Dialogue of Love: Breaking the Silence of Centuries

By Fordham University Press

In 1964, a little-noticed albeit pioneering encounter in the Holy Land between the heads of the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church spawned numerous contacts and diverse openings between the two “sister churches,” which had not communicated with each other for centuries.

Fifty years later, Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew meet in Jerusalem to commemorate that historical event and celebrate the close relations that have developed through mutual exchanges of formal visits and an official theological dialogue that began in 1980. This book contains three unique chapters: The first is a sketch of the behind-the-scenes challenges and negotiations that accompanied the meeting in 1964, detailing the immediate consequences of the event and setting the tone for the volume. The second is an inspirational account, interwoven with a scholarly evaluation of the work of the North American Standing Council on Orthodox/Catholic relations over the past decades. The third chapter presents a recently discovered reflection on the meeting that took place fifty years ago by one of the most important Orthodox theologians of the twentieth century, expressing cautious optimism about the future of Christian unity.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Fordham University Press
• Release date: Apr 15, 2014
• ISBN: 9780823264018

Book preview

PREFACE

John Chryssavgis

In 1964, a little-noticed, albeit pioneering encounter in the Holy Land between the heads of the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church spawned numerous contacts and diverse openings between these two sister churches, which had not communicated with one another for centuries.

When Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew took the unprecedented step of attending the inaugural mass of Pope Francis on March 19, 2013—something that had never occurred in the 2,000-year history of the Christian Church—he proposed that the two leaders meet in 2014 in the Holy Land in observation of the events in 1964. Thus, five decades later, Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew meet in Jerusalem to commemorate that historical event and celebrate the closer relations that have emerged and developed through mutual exchanges of formal visits as well as an official international theological dialogue that began in 1980.

The first two chapters in this book explore the historical perspectives of what occurred during that pilgrimage toward unity on January 5–6, 1964, as well as the preliminary steps toward theological dialogue, both internationally and in the United States of America, as a result of the dialogue of love. I am indebted to Fr. Brian E. Daley, S.J., for his contribution, and especially for his vital role in the ongoing theological dialogue between the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches in North America. The final chapter is a hitherto unpublished translation of an insightful reflection by the late Fr. Georges Florovsky (1893–1979), perhaps the most prominent and influential Orthodox theologian of the twentieth century, on the importance and implications of that meeting between Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras and Pope Paul VI. I am thankful to Rev. Matthew Baker for translating and making this text available for publication. The foreword by Metropolitan John [Zizioulas] of Pergamon and afterword by Walter Cardinal Kasper provide a fitting homage by two distinguished hierarchs and theologians, both of whom have been instrumental in the Joint International Commission of the Theological Dialogue between the two Churches.

Dialogue of Love: Breaking the Silence of Centuries is a tribute to Athenagoras and Paul VI, who dared and risked sharing an encounter and embarking on a journey that shattered the silence and arrogance of past divisions. They recognized the responsibility of their apostolic inheritance as successors of Andrew and Peter, the first called among Christ’s disciples. They understood the accountability of their pastoral leadership for the generations to come. As good shepherds, they went on ahead before their sheep (John 10:4). And they chose rapprochement over estrangement, reconciliation over alienation, and loving unity over bitter dissension. While the journey continues, despite obstacles, nevertheless that whispering sound in 1964 has resounded like the rush of a mighty wind (Acts 2:2) over the last fifty years. And in May 2014, somewhere near that upper room, the vision of unity will be reaffirmed and revitalized.

I would like to express my gratitude to the Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham University, who promptly and spontaneously accepted the request of the V. Rev. Alexander Karloutsos to publish this book in recognition of this historical event. Fredric Nachbaur (director) and Eric Newman (managing editor) at Fordham University Press were, once again, very gracious and accommodating. I have always enjoyed working with them. Finally, to my editor, Marilyn Rouvelas, I profess my unremitting appreciation.

1

PILGRIMAGE TOWARD UNITY

Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras and Pope Paul VI in Jerusalem Based on Correspondence and Archives

John Chryssavgis

In January 1964, two Christian prelates broke a silence of centuries with a simple gesture of embrace and a few gentle words. A little-noticed historic meeting in Jerusalem between Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras and Pope Paul VI reflected the simple dominical prayer and commandment by Christ that His disciples all may be one (John 17:21); but what began was a journey of exceptional transformation in the relations between the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches, two sister churches that had shared an entire millennium of common doctrine and spiritual tradition, followed by an entire millennium of division and alienation.

Before the two prelates met, the Ecumenical Patriarch would wittily—albeit at once so tragically and truthfully, mystically and realistically—respond to reporters asking about the purpose of their meeting: I came here to say ‘good morning’ to my beloved brother, the Pope. You must remember that it has been five hundred and twenty-five years since we have spoken to one another!¹ At the dawn of a new era of positive relations between the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches, Athenagoras’s spur-of-the-moment prophesy echoes Maya Angelou’s celebrated poetry:

Here, on the pulse of this new day

You may have the grace to look up and out

… And into your brother’s face

… And say simply

Very simply

With hope—

Good morning.²

Thus it was that, in the brief space of less than forty-eight hours, January 5–6, 1964, His Holiness the late Pope Paul commenced a historical visit to the Holy Land, establishing a tradition subsequently honored by his successors. It was the first time a Roman pontiff had traveled abroad for over a century, the first time a Roman pontiff flew in an airplane, and the first time a Roman pontiff visited Jerusalem.

The Pope’s journey, however, was much more than a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, the focal point of reverence and travel for adherents of all the Abrahamic faiths. Christian leaders and faithful have visited Jerusalem since at least the fourth century, encouraged by the holy Emperor Constantine and his saintly mother Helen, recognizing its association with the early apostles, saints, and martyrs but most especially its significance as the place where God’s feet once walked when His Word assumed flesh and dwelt among us. So, too, Pope Paul traveled to Bethlehem (where Christ was born), Nazareth (where Christ grew up), and Jerusalem (where Christ died and rose).

Nevertheless, the pilgrim Pope was also the ecumenical Pope inasmuch as his historical visit was a unique occasion for an extraordinary and pioneering encounter with Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras. Following in the footsteps of his predecessor, not only did Pope Paul bring a successful conclusion to the revolutionary Second Vatican Council in 1965, but he also brought to fruition and realization the ecumenical overture to the Orthodox Christian Church.

Thus, on January 5, 1964, Pope Paul VI