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Pope Benedict XVI has called together a Synod of Bishops to discuss “The New Evangelization for the Transmission of Christian Faith,” and one of its historical aspects is the invitation extended to ecumenical guests. This past week witnessed an historic address by the head of the Russian Orthodox Church’s Department for External Church Relations, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, who also met privately afterward with Pope Benedict.
Metropolitan Hilarion brought the Holy Father and bishops apostolic greetings from His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and the Russian Orthodox Church.
He noted that the Synod of Bishops is timed to the the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the Second Vatican Council.
“Half a century ago the fathers of the council were convinced that closer cooperation amongst Christians of different traditions would make a witness to Christ more convincing,” he said. “The Second Vatican Council made a substantial contribution to the development of inter-Christian dialogue and indeed laid the foundation of official relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches. Our presence at the Synod of Bishops of the Roman Catholic Church bears witness to it.”
He shared with the bishops that the present crisis in Western society is primarily a spiritual paralysis. In referring to the role that Roman Catholics and Orthodox need to share he said, “Both the Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church fulfill the mission to which they have been called by Christ and tirelessly bring witness to the truth, while ‘proving the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment” (Jn 16:8).
“In this ministry, our churches become even more conscious of the necessity of combining our efforts so that the Christian answer to the challenges of the modern society can be heard,” he added.
In reference to the “Arab spring” unfolding in the Middle East, Metropolitan Hilarion lamented that the plight of Christians in that area are worsening. He shared with the bishops that “many have fled from the places they had lived for centuries. In Iraq, where 1.5 million Christians lived just a few years ago, only 150,000 remain, while all the others were either exterminated or expelled. Grave persecutions of Christians are going on in Egypt, Libya, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nigeria, India, Indonesia and many other countries, both in the Middle East and elsewhere.”
He went on to condemn the catastrophe unfolding in Syria and how Christians are particularly singled out for persecution and extermination.
“We Orthodox and Catholics from all over the world, should raise our voice in defense of Christian population and Christian heritage of the Middle East… Only if we join our forces shall we be able to protect our Christian faith, to overcome present crisis and to give new impetus to our common mission of the new evangelization, ‘so that the world may believe’” (Jn 17:21), he said.
Following his address to the Synod, Metropolitan Hilarion met privately with Pope Benedict. May the Lord continue to bring our ancient Churches closer together so that the work of evangelization may prosper.
Father Joseph D. Wallace is coordinator, Ecumenical and Inter-religious Affairs, Diocese of Camden.
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