Pope's Discourse at the Patriarchial Church of Saint George November 29, 2006 Istanbul,
Turkey
“Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity” (Ps 133:1)
Your
Holiness,
I am deeply grateful for the fraternal welcome extended to me by
you personally, and by the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. I will treasure
its memory forever. I thank the Lord for the grace of this encounter, so filled with
authentic goodwill and ecclesial significance. It gives me great joy to be among
you, my brothers in Christ, in this Cathedral Church, as we pray together to the Lord
and call to mind the momentous events that have sustained our commitment to work for
the full unity of Catholics and Orthodox. I wish above all to recall the courageous
decision to remove the memory of the anathemas of 1054. The joint declaration of
Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras, written in a spirit of rediscovered love,
was solemnly read in a celebration held simultaneously in Saint Peter’s Basilica in
Rome and in this Patriarchal Cathedral. The Tomos of the Patriarch was based on the
Johannine profession of faith: “Ho Theós agapé estin” (1 Jn 4:9), Deus caritas est!
In perfect agreement, Pope Paul VI chose to begin his own Brief with the Pauline exhortation:
“Ambulate in dilectione” (Eph 5:2), “Walk in love”. It is on this foundation of mutual
love that new relations between the Churches of Rome and Constantinople have developed. Signs
of this love have been evident in numerous declarations of shared commitment and many
meaningful gestures. Both Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II were warmly received
as visitors in this Church of Saint George, and joined respectively with Patriarchs
Athenagoras I and Dimitrios I in strengthening the impetus towards mutual understanding
and the quest of full unity. May their names be honoured and blessed! I also rejoice
to be in this land so closely connected to the Christian faith, where many Churches
flourished in ancient times. I think of Saint Peter’s exhortations to the early Christian
communities “in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia” (1 Pet 1:1), and
the rich harvest of martyrs, theologians, pastors, monastics, and holy men and women
which those Churches brought forth over the centuries. I likewise recall the outstanding
saints and pastors who have watched over the See of Constantinople, among them Saint
Gregory of Nazianzus and Saint John Chrysostom, whom the West also honours as Doctors
of the Church. Their relics rest in the Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican, and
a part of them were given to Your Holiness as a sign of communion by the late Pope
John Paul II for veneration in this very Cathedral. Truly, they are worthy intercessors
for us before the Lord. In this part of the Eastern world were also held the seven
Ecumenical Councils which Orthodox and Catholics alike acknowledge as authoritative
for the faith and discipline of the Church. They are enduring milestones and guides
along our path towards full unity. I conclude by expressing once more my joy to
be with you. May this meeting strengthen our mutual affection and renew our common
commitment to persevere on the journey leading to reconciliation and the peace of
the Churches. I greet you in the love of Christ. May the Lord be always with you.