Catholics, Orthodox meet to discuss synodality, papal primacy

Leading Catholic and Orthodox bishops were meeting in Italy to continue discussions on the key issue keeping their Churches apart: the role of the bishop of Rome, the pope.

The Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue Between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church was meeting in Chieti, September 15-22.

Participants were to discuss the draft document, “Towards a common understanding of synodality and primacy in the service to the unity of the Church,” which was finished during a meeting in Rome in 2015, the Vatican press office announced September 15.

Participants were being asked “to determine whether the draft accurately reflects the current consensus on the delicate question of the theological and ecclesiological aspects of primacy in its relation to synodality in the life of the Church or whether it will be necessary to continue to delve deeper into the issue,” said the Vatican communique.
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Posted: September 16, 2016 • Permanent link: ecu.net/?p=9566
Categories: CNS • In this article: Catholic, dialogue, Orthodox, petrine ministry, primacy, synodality Transmis : 16 septembre 2016 • Lien permanente : ecu.net/?p=9566
Catégorie : CNS • Dans cet article : Catholic, dialogue, Orthodox, petrine ministry, primacy, synodality

Orthodox-Anglican dialogue explores “complex ethical concerns”

Members of the official Anglican-Orthodox dialogue have met this week to discuss a range of bioethical and moral issues. The discussion was “a practical follow-up” to their agreed statement In the Image and Likeness of God: A Hope-Filled Anthropology, which was published last year after their talks in Buffalo, New York. At this week’s talks in Armagh, Northern Ireland, the International Commission for Anglican–Orthodox Theological Dialogue (ICAOTD) began to explore issues including contraception, abortion, reproductive technology, stem cell research, organ transplants, artificial life support, assisted dying and euthanasia.

The Commission studied four papers unpacking the themes: “Christian Ethics and the Beginning and End of Life: Themes in Anglican Reflection”, by the former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams; “Bioethical Themes: Transplants and Euthanasia”, by Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Kition; “Survey of Anglican Church Documents on Beginning and End of Life Issues”, by the Revd Canon Philip Hobson; and “Medical Bioethics: An Orthodox Christian Perspective for Orthodox Christians”, by Protodeacon Basil Andruchow.

“What is new for Anglican-Orthodox dialogue is the discussion of morals, and the practical outworking of the common vision of the human person finalised last year in the agreed statement,” the Anglican Communion’s director for unity, faith and order, the Revd Canon John Gibaut, said. “This year’s meeting signals a new direction, which is both theological and deeply pastoral.
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Posted: September 30, 2016 • Permanent link: ecu.net/?p=9557
Categories: ACNS • In this article: Anglican Consultative Council, dialogue, ethics, moral discernment, Orthodox Transmis : 30 septembre 2016 • Lien permanente : ecu.net/?p=9557
Catégorie : ACNS • Dans cet article : Anglican Consultative Council, dialogue, ethics, moral discernment, Orthodox

Europe’s Catholic, Orthodox leaders say they’ll stand against terrorism

Catholic and Orthodox leaders have pledged to stand together against fundamentalism and terrorism, as well as resisting forces working to erode and destroy religious belief in Europe.

“Terrorist violence against people considered unbelievers or infidels is the extreme degree of religious intolerance — we unreservedly condemn it and deplore that such acts have developed in the soil of a misguided religious culture,” the church representatives said in a joint message Jan. 13.

“The constitutions of our states guarantee the fundamental rights of the human person. Nevertheless, in our societies, forces are always at work to marginalize or even erase religions and their message from the public space. We believe Europe needs more than ever the breath of faith in Christ and the hope it provides.”

The 14-point message was published after a Jan. 9-12 meeting of the European Catholic-Orthodox Forum, co-chaired in Paris by Hungarian Cardinal Peter Erdo, former president of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences, and Metropolitan Gennadios of Sassima for the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.

It said Catholic and Orthodox bishops deplored “crimes that may have been committed in the name of religion,” but believed their churches should not be blamed “for attitudes of intolerance that are inadmissible nowadays, but used to be shared by societies in the past.”
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Posted: January 17, 2017 • Permanent link: ecu.net/?p=9617
Categories: CNS • In this article: Catholic, Orthodox, terrorism Transmis : 17 janvier 2017 • Lien permanente : ecu.net/?p=9617
Catégorie : CNS • Dans cet article : Catholic, Orthodox, terrorism

Batholomew, ”Ukraine has the right to be granted autocephaly”

After the vespers in honour of St Andrew, patron saint of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, Patriarch Bartholomew received an international Orthodox interparliamentary delegation of which 24 States are members, presided over by the Russian Gavrilof, who took part to the festivities.

The Patriarch told those present that the work of the Synod had just been completed and that the Tomos is being prepared for granting the autocephaly to the Ukrainian Church. In this context the new statute of the Ukrainian Church was discussed, a subject that will continue during the Ukrainian Synod in December during which it is hoped that all the Orthodox parties will participate, to arrive at the election of the primate and grant the so-called Tomos. A new church will thus be added to the existing 14: “It is a purely administrative fact that does not affect the magisterium of the Orthodox Church”, Bartholomew explained.
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Posted: December 1, 2018 • Permanent link: ecu.net/?p=10311
Categories: News • In this article: Bartholomew I, Orthodox, Ukraine Transmis : 1 décembre 2018 • Lien permanente : ecu.net/?p=10311
Catégorie : News • Dans cet article : Bartholomew I, Orthodox, Ukraine

Ukrainian Catholic leader sees new possibilities for ecumenism

The formal recognition of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine brings “a wind of hope” that new opportunities will be created for dialogue and concrete cooperation in the search for Christian unity, said the head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church. Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, major archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, said he already has agreed with the Orthodox Church’s newly elected Metropolitan Epiphanius of Kiev to draw up a “road map” to examine where the two churches could work together. The archbishop made his comments in a long interview with Glavcom, a Ukrainian news site; the Ukrainian Catholic Church’s website published the English translation of the interview Jan. 10.
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Posted: January 11, 2019 • Permanent link: ecu.net/?p=10440
Categories: CNS • In this article: Bartholomew I, Epiphanius, Orthodox, Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Ukraine, Ukrainian Catholic Transmis : 11 janvier 2019 • Lien permanente : ecu.net/?p=10440
Catégorie : CNS • Dans cet article : Bartholomew I, Epiphanius, Orthodox, Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Ukraine, Ukrainian Catholic

Bulgarian Orthodox prelate gives icy response to Pope Francis’ quest for church unity

Pope Francis has appealed for the care of migrants in Bulgaria which has not recently been welcoming of them, but his words during a trip seeking church unity riled a senior cleric in the dominant Orthodox Church in the eastern European nation.

A consistent message of the Pope since the migrant crisis of 2015 has been for the need to welcome refugees, whom he has said been scorned by fear-mongering European nationalists, The New York Times reported as the papal visit began.

“But rarely has he delivered it in a nation that has so few Roman Catholics — they make up less than one percent of the seven million people in a country that is mostly Bulgarian Orthodox,” said the Times, noting that migrants in Italy have also faced hostility.
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Posted: May 6, 2019 • Permanent link: ecu.net/?p=10597
Categories: Ecumenical News • In this article: Bulgaria, Orthodox, Pope Francis Transmis : 6 mai 2019 • Lien permanente : ecu.net/?p=10597
Catégorie : Ecumenical News • Dans cet article : Bulgaria, Orthodox, Pope Francis

New Greek Archbishop of America: Elpidophoros of Bursa

Axios, Church! Receive this news from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. On Saturday May 11 2019, “the Holy and Sacred Synod, continuing its work, proceeded to fill the vacated seat of the Archdiocese of America following the voluntary resignation of its shepherd, His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios Geron of America.

Therefore, following the suggestion, permission and exhortation of His-All Holiness, the holy synodical members upon invocation of the Holy Spirit, duly casted their votes and unanimously elected as Archbishop of America His Eminence Metropolitan Elpidophoros of Bursa, Abbot of the Holy Monastery of the Holy Trinity in Halki and Professor of the Theological School of the Aristoteleian University of Thessaloniki.”
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Posted: May 15, 2019 • Permanent link: ecu.net/?p=10553
Categories: News • In this article: bishops, Greek Orthodox, Orthodox, USA Transmis : 15 mai 2019 • Lien permanente : ecu.net/?p=10553
Catégorie : News • Dans cet article : bishops, Greek Orthodox, Orthodox, USA

Pope Francis: Goal of ecumenism is unity, not leveling differences

At the end of Mass on the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, Pope Francis and Orthodox Archbishop Job of Telmessos walked down the stairs under the main altar in St. Peter’s Basilica and prayed together at the apostle’s tomb. The archbishop was representing Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople at the pope’s celebration of the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, who were martyred in Rome and are the patron saints of the Roman church.

Greeting the archbishop in his homily June 29, Pope Francis told him, “Your presence reminds us that we can spare no effort in the journey toward full unity among believers, in communion at every level. For together, reconciled to God and having forgiven one another, we are called to bear witness to Jesus by our lives.” Meeting members of the Orthodox delegation June 28, the pope said Sts. Peter and Paul are exemplars of “the apostolic courage of proclamation, which also entails a commitment to respond to the new challenges of the present time.” Patriarch Bartholomew and his longstanding theological and pastoral concern about climate change is one example of that, the pope said, and “has been a source of inspiration for me.”
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Posted: July 1, 2019 • Permanent link: ecu.net/?p=10744
Categories: CNS • In this article: Orthodox, Pope Francis Transmis : 1 juillet 2019 • Lien permanente : ecu.net/?p=10744
Catégorie : CNS • Dans cet article : Orthodox, Pope Francis

New Orthodox-Catholic statement on the Vocation and Mission of the People of God

The North American Orthodox-Catholic Theological Consultation has released a new agreed statement entitled, The Vocation and Mission of the People of God: “A Chosen Race, a Royal Priesthood, a Holy Nation”. The document was finalized at the most recent meeting of the Consultation which took place in late May of this year at the Saint Methodios Faith and Heritage Center in Contoocook, New Hampshire. The Consultation is co-chaired by Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, the Catholic Archbishop of Newark, and by Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Methodios of Boston.
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Posted: August 6, 2019 • Permanent link: ecu.net/?p=10594
Categories: Dialogue, News • In this article: Catholic, dialogue, mission, Orthodox, US Conference of Catholic Bishops, vocation Transmis : 6 aoüt 2019 • Lien permanente : ecu.net/?p=10594
Catégorie : Dialogue, News • Dans cet article : Catholic, dialogue, mission, Orthodox, US Conference of Catholic Bishops, vocation