Yes, that's the one. Thank you, Rick.Rick of Wessex said:Hello, Iacobus.
Perhaps this is
the interview with His Holiness that you mentioned it? Hope it helps.
In XC,
Rick
I thought about simply posting this in the existing thread about the
upcoming meeting between Pope John-Paul II and His Holiness Patriarch
Bartholomew, but I think there are two important issues that we, as Orthodox
and as members of CF, need to specifically address. The first part of the
issue is really endemic to many Orthodox generally. There is a fear that
our Bishops, and particularly the EP, will essentially sell out Orthodoxy to
the RCC. That is the first thing that we need to confront.
As Orthodox Christians, our calling is to strive for theosis - to work out
our salvation within the very Ark of Salvation. The Orthodox Church has
sailed along very well for 2000 years, and there is no reason to think that
it won't continue. Yet because we know that we have found the pearl of
great price, we are terrified of losing it, and we know that capitulation to
the doctrines and innovation of Rome would indeed be a loss.
This fear is fed by the statements of some of the Patriarchs, and the EP in
particular has become the focus of that fear. Yet in this case, if we
carefully examine what the EP says, we can see that he has not said anything
that suggests that he is selling out Orthodoxy. Yesterday, I posted the
text of a speech that he gave at Georgetown University where he emphatically
talked about the differences between the two churches being "ontological" -
a strong term that means that the two are different in the most basic and
essential ways. Rick provided the link to a very recent interview the
Patriarch gave to a RC newspaper. In that interview, the Patriarch speaks
very clearly of papal pretensions. He also elaborates a very important
theme, that the RCC in particular and western Christianity generally, is
built on an attitude of worldly power that is antithetical to the spirit of
Christ. Neither of those statements are suggestive of an unseemly race to
the altar with Rome.
What they do suggest is this: that the Patriarch speaks in the language of
diplomats and, I might add, the best lawyers. He is cordial and
conciliatory, yet firm. I do not doubt that he has good personal relations
with the Pope and others in the RC hierarchy. But we need to separate the
wheat from the chaff, and look at what he is really saying. In my work, I
am cordial and friendly with many lawyers and judges with whom I strongly
disagree. I may have lunch with them, trade jokes, tell stories, help them
when they are in need and generally be nice. But it does not change the
fundamental disagreements that we have. I think the same dynamic is at play
here. Also keep in mind that when these things are reported, they are
typically reported by the RC press. What newspaper does not adopt a
particular tone? Take it with a grain of salt.
The second issue is one peculiar to CF, but I think unconsciously influences
us in many respects, and that is the way that we sometimes let OBOB dictate
the tone of the discussion. While I really like those guys, it is also true
that when it comes to issues of RCC - EO relations, they are by turns
typically patronizing and triumphal. We let that get to us. We don't need
to.
I'm the first to admit that I should not ever venture into OBOB. Sometimes
I just can't believe what I read. Our doctrine is undeveloped, we don't
know our doctrine, the Patriarchs are on the verge of submitting to the
Pope, etc., etc. But the fact of the matter is that they are simply wrong.
For my part, I think we should let our Catholic friends continue to delude
themselves. Their delusions of an imminent submission of the Patriarchs to
Rome are demonstrably untrue. Ignore them. Instead, we should allow
ourselves to be reassured. Going to someone's house, or having them over to
your house, which is what the EP is doing, is a long way from marrying that
person. Sometimes it's just the neighborly thing to do. Let's concentrate on
being Orthodox ourselves, and not live in fear and resentment. Simply
working out our salvation within Orthodoxy is enough to keep us occupied.
Let's all sit back. Take a deep breath. We are in the Church, or on the
road into it. Let that assurance wash over us, and let us all of us here at
TAW, as people who love the Lord, our Church and each other, take this
journey of joy and repentance together, secure in the knowledge that we're
home, and home isn't going anywhere.
In Christ,
James
Or more to the point, how is looking for conspiracies and judging a Patriarch aiding your quest for theosis? Remember, Mount Athos is also under the EP, and I haven't heard anyone suggesting they are un-Orthodox. You don't have to like Bartholomew, but there is a point where you can go too far in judging the actions of someone we don't even know.
