Greetings of Ecumenical Patriarch at Vatican II anniversary celebration
(Vatican Radio) At the conclusion of the Mass to celebrate the anniversary
of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew
I of Constantinople addressed Pope Benedict XVI and the Bishops and Faithful gathered
in St. Peter’s Square. In his remarks, Patriarch Bartholomew – the “primus inter
pares”, the “first among equals” in the Eastern Orthodox Communion – said he was honored
to be invited and to attend “this solemn and festive commemoration of the Second Vatican
Council”. He said, “It is fitting that this occasion also marks for your Church the
formal inauguration of the ‘Year of Faith’, as it is faith that provides a visible
sign of the journey we have traveled together along the path of reconciliation and
visible unity.”
Below please find the complete text of the greeting of
His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew on the Occasion of the Fiftieth
Anniversary of the Opening of the Second Vatican Council:
Beloved
brother in the Lord, Your Holiness Pope Benedict; Brothers and Sisters;
As
Christ prepared for His Gethsemane experience, He prayed a prayer for unity which
is recorded in the Gospel of Saint John Chapter 17 verse 11: “. . . keep through Your
name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are”. Through the
centuries we have, indeed, been kept in the power and love of Christ, and in the proper
moment in history the Holy Spirit moved upon us and we began the long journey towards
the visible unity that Christ desires. This has been confirmed in Unitatis Redintegratio
§1:
Everywhere large numbers have felt the impulse of this grace, and among
our separated brethren also there increases from day to day the movement, fostered
by the grace of the Holy Spirit, for the restoration of unity among all Christians.
Fifty years ago in this very square, a powerful and pivotal celebration captured
the heart and mind of the Roman Catholic Church, transporting it across the centuries
into the contemporary world. This transforming milestone, the opening of the Second
Vatican Council, was inspired by the fundamental reality that the Son and incarnate
Logos of God is "…where two or three are gathered in his name" (Matt.18.20) and that
the Spirit, who proceeds from the Father, "…will guide us into the whole truth." (John
16.13).
In the 50 years that have intervened, we recall with vividness and
tenderness, but also with elation and enthusiasm, our personal discussions with episcopal
members and theological periti during our formative time – then as a young student
– at the Pontifical Oriental Institute, as well as our personal attendance at some
special sessions of the Council. We witnessed firsthand how the bishops experienced
a renewed awareness of the validity – and a reinforced sense of the continuity – of
the tradition and faith “once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 1.3). It was
a period of promise and hope for your Church both internally and externally.
For
the Orthodox Church, we have observed a time of exchange and expectation. For example,
the convocation of the first Pan-Orthodox Conferences in Rhodes led to the Pre-Conciliar
Pan-Orthodox Conferences in preparation for the Great Council of the Orthodox Churches.
These exchanges will demonstrate the unified witness of the Orthodox Church in the
modern world. Moreover, it coincided with the “dialogue of love” and heralded the
Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Roman Catholic
and the Orthodox Church, which was established by our venerable predecessors Pope
John Paul II and Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios.
Over the last five decades,
the achievements of this assembly have been diverse as evidenced through the series
of important and influential constitutions, declarations, and decrees. We have contemplated
the renewal of the spirit and “return to the sources” through liturgical study, biblical
research, and patristic scholarship. We have appreciated the struggle toward gradual
liberation from the limitation of rigid scholasticism to the openness of ecumenical
encounter, which has led to the mutual rescinding of the excommunications of the year
1054, the exchange of greetings, returning of relics, entering into important dialogues,
and visiting each other in our respective Sees.
Our journey has not always
been easy or without pain and challenge, for as we know “narrow is the gate and difficult
is the way” (Matthew 7.14). The essential theology and principal themes of the Second
Vatican Council – the mystery of the Church, the sacredness of the liturgy, and the
authority of the bishop – are difficult to apply in earnest practice, and constitute
a life-long and church-wide labor to assimilate. The door, then, must remain open
for deeper reception, pastoral engagement, and ecclesial interpretation of the Second
Vatican Council.
As we move forward together, we offer thanks and glory to
the living God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – that the same assembly of bishops has
recognised the importance of reflection and sincere dialogue between our “sister churches”.
We join in the “. . . hope that the barrier dividing the Eastern Church and the Western
Church will be removed, and that – at last – there may be but the one dwelling, firmly
established on Christ Jesus, the cornerstone, who will make both one” (Unitatis
Redintegratio §18). With Christ as our cornerstone and the tradition we share,
we shall be able – or, rather, we shall be enabled by the gift and grace of God –
to reach a better appreciation and fuller expression of the Body of Christ. With our
continued efforts in accordance with the spirit of the tradition of the early Church,
and in the light of the Church of the Councils of the first millennium, we will experience
the visible unity that lies just beyond us today.
The Church always excels
in its uniquely prophetic and pastoral dimension, embraces its characteristic meekness
and spirituality, and serves with humble sensitivity the “least of these My brethren”
(Matt. 25.40).
Beloved brother, our presence here signifies and seals our commitment
to witness together to the Gospel message of salvation and healing for the least of
our brethren: the poor, the oppressed, the forgotten in God’s world. Let us begin
with prayers for peace and healing for our Christian brothers and sisters living in
the Middle East. In the current turmoil of violence, separation, and brokenness that
is escalating between peoples and nations, may the love and desire for harmony we
profess here, and the understanding we seek through dialogue and mutual respect, serve
as a model for our world. Indeed, may all humanity reach out to ‘the other’ and work
together to overcome the suffering of people everywhere, particularly in the face
of famine, natural disasters, disease, and war that ultimately touches all of our
lives.
In light of all that has yet to be accomplished by the Church on earth,
and with great appreciation for all the progress we have shared, we are, therefore,
honored to be invited to attend – and humbled to be called to address – this solemn
and festive commemoration of the Second Vatican Council. It is fitting that this
occasion also marks for your Church the formal inauguration of the “Year of Faith”,
as it is faith that provides a visible sign of the journey we have traveled together
along the path of reconciliation and visible unity.
In closing, Your Holiness,
Beloved Brother, we wholeheartedly congratulate you – together with the blessed multitude
assembled here today – and we fraternally embrace you on the joyous occasion of this
anniversary celebration. May God bless you all.