Pope Promises no “Uniatism” in Relationship to Orthodox Churches

Francis in address to delegation led by Moscow Foreign Minister Archbishop Hilarion: The way of unity is the "only way" - No mission among non-Catholic Christians

Vatican City (kath.net/KAP) Unusually, Pope Francis has reaffirmed his commitment to ecumenism with the Russian Orthodox Church and its Patriarch Kyrill. The path of unity is "the only way that promises us something certain, the path of division will only bring us war and destruction," the Pope said in a short speech to a Russian Orthodox delegation whose text the Vatican published on Saturday.

"The only patriarch in Moscow, in Russia, is yours," Francis assured the delegation. This was under the direction of Metropolitan Hilarion, the foreign chief of the Moscow Patriarchate, who visited Italy from Monday to Wednesday. Shortly before returning to Russia, the group had been received by the Pope.

In his address, Francis gave a clear rejection to any Uniatism, that is, the mission among non-Catholic Christians. If "some Catholic believers - whether lay people, priests or bishops" propagate this, he says: "That does not work anymore, that's over." Of course, the existing Eastern churches unified with Rome, which have arisen in past centuries, must be respected. Today, however, this is no longer a way to unity, according to the Pope.

However, Francis also urged the Russian Orthodox Church to take concrete steps in ecumenism. As examples Francis called for prayer, charitable commitment or pilgrimages. Although one must continue to discuss the theological divergences, one should not wait until at some point, for agreement to exist in all teaching differences.

As a further clear assurance to the Orthodox side, the Pope said: "The Catholic Churches in Russia must not interfere in the internal affairs of the Russian Orthodox Church, as well as in politics." This is his attitude and that of the Holy See, the Pope said. Finally, he called on Orthodox and Catholic believers for mutual prayer for each other. This brings the sisters and brothers of both churches closer together.

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
AMDG

Russian Orthodox Church hierarch calls for strategic alliance with Catholics, Protestants

Editor: The only course is through true ecumenism. The problem will be highlighted by the fact that most protestant organizations don't find abortion, birth control or the dissolubility of marriage to be problematic.

Moscow, February 28, Interfax - Russia's moral and demographic situation raises a question about its future, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Synodal Department for External Church Relations, said.

"I often say that today there is a bad need for a 'strategic alliance' between Orthodox believers and Catholics, members of the ancient eastern Churches, traditional Protestants, that is to say all those who defend true Christian values - the family, children's upbringing, indissolubility of marriage, the value of human life from inception until death," the Metropolitan said in an interview published in the Komsomolskaya Pravda daily on Monday.

All these notions are being "totally reviewed, and we must oppose this," he said.

"Otherwise, both Russia and the Christian civilization in general will over [not so much] time lose their 'salt,' lose their image and remain just a subject of study for historians and archeologists," the hierarch said.

Russians "are beginning to get used to their country's "severe demographic crisis," he said.

Asked what the Church can suggest to change this situation, he recalled the recent major initiative by Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, involving a set of proposals to fight abortions, to support families with many children, to help children left without parents and to pass new legislation to protect families and childhood.

Link to interfax...

Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk meets with Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn

On September 22, 2010, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, DECR chairman, who is on a visit to Vienna for a meeting of the Joint Theological Commission for Dialogue Between the Roman Catholic Church and Orthodox Churches, met with the head of the Vienna archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church, Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn.

Metropolitan Hilarion told the cardinal about today’s life of the Russian Orthodox Church, the trips made by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia in Russia and far- and near-abroad countries, the Church’s missionary and educational work as well as the work of the Department for External Church Relations and some other Synodal institutions of the Moscow Patriarchate.

They discussed prospects for Orthodox-Catholic cooperation in Europe in general and a possibility for carrying out joint educational activities and youth events, in particular.

In conclusion of the talk, which was held in a warm and friendly atmosphere, Metropolitan Hilarion presented Cardinal Schoenborn with an icon of the Most Holy Mother of God.

Link to original...Russian Orthodox Church...

Fallen to the Russian Schismatics: Former Benedictine Becomes Orthodox

Editor: Somehow, more blame belongs to the Benedictine Hermits of Switzerland than this poor, celebrated intellectual hermit. He's a lot more interesting than Thomas Merton, however, why don't Catholic publishing houses do more to celebrate men of his type, instead of men who are embarrassingly irreligious darlings of the literati class?

First he was a Benedictine. Then he lived twenty years as a hermit in Tessin. Now he has left the barque of Peter.

[kreuz.net] The famous Benedictine Hermit and spiritual writer, Peter Gabriel Bunge, has fallen to the Russian Schismatics.

This is according to the weblog 'prevoslavie.ru'

Bugne studied first of all at the Rhenish Fredrich-Wihelms-Unviersitaet in Bonn. He is working ffor a doctorate there with his work on Second Maccabees.

Then he entred the bi-ritual Belgian Benedictine Cloister Chevetogne.

For twenty years he belonged to the byzantine-slavic Rite.

With the permission of his superior he's lived since nineteen eighty as a Hermit in the area of the Community Capriasca in the vicinity of Lugano in the South Swiss Canton of Tessin.

He amed his cell "Hermitage of Santa Croce". There he celebrated the Mass at first in the Ambrosian Rite.

Then, after a few years, he changed to the Byzantine Rite.

As Hermit he was up to his apostasy under the old liberal Benedictine Cloister of Monks in Central Switzerland.

According to reports from Father Antoine Lambrechts from Chevtogne -- in an reader entry for the Blog 'eirenikon.wordpress.com' -- Bunge has been Orthodox in life and belief for the last fifteen years.

Bunge has secured for himself an international reputation as a spiritual writer.

He publishes books and countless articles in scholarly magazines.

His formal renunciation of the Church occurred on 27th August - on the eve of the Orthodox feast of 28 August celebrating the Assumption -- in the vigil of the Moscow Church Icon of the Mother of God, "Joy of All the Bereaved".

The church is located in the Bolschaja Ordynka street.

The presbyters present at his apostacy were Moscow Patriarch, Metroplitan Hilarion Alfayev von Volkolamsk and Metropolitan Kallistos Ware (76) of Diokleia -- a former Anglican.

Bunge belongs now to the Russian Schismatics.

Metropolitan Hilarion said to him: "You were a Catholic, but deep in your heart you were Orthodox. Today, on the vigil you have become orthodox and have closed your long spiritual journey in a natural way."

Hilarion wished Bunge well in his apostasy and gave him an Icon of the Mother of God "Joy of all Bereaved".

Tradition vs. Liberal -- Aliance between Catholic and Orthodox Church, In Order to Give Europe Back Its Soul

[London/Rome] A few days from the arrival of Pope Benedict XVI in Scotland and England, the "Number two" in the Russian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, Direcoter of the "Foreign Office" of the Moscow Patriarchate, will make his visit to Great Britain.

On the 9th of September he will meet [has already met] in Lambeth Palace with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, the Primate of the Anglican Communion. In a certain way "he makes straight the way of the Pope", as the Pope's meeting on the 17th of September is described by Vaticanist Sandro Magister in the Weekly L'Espresso.

Full text of the address, here.

The Vatican itself boasts prelates who raise their noses, when they are confronted with terms like "conservative" and "progressive". Not seldom one hears from them that such pigeonholes are "an old thing", which are "outdated". "I think contrarily, that the destinction is legitimate and before and now useful for both Churches to compare their main directions," writes Paolo Rodari, the Vaticanist of the daily Il Foglio and author of the recently released book "Attack Against Ratzinger, Recriminations and Scandals, Prophesies and Conspiracies Against Benedict XVI."

Metropolitan Hilarion correspondingly, gave a speech with the Anglican Primate at the concluding meeting of the Nicea Club in London, where he made an actual appraisal of Christndom in outspoken Ratzingerian mannerisms.

"All of the present forms of Christendom could be put roughly under two principle groups: in Traditional and Liberal. The difference today lies not so much between Orthodox and Catholic or between Catholics and Protestants, rather between Traditionalists and Liberals.

"Some Christian leaders, for example, say to us that the marriage between a man and a woman is no longer the only possibility when it comes to forming a family: there are other models and the Church must become "inclusive" in so far as the standards of alternative forms of relationship are recognized and how these are officially blessed.

Some attempt to overrule that human life is no longer an absolute value and that it may be ended at will in the mother's womb. From the traditional Christians, then, the progressive expects, therefore, beneath such expectations of modernity, that he reassess his own standpoint."

The Metropolitan recalled then, that it is a principle priority for the Russian Orthodox Church, a commitment to order the eternal validity of the spiritual and moral values of Christendom. It is always, says Metropolitan Hilarion, the common will of the Moscow Patriarchate and the Catholic Church, "to form an alliance in Europe, to defend the traditional values of Christendom and give Europe back its soul", against relativism and against secularism.


Article translated from katholisches.net...

Also an account of the Nicea Discussion at Virtue Online...