Pope expresses closeness with ME Christians

January 25, 2013 - Pope Benedict XVI on Friday expressed his closeness with Christians in the Middle East and urged all followers of Christ to work for justice and peace. While receiving in the Vatican members of the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches, Pope Benedict noted that many of them were from areas where Christians “face painful trials and difficulties.” “Through you, I would like to assure all the faithful of the Middle East of my spiritual closeness and my prayer that this land, so important in God’s plan of salvation, may be led, through constructive dialogue and cooperation, to a future of justice and lasting peace,” he said. “All Christians need to work together in mutual acceptance and trust in serving the cause of peace and justice in fidelity to the Lord’s will,” the Pope said.
Communion and communication which existed between the Churches in the first five centuries of Christian history was the issue that the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches examined this week. The Pope acknowledged the progress made by the commission since its establishment in 2003 and hoped Catholic-Orthodox relations will continue to develop in a fraternal spirit of cooperation, particularly through the growth of a theological dialogue capable of helping all the Lord’s followers to grow in communion and to bear witness before the world to the saving truth of the Gospel.
The Church since the time of Christ had been one, until the Great Schism of 1054, also known as the East-West Schism, which split Christianity into the Eastern Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism. Later in the 16th century, another major split came about in the form of Protestantism within the Roman Catholic Church spearheaded by Martin Luther, John Calvin and others. Today, the three largest groups in the world of Christianity are the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox churches and the various Protestant Churches. However, since the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Church has been actively involved in initiatives and dialogue with the divided Churches and relations have improved. One such move is the Jan. 18-25 annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity that is observed by Christians worldwide.