Pope meets primate of
Orthodox Church in Czech, Slovac Republics
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| Metropolitan Rastislav of the Czech and Slovak lands who met with Pope francis on Friday. |
Pope Francis points to Saints Cyril and Methodius, who
translated the Gospels into the Slavic language, as models for contemporary
evangelisation
By Philippa Hitchen
Pope Francis met on Friday with Metropolitan Rastislav, head
of the Orthodox Church in the Czech and Slovak Republics.
It was the first encounter between the pontiff and the
primate, who was elected in January 2014.
In his words to the Holy Father, Metropolitan Rastislav
compared the two Church leaders to the disciples on the road to Emmaus, who
only recognised Jesus when he broke bread with them. While we are still unable
to break the Bread of Life together, he said, we “remain fellow disciples who walk
together” as pilgrims on the way.
In his response to the Orthodox leader, Pope Francis
recalled the legacy of the 9th century Apostles of the Slavs,
Saints Cyril and Methodius, whom Saint John Paul II proclaimed co-patrons of
Europe in honour of their evangelising mission.
Legacy of Saints Cyril and Methodius
The two brothers, who translated the Bible from Greek into
the Slavic language, remind us of our “immense shared patrimony of holiness”,
the Pope said. As well as the innumerable witnesses and martyrs of the early
centuries, he said, there are also many who were persecuted under the atheist,
communist regimes and those who continue to suffer for their faith today.
Secondly, Pope Francis noted that the Apostles Cyril and
Methodius had the audacity to translate the Gospels into a language that was
accessible to people in the region, known then as Great Moravia.
Models of modern evangelisation
The brothers remain for us today a model of evangelization,
he said, since it is not enough to stick to our set way of doing things, but
rather we should listen to the Spirit who inspires us with new ways of
translating the Gospel message for contemporary women and men. That includes
people living in traditionally Christian countries which are often marked by
secularisation and indifference.
Unity means reconciling diversity
Finally, the Pope said Saints Cyril and Methodius were able
to overcome divisions between Christian communities of different cultures and
traditions, becoming therefore “authentic precursors of ecumenism”. They remind
us, he stressed, that unity does not mean uniformity, but rather the
reconciling of diversity in the Holy Spirit.
May the witness of the Apostles of the Slavs accompany us on
the road to full unity, he said, including through the work of the
international mixed commission for theological dialogue between the Catholic
and Orthodox Churches
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