First, I thought this was most interesting – Pope Benedict has invited Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew not only to attend this fall’s Synod of Bishops, but to address the Synod, as well:
During a private conversation when in the Apostolic Palace on March 6, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI extended an invitation to His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to join in the opening of the World Synod of Catholic Bishops at the Vatican and to give an address to the assembly together with the Pope. The assembly will be held in October, focusing on “The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church.”
While the presence of representatives of other Christian Churches and confessions is a normal practice for the synod assemblies, what makes this event significant is the personal invitation extended to His All Holiness to formally address the World Synod of Catholic Bishops.
The Ecumenical Patriarch also has been extended an invitation to take part in the celebration of the Feast Day of Saints Peter and Paul on June 29, in which he and the Pope will inaugurate the year dedicated to the Apostle Paul.
The invitations came prior to the Ecumenical Patriarch’s visit to the Pontifical Oriental Institute. His All Holiness, who gained his doctorate at the same institution, delivered a lecture on “theology, liturgy, and silence,” focusing on how the spiritual experience of Eastern Christianity can promote Christian unity and respond to the needs of modern men and women.
During his address to the Institute, the Ecumenical Patriarch invoked the image used by the late Pope John Paul II by describing the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, which have been separate for centuries, as the “lungs” of Christianity, urging that “the two lungs must function in harmony,” adding that “neither of the two lungs should take provocative initiatives.” He also called on the Pontifical Oriental Institute, which is celebrating the 90th anniversary of its founding, to contribute to the rapproachment between East and West.
Both the Ecumenical Patriarch and Pope have made the healing of the divisions between their respective Churches a priority and demonstrated this with prayers to the Most Holy Theotokos and the recitation of the Lord’s Prayer in the Chapel of Urban VIII near the Papal Library of the Apostolic Palace.
BTW, Gashwin attended Bartholomew’s address at the POI, and blogged on it.
Now, a communique about a recent meeting about the Church in China:
The Commission established by Pope Benedict XVI to study the most important questions concerning the life of the Church in China met in the Vatican from 10 to 12 March.
“The meeting had as its theme the Letter which the Holy Father sent to Chinese Catholics on 27 May 2007. Participants first examined the reaction to the pontifical document both inside and outside China. They reflected on the theological principles that inspired the Letter in order to comprehend the future prospects they bring for the Catholic community in China. In concrete terms, in the light of the papal text consideration was given to certain important aspects regarding the Church’s mission as ‘instrument of salvation’ for the Chinese people: evangelisation in a world experiencing globalisation; the application, in China’s current situation, of the Vatican Council II doctrine on the nature and structure of the Church; forgiveness and reconciliation within the Catholic community; the requirements of truth and charity; the government of dioceses, which has great relevance for pastoral activity and for the formation of priests, seminarians, religious and lay faithful. In line with the indications expressed by the Pope in His Letter, the will for a respectful and constructive dialogue with the authorities was reiterated. Finally, and still in the light of the pontifical document, the participants exchanged information and experiences concerning the life and activity of the Church in China.
“The meeting concluded with a meeting with the Holy Father. He listened to a brief report of the work accomplished over the three days and encouraged the participants to continue their commitment in favour of the Catholic community in China. He also mentioned the forthcoming event of 24 May, the Universal Day of Prayer for the Church in China”.
Benedict XVI has sent a telegram to Cardinal Emmanuel III Delly, patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans, Iraq, for the death of Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho of Mossul of the Chaldeans, Iraq, who was kidnapped on 29 February.
In his telegram the Pope expresses his closeness “to the Chaldean Church and to the entire Christian community”, reaffirming his “condemnation for an act of inhuman violence which offends the dignity of human beings and seriously damages the cause of the fraternal coexistence of the beloved Iraqi people”.
Benedict XVI gives assurances of his prayers for the archbishop “who was kidnapped just after he had completed the Way of the Cross” and invokes the Lord’s mercy “that this tragic event may serve to build a future of peace in the martyred land of Iraq”.
Holy See Press Office Director Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J. also released the following declaration today:
“We had all continued to hope and pray for his release, something the Pope had requested on a number of occasions in his appeals.
“Unfortunately the most senseless and unjustified violence continues to be inflicted on the Iraqi people, and especially on the small Christian community to which the Pope and all of us are particularly close in prayer and solidarity at this moment of great suffering.
“It is to be hoped that this tragic event may once more – and more powerfully – underline the responsibility of everyone, and especially of the international community, for the pacification of so troubled a country”
It is a huge, living, breathing, growing, suffering Body – this Church, this Body of Christ.
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