Benedict XVI’s “appreciation” for the XVII international ecumenical meeting of Orthodox Spirituality at the monastery of Bose, from today to September 12th, a significant audience in ecumenical terms, with official delegates from the Eastern and Western churches. In addition to the large group of delegates of the Catholic Church, participants include delegates of the Patriarchate of Moscow, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow), the Serbian, Romanian, Bulgarian, Greek Orthodox Churches, the Armenian Apostolic church, the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople. There is also a delegate of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, and a delegate of the Ecumenical Council of the Churches of Geneva. The topic chosen for this year’s meeting is “The spiritual fight in the Orthodox tradition”. In a telegram signed by cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Pope “wishes the fraternal meeting may raise new awareness of the value of spiritual fight as a consequence of Christ’s love and generous commitment to the ascetic education of the new generations”.
The participants were also sent a message from card. Walter Kasper, president of the Papal Council for the Unity of Christians, according to whom the meetings of Bose are “an excellent and extremely fruitful opportunity for meeting people from different Churches and traditions as well as a place for theological reflection and exchanges of views on several spiritual issues. The Monastery of Bose – the cardinal adds – thus becomes, once again, an example of the quest for an increasingly full communion among Christians”. Kasper wishes these meetings may “further promote mutual understanding, with a view to an increasingly shared testimony of Christ in the world”.

© SIR - sept 9 2009