蜜桃交友

By Christopher Wells

Pope Francis on Friday welcomed members of a Delegation from the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople who had come to Rome for the Solemnity of Sts Peter and Paul. The visit is traditionally reciprocated with a Delegation from Rome on the feast of St Andrew, the patron of Constantinople.

Path toward unity

In his , Pope Francis highlighted the values of unity and peace. He expressed his joy at the outcome of the Plenary Session of the Joint International Commission for Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church, which resulted in a document on .

鈥淚t was important鈥�, he said, 鈥渢o have engaged in a joint reading of the way in which the relationship between synodality and primacy developed in East and West during the second millennium.鈥�

Today, he continued, 鈥渨e are called to seek together a modality of exercising the primacy that, within the context of synodality, is at the service of the Church鈥檚 communion on the universal level鈥�.

He also clarified that the prerogatives enjoyed by the Bishop of Rome 鈥渨ith regard his own Diocese and the Catholic community鈥� need not necessarily be extended to the Orthodox communities, emphasizing that when the Churches are 鈥渇ully united in faith and love, the form in which the Bishop of Rome will exercise his service of communion in the Church at the universal level will have to be the result of an inseparable relationship between primacy and synodality鈥�.

At the same time, the Pope recalled 鈥渢hat full unity will be the gift of the Holy Spirit, and is to be sought in the Spirit鈥�; and must arise from 鈥渇raternal charity鈥� among sisters and brothers who 鈥渁re capable of setting their diversity within a larger context鈥�.

Overriding concern for peace

A common fraternal outlook, he said, can be an impulse 鈥渢o share, as brothers, all those things we bare in our hearts: our sorrows and joys, our hardships and hopes鈥� 鈥� as well as our concerns, 鈥渋ncluding our overriding concern for peace, especially in wartorn Ukraine.鈥�

Every war, he said, is an 鈥渦tter鈥� disaster, which harms individuals, families, and, indeed, all of creation 鈥渁s we have seen recently following the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam.鈥� The Pope insisted that 鈥渁s followers of Christ, we must not grow resigned to war, but work together for peace鈥�.

Peace, he continued, 鈥渋s not something we can attain by ourselves, but first and foremost a gift of the Lord鈥�. But at the same time, 鈥渋t remains a gift that requires acceptance by men and women, particularly believers, who are called to share in God鈥檚 work of peacemaking鈥�.

Pope Francis went on to insist that peace must 鈥渞ise up from the human heart鈥�, and must stem from a genuine 鈥渃onversion of hearts鈥� that results in a love 鈥渢hat cannot be confined to our own group鈥�.

He added that, especially for Christians, 鈥淪elf-centred and self-seeking attitudes must be countered by God鈥檚 own 鈥榮tyle鈥� which, as Christ taught us by His example, is one of service and self-renunciation鈥�, adding, 鈥淲e can be sure that, by incarnating that style, Christians will grow in reciprocal communion and will assist our world, marked as it is by division and discord鈥�.

The Holy Father concluded his address with an assurance of prayers, and asked in turn for prayers for himself and his ministry, while praying that 鈥渢hrough the intercession of Saints Peter and Paul, and Saint Andrew, brother of Peter, this encounter may be a further step along our journey towards visible unity in faith and love鈥�.