Dear Reader:

Christ is Risen! As the beauty of the Lenten season unfolded, Christians around the world celebrated a great liberation from the bondage of sin through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. All Christians, regardless of their denomination, shared in this journey and victory. Our Catholic brothers and sisters saw the induction of a new Pope and consequently the question on the minds of many Orthodox and Roman Catholic Christians seemed to revolve around the future of Orthodox/Catholic relations. Thankfully, the Holy Spirit will, as always, guides His Church in matters regarding ecumenical issues. This quarter’s newsletter is aimed at reporting, from an Orthodox perspective, the current state of affairs between these two ancient faiths.  We invite you to continue sharing your questions or comments on any issue facing us as Orthodox Christians by e-mailing: info@light-n-life.com. 

Sincerely in Christ,
The Staff at Light & Life Publishing

 


By V. Rev. Thaddeus Wojcik
Rector, Holy Assumption Orthodox Church, Lublin, WI
Dean of the Minneapolis Deanery, Diocese of the Midwest, Orthodox Church in America

       What lies ahead for the relationship of the  Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches with the election of the new Pope? The question itself highlights the dilemma which many Orthodox Christians foresee. Certainly, the new Pope, Benedict XVI is a different personality than his predecessor, John Paul II, even though they are doctrinally similar.
       Both Popes began their reigns expressing a desire not only for better relationships with the Eastern Orthodox Churches, but strongly articulating a longing for sacramental union. During a recent Mass in Bari, Italy, Pope Benedict outlined his vision of reuniting with the Orthodox when he stated his “willingness to make it a fundamental commitment to work, with all my energy, toward reconstituting the full and visible unity of Christ’s followers”.  A few days earlier, the new Pope had met with the President of Bulgaria, Georgi Parvanov, and had asked him to greet Patriarch Maxim of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church on his behalf.  Benedict further declared that Orthodox and Roman Catholics “have before us a common duty: we are called to build together a more free, peaceful and solidaristic humanity.”  
       Orthodox thinker Frederica Mathewes-Green sees problems in Rome’s general attitude towards full and visible unity.  Speaking before a conference at Catholic sponsored Viterbo University in Wisconsin this May, she spoke for most Orthodox when she candidly offered that one of the major obstacles to union is that Rome has difficulty understanding the essence of Orthodoxy.  For example, Pope John Paul II attempting to reach out to the Orthodox Churches wrote in the Encyclical “Orientale Lumen” that the Orthodox focus on the theology of divinization (attempting to be Christ-like or theosis), “remains one of the achievements particularly dear to the Orthodox”.  Leaving aside the fact that one does not “achieve” theology anymore than one “achieves” the Scriptures; theosis is the mind of Eastern Orthodox life.  Theosis is not an option; it is the heart and soul of what the Orthodox attempt to become.
       There is little doubt that Roman Catholics see a need for unity with the Orthodox.  Father Lee Piche, chair of the Commission on Ecumenism and Interreligious Affairs for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, sees that the new Pope “is personally committed to the work and the goals of ecumenical dialogue, namely, the full visible communion of the followers of Jesus Christ.”
       What the Orthodox want to know is how Rome envisions this visible manifestation of unity.  During the recent past, Rome has been offering the idea that dialogue and ecumenism are merely tools and the objective is visible unity under the leadership of the bishop of Rome.  To the Orthodox, unity can be achieved only under the truth of the undivided Church of the first one thousand years before the Great Schism.  It seems that there is a great deal of work that needs to take place in this area before the Orthodox will confidently believe that Rome is desirous of fully offering the right hand of fellowship.
       Father Leonid Kiskovsky, Assistant to the Chancellor for Interchurch Relations and Ecumenical Witness, of the Orthodox Church in America sees areas where the two historic churches can cooperate.  These areas would be in morals and societal proclamations.  Recently, the Vatican and the Orthodox remained like-minded in insisting on protecting Christian rights in the provisions of the new constitution of the European Union.  The two Churches maintain virtually the same teachings in the areas of marriage, abortion, euthanasia, and sexual morality.
       Hopefully, the new Pope will be more open to improving tensions caused by the mere existence of its Eastern Rite communities in places such as Russia, Ukraine, and the Middle East.  Newness can be an opportunity for improvement in all areas where there are tensions.  The Orthodox in turn can welcome a willingness on the part of Rome to reach out to the East.  Father Vsevolod Chaplin, the foreign relations spokesman for the Moscow Patriarchate said the Russian Church looks forward to papal statements that will be “followed by real steps to bring our churches closer.”
       To the Orthodox, what lies ahead must be what lies behind, and that is manifested in the words of St. Paul, “now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (I Cor. 1:10.).

Two Paths: Papal Monarchy – Collegial Tradition
by Michael Whelton

Recommended by: 
Dan Christopulos

       Written by a former Roman Catholic, who after the innovations of Vatican I and II felt like an orphan in his own church, the book is the result of a two year historical study to understand the role of Rome in the early Christian Church and specifically the notions of Papal infallibility.  While acknowledging the tremendous contributions made by the Roman Catholic Church to Western Society, in the end, Papal claims to jurisdictional primacy could not withstand close historical analysis.  Faced with such facts, the author and his wife came to Orthodoxy where they “were orphans no longer.”
       Whelton painstakingly compares and contrasts the early Church’s view of the Papacy’s primacy of honor and love with the later Roman Catholic position of Papal infallibility and Papal jurisdictional primacy.  He correctly asserts that even at the first Apostolic Council in Jerusalem (49 AD), James the Bishop of Jerusalem presides and not Peter.  Further bolstering his argument are the records of the seven Ecumenical Councils, which clearly show respect for the Bishop of Rome (who never attended any of them), but reveal no sense that the Pope is above the Council.
       Moving systematically through the events leading to the Great Schism (1054 AD) and beyond, the book traces the development of the Papal Monarchy in the West and the continuation of the collegial tradition in the Eastern part of the Church.  Although very readable, the book is thoroughly footnoted with primary sources refuting any notion of Papal infallibility or jurisdictional primacy.  The majority of documentation is from Roman Catholic scholars and early Western Church Fathers (including Popes) who dismiss notions of the Pope being above the Councils.
       The book is a must read for anyone who really wants to understand the stumbling blocks inherent in attempts for Roman Catholic and Orthodox reunion. It is equally appropriate for seminarians or serious Roman Catholic and Orthodox adherents who want a clearer understanding of what separates their two churches.

Orthodoxy and Catholicism: What Are the Differences?
by Father Theodore Pulcini

Recommended by: 
Alex Goodwin

       For over a millennium the Christian church was one. Words like Catholic, Orthodox, or Protestant were not added to ones’ Christian identity. Rather, the Christian church existed as the Apostles had formed it, congregations guided by the Holy Spirit on the path of truth paved by Christ.
       The once unified Christian church of our ancient fathers and mothers is now fractured and barely recognizable in some cases. Orthodoxy and Catholicism by Father Theodore Pulcini explores the root of this great change (The Great Schism), and the years that followed, in order to clarify the difference between the Orthodox and Roman Catholic faiths that emerged.
       Father Pulcini, a former Roman Catholic, relates his personal journey through Christianity beginning with the Roman Catholic faith, which he credits for a “sober appreciation of Christian doctrine,” and “spiritual discipline.” This journey, however, led to serious questions about Roman Catholic teachings and culminated with the answers Father Pulcini found in Orthodox Christianity.
       In a concise, brief and understandable manner Father Pulcini explores and explains the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church regarding the Papacy, indulgences, the Filioque, purgatory and other post-Schism innovations not found in Orthodoxy. These changes give rise to more change and lead to more divisions evidenced by the myriad Protestant denominations so prevalent in the world today.
       Does the ancient church and its “pristine Christianity” still exist in any form today? Father Pulcini found it in Orthodoxy.  He came home to the ancient church “not as a result of hostility toward my religious past, but in fulfillment of it.”  Told through the lens of personal experience, Orthodoxy and Catholicism is a basic requisite for understanding the differences between these two faiths.

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Ten Greek Popes
by Dennis Michelis
      

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