Zenit News
“We Must Seek Out God’s Will,” He Tells Joint Panel
VATICAN CITY, DEC. 15, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI received members of the joint coordinating committee of the International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches.
In his address to the panel today, the Pope expressed his happiness at the resumption of dialogue following years of “serious internal and external difficulties.”
On Sept. 12, Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople made known the decision of the Orthodox Churches to reactivate the commission. It was decided that the first meeting of this new phase of dialogue would be held this week in Rome.
The Holy Father noted that the renewed dialogue will consider two aspects: “On the one hand, eliminating the remaining differences, and on the other, upholding the fundamental desire to do everything possible to re-establish full communion, which is so essential for the community of the disciples of Christ, as the preparatory document of your work makes clear.”
“We must seek out God’s will,” Benedict XVI continued, “though it may not correspond to our simple human projects. We must achieve full unity of the Church and reconciliation among Christians, even at the cost of submitting our own will to the will of the Lord.”
The Holy Father stressed that, in order to advance along the path of unity, we must “ask the Lord’s help … because unity is above all a gift of God,” and “invite all Christians to joint prayer.”
The mixed coordinating committee has 10 Catholics and 11 Orthodox.
It is headed by Ioannis, metropolitan of Pergamo, and Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, who are also heads of the International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches.
All this RC-Orthodox dialog under Pope Benedict is intriguing. I just had eight friends (7 from one family and one a former Roman Catholic priest) who were received this Sunday into Holy Orthodoxy. Had Pope John Paul still been alive, I’m not sure they would have come. Both the former priest and the head of the family feel that Pope Benedict’s appeal for unity does not have the substance that Pope John Paul’s did, yet it seems to be met with greater acceptance by the Orthodox leaders in Europe. Both the head of the family and the former priest have essentially said that the election of Pope Benedict was the last straw for them in deciding to leave the Roman Catholic Church.
They had been leaning our way for years, but had such respect and love for Pope John Paul that they could just not make the move, even though they were uncomfortable at both a theological level and a personal, pastoral level.