English Wall

CATHOLIC-ORTHODOX FORUM: different voices

Dettagli
Creato: 07 Giugno 2012
Hits: 1713
0(From our correspondent in Lisbon) - An ecumenical prayer for “those who have responsibilities in the political world, that the European governments may be the promoters of peace and justice”, and for “all those who suffer, and especially for the poorer, the sick, the unemployed, that God may send the Angel of peace to watch over them, comfort them and defend them from any evil”. Last night, the Catholic and Metropolitan bishops of several European Patriarchates and Churches prayed with such intentions in the church of Colégio Bom Sucesso in Lisbon. An ecumenical prayer that was celebrated at the heart of the Third European Catholic-Orthodox Forum that brought together leaders of the Catholic and Orthodox churches of Europe for three days’ discussions and debates about “Economic crisis and poverty: challenges for today’s Europe”. The meeting will end tomorrow, and this afternoon the two delegations will be working at a final document. “In the world around us - said last night card. Péter Erdõ, archbishop pf Esztergom-Budapest and president of the Council of European Bishops Conferences -, we see many signs of sadness and crisis, distortions that may come from a certain culture and from society. Collective selfishness and the alienation of finance and economy from reality threaten the life of our society” and risk “undermining the possibilities of life for the future generations”.
And he went on: “We have just celebrated the Pentecost, the Holy Spirit is among us. Our meeting is itself a sign of God’s call. His presence is the source of our joy, the strength to go beyond our limits, the courage to seek the unity of Christians and bring hope to the world”. Then, the metropolitan bishop of Spain and Portugal, Policarpo (Ecumenical Patriarchate), took the floor to comment on the reading about St John Chrysostom about charity. “We are experiencing - he said - a deep economic crisis that is the child of the spiritual and moral crisis that is affecting mankind nowadays. Millions of our brothers and sisters struggle for survival every day”. Then, Policarpo pointed out how important it is nowadays to be generous in one’s charity, to give, “with an evangelical spirit, even just a word of support, of comfort, of understanding”. “We are spiritually and morally sick rather than economically sick - he said -, and the Church has the only medication that can work against any crisis and can heal man from any sickness or disability”. This morning, the participants will attend High Mass, which will be celebrated on the occasion of the feast of Corpus Christi in the cathedral of Lisbon. This is the last year Portugal will be celebrating such festivity nationwide: actually, the Corpus Christi and All Souls’ festivities have been cancelled for the next five years as a public holiday due to the recession.


Filaret: (From our correspondent in Lisbon) - Faced with the crisis, it is not up to the Church to present specific solutions. It is up to the Church, instead, to “say that the modern economic scene, devoid of its value dimension, is anti-human and destructive for both individuals and society”. This is the line of thought of the hegumen Filaret Bulekov, deputy president of the Department for External Relations of the Patriarchate of Moscow, who this morning spoke at the Catholic-Orthodox Forum about economic crisis and poverty that is taking place in Lisbon. The leader of the Russian Orthodox Church pointed out that the economic crisis is the child of a process of secularisation that is taking place in European societies, in which “religion finds itself to be increasingly separated from society”. A process that does not only concern the religious sphere: “Nowadays, politics has no influence on the economic and financial crises either, and it is often becoming hostage to it. The European Christian Churches - Filaret went on - have often accepted this state of things and have let the modern economies be regulated by internal laws that had no connection with religion or morality. Nowadays, however, faced with a pervasive economic crisis, the demand is coming back”. And he ended: “Nowadays, the Church is called again to remind people that, without a spiritual goal, it is impossible to ensure the wellbeing and development of individuals and humans societies”.
MGR. Pezzi: (Lisbon, from our correspondent) - The “ecumenical” sign that the third European Catholic-Orthodox Forum is giving “is positive, because it goes in two directions, namely by showing that it is possible to discuss, engage in dialogue and face together the issues that the Catholic Church and Orthodox Churches have at heart, and by proving that a common witness based on our faith in Christ can certainly help advance dialogue”. Mgr. Paolo Pezzi, archbishop of the archdiocese of the Mother of God in Moscow, spoke at the three-day meeting, which will close tomorrow in Lisbon, bringing together European Catholic bishops and metropolitans from various Orthodox Churches in Europe. “From a doctrinal point of view - he added -, we certainly need more time and patience to deal with issues relating to the doctrine, the sacraments and the conception of the Church itself”. “In the meanwhile, we can meet to discuss and deal with the issues that we have at heart in an unaffected way”.
Reflecting on the situation in Russia with the Orthodox Church, Mgr. Pezzi acknowledged that “there are cordial relations also at the local level” and that “prejudices are decreasing. However, it is clear that it is easier to give in to prejudice rather than try to understand the truth about the situation”. “Hope never dies - the archbishop concluded -, and I see it in the fact that the more time passes, the more people understand that man needs to meet Christ”.

© www.agensir.it - june 7th 2012