, Fr Destivelle
insists that such spiritual and cultural initiatives are essential “to prepare
the mentalities” for such a visit.
From high level contacts to grassroots ecumenism
While Catholics have been sensitive to ecumenical issues
since Vatican II, he says, the Orthodox Church was persecuted at that time, and
although there have been high level exchanges, the “people of God was not
really involved in all these contacts” That’s why visit of relics was so important
to make people sensitive to the necessity of Christian unity, he says.
Finally, Fr Destivelle speaks about the theological dialogue
with the 14 Orthodox Churches, noting that the adoption of last year’s ‘Chieti
document’ is “probably a fruit also of the good relationships existing now
between the Holy See and the Moscow Patriarchate.
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