SUMMARY:
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Mass in the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit: the Church shows fidelity
to the Holy Spirit when she does not seek to control or tame Him
-
Prayer at the Ecumenical Patriarchate: brothers in hope of Jesus
resurrected
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Francis participates in the Divine Liturgy on the Solemnity of St.
Andrew, patron of the Church of Constantinople
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Joint declaration of Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomaios I: “We
call on all religious leaders to pursue and strengthen interreligious
dialogue”
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Mass
in the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit: the Church shows fidelity to the
Holy Spirit when she does not seek to control or tame Him
Vatican
City, 30 November 2014 (VIS) – Early yesterday afternoon, Pope
Francis visited the Latin Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, opened for
worship in 1846. In the courtyard there is a statue of Pope Benedict
XV, erected by the Turks in 1919 during the Pope's lifetime, to thank
him for his efforts in favour of the Turkish victims of the First
World War. It bears the inscription: “To the great Pope of the
world's tragic hour, Benedict XV, benefactor of the people, without
discrimination of nationality or religion, a token of gratitude from
the Orient”. During his papacy, Armenian Christians were massacred
in the Ottoman Empire, and Benedict XV used every means available to
him – words, humanitarian aid and diplomatic activity – to bring
an end to the slaughter.
Pope
Francis celebrated an inter-ritual Mass with prayers in Armenian,
Turkish, Aramaic (Chaldean rite), Syro-Turkish, Italian, French,
English and Spanish , attended by the Ecumenical Patriarch
Bartholomaios I, the Syro-Catholic Patriarch Ignacio III Youna, the
patriarchal Armenian apostolic vicar of Istanbul, Archbishop Aram
Ateshian, the Syro-Orthodox Metropolitan of Istanbul Filuksinos Yusf
Cetin and other representatives of various evangelical confessions.
“In
the Gospel”, explained Pope Francis, “Jesus shows himself to be
the font from which those who thirst for salvation draw upon, as the
Rock from whom the Father brings forth living waters for all who
believe in him. In openly proclaiming this prophecy in Jerusalem,
Jesus heralds the gift of the Holy Spirit whom the disciples will
receive after his glorification, that is, after his death and
resurrection. The Holy Spirit is the soul of the Church. He gives
life, he brings forth different charisms which enrich the people of
God and, above all, he creates unity among believers: from the many
he makes one body, the Body of Christ. The Church’s whole life and
mission depend on the Holy Spirit; he fulfils all things”.
The
profession of faith itself, as Saint Paul reminds us in today’s
first reading, “is only possible because it is prompted by the Holy
Spirit: 'No one can say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy
Spirit'. When we pray, it is because the Holy Spirit inspires prayer
in our heart. When we break the cycle of our self-centredness, and
move beyond ourselves and go out to encounter others, to listen to
them and help them, it is the Spirit of God who impels us to do so.
When we find within a hitherto unknown ability to forgive, to love
someone who doesn’t love us in return, it is the Spirit who has
taken hold of us. When we move beyond mere self-serving words and
turn to our brothers and sisters with that tenderness which warms the
heart, we have indeed been touched by the Holy Spirit”.
“It
is true”, observed the Pontiff, “that the Holy Spirit brings
forth different charisms in the Church, which at first glance, may
seem to create disorder. Under His guidance, however, they constitute
an immense richness, because the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of unity,
which is not the same thing as uniformity. Only the Holy Spirit is
able to kindle diversity, multiplicity and, at the same time, bring
about unity. When we try to create diversity, but are closed within
our own particular and exclusive ways of seeing things, we create
division. When we try to create unity through our own human designs,
we end up with uniformity and homogenisation. If we let ourselves be
led by the Spirit, however, richness, variety and diversity will
never create conflict, because the Spirit spurs us to experience
variety in the communion of the Church.
“The
diversity of members and charisms is harmonised in the Spirit of
Christ, Whom the Father sent and whom He continues to send, in order
to achieve unity among believers. The Holy Spirit brings unity to the
Church: unity in faith, unity in love, unity in interior life. The
Church and other Churches and ecclesial communities are called to let
themselves be guided by the Holy Spirit, and to remain always open,
docile and obedient”.
He
continued, “Ours is a hopeful perspective, but one which is also
demanding. The temptation is always within us to resist the Holy
Spirit, because He takes us out of our comfort zone and unsettles us;
He makes us get up and drives the Church forward. It is always easier
and more comfortable to settle in our sedentary and unchanging ways.
In truth, the Church shows her fidelity to the Holy Spirit in as much
as she does not try to control or tame Him. We Christians become true
missionary disciples, able to challenge consciences, when we throw
off our defensiveness and allow ourselves to be led by the Spirit. He
is freshness, imagination and newness”.
Our
defensiveness is evident “when we are entrenched within our ideas
and our own strengths – in which case we slip into Pelagianism –
or when we are ambitious or vain. These defensive mechanisms prevent
us from truly understanding other people and from opening ourselves
to a sincere dialogue with them. But the Church, flowing from
Pentecost, is given the fire of the Holy Spirit, which does not so
much fill the mind with ideas, but inflames the heart; she is moved
by the breath of the Spirit which does not transmit a power, but
rather an ability to serve in love, a language which everyone is able
to understand. In our journey of faith and fraternal living, the more
we allow ourselves to be humbly guided by the Spirit of the Lord, the
more we will overcome misunderstandings, divisions, and disagreements
and be a credible sign of unity and peace”.
The
Pope extended his embrace “with this joyful conviction” to all
those present at the Mass, and expressed his gratitude to the
representatives of the Protestant communities, who joined in prayer
with the Catholic faithful for this celebration. He also greeted the
Armenian Patriarch, His Beatitude Mesrob II, who was unable to
attend.
“Brothers
and sisters”, he concluded, “let us turn our thoughts to the
Virgin Mary, Mother of God. With her, she who prayed with the
Apostles in the Upper Room as they awaited Pentecost, let us pray to
the Lord asking him to send his Holy Spirit into our hearts and to
make us witnesses of his Gospel in all the world”.
Prayer
at the Ecumenical Patriarchate: brothers in hope of Jesus resurrected
Vatican
City, 30 November 2014 (VIS) – After celebrating Holy Mass in the
Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, Francis transferred at midday to the
seat of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Phanar, the world centre of
Orthodoxy.
The
Orthodox Church has 300 million faithful, present especially in
Eastern and Northern Europe, along the north-east coast of the
Mediterranean and in the Middle East. It consists of various
patriarchal Churches who maintain their autonomy while remaining
linked to each other in a spirit of faith. The Ecumenical
Patriarchate is the “primus inter pares” with respect to the
other Orthodox patriarchates, and co-ordinates their activities. Its
ecclesiastical jurisdiction includes not only Istanbul, but extends
also to four other Turkish dioceses, Mount Athos, Crete, Patmos and
the Islands of the Dodecanese and, following emigration, dioceses in
Central and Western Europe, the Americas, Pakistan and Japan.
Finally, it is the point of reference for Orthodox faithful
throughout the world in territories not under the direct jurisdiction
of the other Orthodox patriarchates. For centuries, the seat of the
Patriarchate was next to the Cathedral of Hagia Sophia. Following the
fall of Constantinople in 1453, it was transferred from 1601 to the
quarter of Phanar. The Ecumenical Patriarch is His Holiness
Bartholomaios I, whose commitment to inter-orthodox cooperation and
ecumenical dialogue is well-known, as well as his interest in the
protection of the environment, earning him the moniker “the green
Patriarch”.
The
Pope was received by the Patriarch in the Church of St. George, where
an ecumenical liturgy took place in which both prayed for the unity
of God's holy Churches. After Bartholomaios' discourse, Pope Francis
addressed those present.
“Each
evening brings a mixed feeling of gratitude for the day which is
ending and of yearning trust before the oncoming night. This evening
my heart is full of gratitude to God who allows me to be here in
prayer with Your Holiness and with this sister Church after an
eventful day during my Apostolic Visit. At the same time my heart
awaits the day which we have already begun liturgically: the Feast of
the Apostle Saint Andrew, Patron of this Church. In the words of the
prophet Zachariah, the Lord gives us anew in this evening prayer, the
foundation that sustains our moving forward from one day to the next,
the solid rock upon which we advance together in joy and hope. The
foundation rock is the Lord’s promise: 'Behold, I will save my
people from the countries of the east and from the countries of the
west… in faithfulness and in righteousness'.
“Yes,
my venerable and dear Brother Bartholomaios, as I express my
heartfelt 'thank you' for your fraternal welcome, I sense that our
joy is greater because its source is from beyond; it is not in us,
not in our commitment, not in our efforts – that are certainly
necessary – but in our shared trust in God’s faithfulness which
lays the foundation for the reconstruction of his temple that is the
Church. 'For there shall be a sowing of peace'; truly, a sowing of
joy. It is the joy and the peace that the world cannot give, but
which the Lord Jesus promised to his disciples and, as the Risen One,
bestowed upon them in the power of the Holy Spirit”.
He
continued, “Andrew and Peter heard this promise; they received this
gift. They were blood brothers, yet their encounter with Christ
transformed them into brothers in faith and charity. In this joyful
evening, at this prayer vigil, I want to emphasise this; they became
brothers in hope. What a grace, Your Holiness, to be brothers in the
hope of the Risen Lord! What a grace, and what a responsibility, to
walk together in this hope, sustained by the intercession of the holy
Apostles and brothers, Andrew and Peter! And to know that this shared
hope does non deceive us because it is founded, not upon us or our
poor efforts, but rather upon God’s faithfulness”.
“With
this joyful hope, filled with gratitude and eager expectation, I
extend to Your Holiness and to all present, and to the Church of
Constantinople, my warm and fraternal best wishes on the Feast of
your holy Patron”.
Francis
and Bartholomaios then recited the Lord's Prayer together in Latin
and imparted their blessing, the Pope in Latin and the Patriarch in
Greek, after which they retired to the second floor for a private
meeting.
Francis
participates in the Divine Liturgy on the Solemnity of St. Andrew,
patron of the Church of Constantinople
Vatican
City, 30 November 2014 (VIS) – Pope Francis' final day in Turkey
began with a meeting, early in the morning at the Pontifical
Representation in Istanbul, of the Chief Rabbi of Turkey, Ishak
Haleva. The Jewish community in Turkey, consisting of around 25
thousand people, is numerically the second largest in an Islamic
country, following that of Iran. The most substantial Jewish
settlement in Turkey dates from the period of the Spanish Inquisition
(1492). At the beginning of the nineteenth century there were around
100 thousand, but this figure dropped drastically as a result of
emigration to America and Israel. Pope Benedict XVI also met with the
Chief Rabbi during his trip to Turkey in 2006.
Following
the celebration and after listening to the Patriarch's words, the
Pope addressed those present, recalling how as Archbishop of Buenos
Aires he had frequently participated in the Divine Liturgy of the
city's Orthodox communities, but “today, the Lord has given me the
singular grace to be present in this Patriarchal Church of Saint
George for the celebration of the Feast of the holy Apostle Andrew,
the first-called, the brother of Saint Peter, and the Patron Saint of
the Ecumenical Patriarchate”.
He
continued, “Meeting each other, seeing each other face to face,
exchanging the embrace of peace, and praying for each other, are all
essential aspects of our journey towards the restoration of full
communion. All of this precedes and always accompanies that other
essential aspect of this journey, namely, theological dialogue. An
authentic dialogue is, in every case, an encounter between persons
with a name, a face, a past, and not merely a meeting of ideas.
“This
is especially true for us Christians, because for us the truth is the
person of Jesus Christ”, observed the Pontiff. “The example of
Saint Andrew, who with another disciple accepted the invitation of
the Divine Master, 'Come and see', and 'stayed with him that day',
shows us plainly that the Christian life is a personal experience, a
transforming encounter with the One who loves us and who wants to
save us. In addition, the Christian message is spread thanks to men
and women who are in love with Christ, and cannot help but pass on
the joy of being loved and saved. Here again, the example of the
apostle Andrew is instructive. After following Jesus to his home and
spending time with Him, Andrew 'first found his brother Simon, and
said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (meaning Christ). He
brought him to Jesus'. It is clear, therefore, that not even dialogue
among Christians can prescind from this logic of personal encounter”.
Therefore,
“it is not by chance that the path of reconciliation and peace
between Catholics and Orthodox was, in some way, ushered in by an
encounter, by an embrace between our venerable predecessors,
Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras and Pope Paul VI, which took place
fifty years ago in Jerusalem. Your Holiness and I wished to
commemorate that moment when we met recently in the same city where
our Lord Jesus Christ died and rose.
“By
happy coincidence, my visit falls a few days after the fiftieth
anniversary of the promulgation of Unitatis Redintegratio, the Second
Vatican Council’s Decree on Christian Unity. This is a fundamental
document which opened new avenues for encounter between Catholics and
their brothers and sisters of other Churches and ecclesial
communities. In particular, in that Decree the Catholic Church
acknowledges that the Orthodox Churches 'possess true sacraments,
above all – by apostolic succession – the priesthood and the
Eucharist, whereby they are still joined to us in closest intimacy'.
The Decree goes on to state that in order to guard faithfully the
fullness of the Christian tradition and to bring to fulfilment the
reconciliation of Eastern and Western Christians, it is of the
greatest importance to preserve and support the rich patrimony of the
Eastern Churches. This regards not only their liturgical and
spiritual traditions, but also their canonical disciplines,
sanctioned as they are by the Fathers and by Councils, which regulate
the lives of these Churches”.
The
Pope emphasised the importance of reaffirming respect for this
principle “as an essential condition, accepted by both, for the
restoration of full communion, which does not signify the submission
of one to the other, or assimilation. Rather, it means welcoming all
the gifts that God has given to each, thus demonstrating to the
entire world the great mystery of salvation accomplished by Christ
the Lord through the Holy Spirit. I want to assure each one of you
here that, to reach the desired goal of full unity, the Catholic
Church does not intend to impose any conditions except that of the
shared profession of faith. Further, I would add that we are ready to
seek together, in light of Scriptural teaching and the experience of
the first millennium, the ways in which we can guarantee the needed
unity of the Church in the present circumstances. The one thing that
the Catholic Church desires, and that I seek as Bishop of Rome, 'the
Church which presides in charity', is communion with the Orthodox
Churches. Such communion will always be the fruit of that love which
'has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been
given to us', a fraternal love which expresses the spiritual and
transcendent bond which unites us as disciples of the Lord”.
In
today’s world, “voices are being raised which we cannot ignore
and which implore our Churches to live deeply our identity as
disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. The first of these voices is that
of the poor. In the world, there are too many women and men who
suffer from severe malnutrition, growing unemployment, the rising
numbers of unemployed youth, and from increasing social exclusion.
These can give rise to criminal activity and even the recruitment of
terrorists. We cannot remain indifferent before the cries of our
brothers and sisters. These ask of us not only material assistance –
needed in so many circumstances – but above all,our help to defend
their dignity as human persons, so that they can find the spiritual
energy to become once again protagonists in their own lives. They ask
us to fight, in the light of the Gospel, the structural causes of
poverty: inequality, the shortage of dignified work and housing, and
the denial of their rights as members of society and as workers. As
Christians we are called together to eliminate that globalisation of
indifference which today seems to reign supreme, while building a new
civilisation of love and solidarity”.
A
second plea, he said, “comes from the victims of the conflicts in
so many parts of our world. We hear this resoundingly here, because
some neighbouring countries are scarred by an inhumane and brutal
war. I think in a particular way of the numerous victims of the
grotesque and senseless attack which recently killed and injured so
many Muslims who were praying in a Mosque in Kano, Nigeria. Taking
away the peace of a people, committing every act of violence – or
consenting to such acts – especially when directed against the
weakest and defenceless, is a profoundly grave sin against God, since
it means showing contempt for the image of God which is in man. The
cry of the victims of conflict urges us to move with haste along the
path of reconciliation and communion between Catholics and Orthodox.
Indeed, how can we credibly proclaim the Gospel of peace which comes
from Christ, if there continues to be rivalry and disagreement
between us?”
A
third cry is that of young people. “Today, tragically, there are
many young men and women who live without hope, overcome by mistrust
and resignation. Many of the young, influenced by the prevailing
culture, seek happiness solely in possessing material things and in
satisfying their fleeting emotions. New generations will never be
able to acquire true wisdom and keep hope alive unless we are able to
esteem and transmit the true humanism which comes from the Gospel and
from the Church’s age-old experience. It is precisely the young who
today implore us to make progress towards full communion. I think for
example of the many Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant youth who come
together at meetings organised by the Taize community. They do this
not because they ignore the differences which still separate us, but
because they are able to see beyond them; they are able to embrace
what is essential and what already unites us.
Pope
Francis concluded by addressing Bartholomaios I: “We are already on
the way, on the path towards full communion and already we can
experience eloquent signs of an authentic, albeit incomplete union.
This offers us reassurance and encourages us to continue on this
journey. We are certain that along this journey we are helped by the
intercession of the Apostle Andrew and his brother Peter, held by
tradition to be the founders of the Churches of Constantinople and of
Rome. We ask God for the great gift of full unity, and the ability to
accept it in our lives. Let us never forget to pray for one another”.
Joint
declaration of Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomaios I: “We call
on all religious leaders to pursue and strengthen interreligious
dialogue”
Vatican
City, 30 November 2014 (VIS) – Following the Divine Liturgy, Pope
Francis and Patriarch Bartholomaios I appeared on the balcony of the
Ecumenical Patriarchate and blessed the faithful gathered in the
street. Francis imparted the blessing in Latin, and Bartholomaios I
in Greek. They subsequently ascended to the Throne Room where they
signed and read the following joint Declaration:
“We,
Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I,express our
profound gratitude to God for the gift of this new encounter enabling
us,in the presence of the members of the Holy Synod, the clergy and
the faithful of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, to celebrate together
the feast of Saint Andrew, the first–called and brother of the
Apostle Peter. Our remembrance of the Apostles, who proclaimed the
good news of the Gospel to the world through their preaching and
their witness of martyrdom, strengthens in us the aspiration to
continue to walk together in order to overcome, in love and in truth,
the obstacles that divide us.
“On
the occasion of our meeting in Jerusalem last May, in which we
remembered the historical embrace of our venerable predecessors Pope
Paul VI and the Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras, we signed a joint
declaration. Today on the happy occasion of this further fraternal
encounter, we wish to re–affirm together our shared intentions and
concerns.
“We
express our sincere and firm resolution, in obedience to the will of
our Lord Jesus Christ, to intensify our efforts to promote the full
unity of all Christians, and above all between Catholics and
Orthodox. As well, we intend to support the theological dialogue
promoted by the Joint International Commission, instituted exactly
thirty–five years ago by the Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios and
Pope John Paul II here at the Phanar, and which is currently dealing
with the most difficult questions that have marked the history of our
division and that require careful and detailed study. To this end, we
offer the assurance of our fervent prayer as Pastors of the Church,
asking our faithful to join us in praying 'that all may be one, that
the world may believe'.
“We
express our common concern for the current situation in Iraq, Syria
and the whole Middle East. We are united in the desire for peace and
stability and in the will to promote the resolution of conflicts
through dialogue and reconciliation. While recognising the efforts
already being made to offer assistance to the region, at the same
time, we call on all those who bear responsibility for the destiny of
peoples to deepen their commitment to suffering communities, and to
enable them, including the Christian ones, to remain in their native
land. We cannot resign ourselves to a Middle East without Christians,
who have professed the name of Jesus there for two thousand years.
Many of our brothers and sisters are being persecuted and have been
forced violently from their homes. It even seems that the value of
human life has been lost, that the human person no longer matters and
may be sacrificed to other interests. And, tragically, all this is
met by the indifference of many. As Saint Paul reminds us, 'If one
member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honoured, all
rejoice together'. This is the law of the Christian life, and in this
sense we can say that there is also an ecumenism of suffering. Just
as the blood of the martyrs was a seed of strength and fertility for
the Church, so too the sharing of daily sufferings can become an
effective instrument of unity. The terrible situation of Christians
and all those who are suffering in the Middle East calls not only for
our constant prayer, but also for an appropriate response on the part
of the international community.
“The
grave challenges facing the world in the present situation require
the solidarity of all people of good will, and so we also recognise
the importance of promoting a constructive dialogue with Islam based
on mutual respect and friendship. Inspired by common values and
strengthened by genuine fraternal sentiments, Muslims and Christians
are called to work together for the sake of justice, peace and
respect for the dignity and rights of every person, especially in
those regions where they once lived for centuries in peaceful
coexistence and now tragically suffer together the horrors of war.
Moreover, as Christian leaders, we call on all religious leaders to
pursue and to strengthen interreligious dialogue and to make every
effort to build a culture of peace and solidarity between persons and
between peoples. We also remember all the people who experience the
sufferings of war. In particular, we pray for peace in Ukraine, a
country of ancient Christian tradition, while we call upon all
parties involved to pursue the path of dialogue and of respect for
international law in order to bring an end to the conflict and allow
all Ukrainians to live in harmony.
“Our
thoughts turn to all the faithful of our Churches throughout the
world, whom we greet, entrusting them to Christ our Saviour, that
they may be untiring witnesses to the love of God. We raise our
fervent prayer that the Lord may grant the gift of peace in love and
unity to the entire human family.
“'May
the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every
way. The Lord be with all of you'”.
After
the signing of the Declaration, the Pope, the Ecumenical Patriarch
and various members of the respective delegations lunched together on
the third floor of the Phanar.
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