Ανακοίνωση
του Οικουμενικού Πατριαρχείου Ἰούνιος 2015
Ὁ
Σεβ. Μητροπολίτης Γέρων Περγάμου κ. Ἰωάννης,
ἐπί κεφαλῆς ἐπισήμου Ἀντιπροσωπείας τοῦ Οἰκουμενικοῦ Πατριαρχείου εἰς ἥν
συμμετέσχον ὁ Σεβ. Μητροπολίτης Σηλυβρίας
κ. Μάξιμος καί ὁ Αἰδεσιμολ. Πρωτοπρεσβύτερος κ. Heikki Huttunen, ἐκ Φιλλανδίας, ἐξεπροσώπησαν τήν Μητέρα Ἐκκλησίαν
κατά τήν Θρονικήν ἑορτήν τῆς Ἐκκλησίας Ρώμης, ἐπί τῇ μνήμῃ τῶν Ἁγίων ἐνδόξων
Πανευφήμων καί Πρωτοκορυφαίων Ἀποστόλων Πέτρου καί Παύλου.
Pope
welcomes Orthodox delegation for feast of Sts Peter and Paul
(Vatican Radio 29/06/2015) On the feast day of
Saints Peter and Paul, Pope Francis urged 46 new metropolitan archbishops to
hear the first apostles’ call to prayer, to faith and to witness. The
Pope’s words came during his homily at Mass in St Peter’s Basilica which included
several significant ecumenical initiatives, as Philippa Hitchen reports:
Listen:
Every
year on June 29th, solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, a high level delegation
from the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul
travels to the Vatican to celebrate this great feast of the patron saints of
the Church in Rome. Just as a Vatican delegation travels to Istanbul each
November 30th to celebrate the feastday of St Andrew with the Orthodox Church
of the East.
Pope
Francis had special greetings to the Orthodox delegation, led by Metropolitan
John Zizioulas, who was also present in the Vatican just 10 days ago
for the presentation of the papal encyclical on the environment, ‘Laudato Si’’.
Meanwhile,
providing inspirational music for the Mass on Monday were choristers of the
Anglican choir of New College, Oxford, who joined forces with the regular
Sistine Chapel Choir to underline the ecumenical nature of this important feast
day.
In
his homily Pope Francis spoke of the courage of the Apostles and of the first
Christian community, persecuted by the rulers of their day, just as believers
continue to be the victims of “atrocious, inhuman and incomprehensible
persecutions” in many parts of the world today.
The
Pope focused his words on three ways in which the new metropolitan archbishops
are called to model their lives on those first apostles. Firstly, by being men
of prayer, just as the first Christian community was a Church at prayer,
supported, sustained and always "moving forward". Prayer, the Pope
said, is the encounter with God, who never lets us down or leaves us alone.
Secondly,
Pope Francis said, the new archbishops must respond to the call to faith,
believing that despite all the difficulties "the Church remains alive and
fruitful". And finally he urged the archbishops to be men of witness,
following the examples of so many other Christian witnesses throughout the
history of the Church. “There is no witness,” he reminded them, “without a
coherent lifestyle!”
Whereas
in past years, the popes have placed the symbolic pallium around the neck of
each new metropolitan, this year Pope Francis simply blessed the bands of white
wool, embroidered with black, silk crosses. Each pallium will later be
presented to the archbishops by the nuncio in their own country, in a ceremony
underlining the importance of the local Churches and the synodality of all
bishops, under the guidance of the successor of Saint Peter.
ΑΚΟΛΟΥΘΕΙ ΒΙΝΤΕΟ ΑΠΟ ΤΗ ΘΡΟΝΙΚΗ ΕΟΡΤΗ
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
The Pope to a
delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarch on the eve of the Solemnity of Sts Peter
and Paul .
June
27, 2015
Reaching full unity, “ represents one of my main
concerns”: this was declared by Pope Francis in an audience granted Saturday
morning, 27 June, to a delegation of the Ecumenical
Patriarch of Constantinople, who are in Rome for the Solemnity of Sts Peter
and Paul. Accompanied by leaders of the Pontifical Council for Promoting
Christian Unity, they were received by the Pope in the Private Library of the
Apostolic Palace. Members of the delegation are Metropolitan Ioannis of Pergamon, Metropolitan Maximos of Selyvria
and Protopresbyter Heikki Huttunen, bearing a message from the Ecumenical
Patriarch. In it Bartholomew recalled the Pope's “personal visit” and his
“participation in the celebration of our Thronal feast last year. This
communion person-to-person left behind an indelible joy in our heart”. The Pope
then gave an address, the following of which is the English text.
Dear Brothers in Christ,
It is with joy and heartfelt friendship that I greet
you and welcome you to Rome on the feast of the Blessed Apostles Peter and
Paul, principal patrons of this Church. Your presence at the celebrations of
our feast testifies once again to the deep relationship between the sister
Churches of Rome and Constantinople, foreshadowed by the bond which unites the
respective patron Saints of our Churches, the Apostles Peter and Andrew,
brothers in blood and faith, united in apostolic service and martyrdom.
I recall with gratitude the warm welcome given to me
at the Phanar of my beloved brother, Bartholomew, by the clergy and faithful of
the Ecumenical Patriarchate, on the feast of Saint Andrew last November. The
ecumenical prayer on the vigil of the feast, and then the Divine Liturgy in the
Patriarchal Church of Saint George, offered us the possibility of together
praising the Lord and asking him with one voice for that day to draw nearer
when full, visible communion between Orthodox and Catholics may be
reestablished. The embrace of peace exchanged with His Holiness was an eloquent
sign of that fraternal charity which encourages us along the path of
reconciliation, and which will enable us one day to participate together at the
altar of the Eucharist.
Attaining that goal, towards which we have set out
together in trust, represents one of my main concerns, for which I do not cease
to pray to God. I hope, therefore, that opportunities may increase for meeting
each other, for exchange and cooperation among Catholic and Orthodox faithful,
in such a way that as we deepen our knowledge and esteem for one another, we
may be able to overcome any prejudice and misunderstanding that may remain as a
result of our long separation. It is my desire that we may be able to face, in
truth but also with a fraternal spirit, the difficulties which still exist. In
this way, I wish also to renew my support for the important work of
the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the
Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church. The problems which we may encounter in
the course of our theological dialogue must not lead us to discouragement or
resignation. The careful examination of how in the Church the principle of
synodality and the service of the one who presides are articulated, will make a
significant contribution to the progress of relations between our Churches.
Dear brothers, as preparations for the Pan-Orthodox
Synod are intensifying, I assure you of my prayers and that of many Catholics,
that these extensive efforts may come to fruition. I trust also in your prayers
for the Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops of the Catholic Church, on
the theme of the family, which will take place here in the Vatican this coming
October, at which we are looking forward also to the participation of a
fraternal delegate from the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
With regard to agreement and cooperation on the most
urgent issues, I am pleased to recall that in the recent conference that
presented my Encyclical Laudato Si’ on care for our common home, the
Patriarch Bartholomew sent you, dear Metropolitan John, to address the
conference on this occasion.
I renew my gratitude for your presence and for your
cordial expressions of closeness. I ask you to convey my fraternal greeting to
His Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew and to the Holy Synod, together with my most
heartfelt appreciation for having desired to send eminent representatives to
share our joy. Please pray for me and for my ministry.
“Peace to all of you that are in Christ!” (1
Pt 5:14).
ΑΚΟΛΟΥΘΕΙ ΒΙΝΤΕΟ
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