Eastern bishops: Gospel key for ‘robust human society’

(Vatican Radio) A culture in which the Gospel has been uprooted “will be unable to build a robust human society, founded on ethical, moral values and on the family, which guarantees justice and peace,” reads the 2013 message of the European Eastern Rite Catholic Bishops, issued at the conclusion of their four-day meeting.

About 30 Eastern-rite bishops met in Košice, Slovakia, 17-20 October, to discuss “the evangelization of culture”. The meeting took place in the backdrop of the Year of Faith and the commemoration of the 1150th anniversary of the arrival of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Slav territory.

“The living experience of the Risen Christ was the source from which sprang Christians’ commitment to building European culture,” they acknowledged. They confirmed their “goodwill in collaborating to build a culture of encounter and dialogue based on truth, freedom, justice, respect and tolerance”.

They also called on Eastern Catholics “to be more authentic witnesses of the rich heritage of our fathers verified by the martyrdom of so many of our pastors and brothers”.

The bishops examined the ways in which the Gospel today makes culture. Speakers included: Cardinal Jozef Tomko, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples; Archbishop Cyril Vasil’, Secretary of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches; Mgr Dimitrios Salachas, Apostolic Exarch for Byzantine Rite Catholics in Greece, and Fr Juraj Dufka, sj, who gave a reflection on art as a tool of evangelisation.

While the Church does not identify itself with any culture per se, it is “aware of the importance of dialogue with the cultures on the European continent,” reads a related press release, issued by the Council of European Bishops Conferences. “It is impossible to think of the proclamation of Christ outside history. In fact, Christ’s encounter with history gives rise to culture: the culture of life.”

The 2014 meeting will take place in Lviv, Ukraine, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the legalisation of the Greek-Catholic Church in Ukraine.

Below is the message of the 2013 European Eastern Catholic Bishops:

There is No Gospel Without Culture
…
Once again we come to affirm and recall the Christian roots of Europe, profoundly convinced of the topicality of the message of Saints Cyril and Methodius. A civilisation and a European culture, where the salvific gospel of Christ has been uprooted, will be unable to build a robust human society, founded on ethical, moral values and on the family which guarantees justice and peace between peoples. A Godless culture leads the human person to desperation and death. We advocate a culture of life and hope: a culture capable of embracing the human person in all their aspects and creating fraternity, love, friendship and solidarity, especially towards the poor, the emigrant and the abandoned. A culture worthy of the name is that which includes worship of God, a God who loves humanity, every person for who He has given his life and has overcome death by his glorious resurrection.

We are well aware of the problems of our peoples, the crisis sweeping across the European continent and the world, terrorism and the various armed conflicts, the political struggles and racism. The crisis is not just economic, but above all spiritual. We Christians, in our identity as Eastern Catholics, are called to be more authentic witnesses of the rich heritage of our fathers verified by the martyrdom of so many of our pastors and brothers.

We want to proclaim the Good News of God’s Love for everyone with joy and enthusiasm. We need God to re-discover the meaning of our existence on this earth. No one can carry their own cross alone, but only with God and with their brothers and sisters. So, we want to reaffirm that Christ is not distant from our affairs. He asks us to trust Him. In life’s affairs we find in Him the rock on whom we can rely.

The living experience of the Risen Christ was the source from which sprang Christians’ commitment to building European culture. Today, just like yesterday, we Eastern Catholic bishops of Europe, confirm our goodwill in collaborating to build a culture of encounter and dialogue based on truth, freedom, justice, respect and tolerance.

In the European context, our Eastern Catholic Church communities and every person of faith is called personally by Divine Providence to continue the evangelising mission of Saints Cyril and Methodius, achieving the necessary internal renewal and systematic progress desired by the Second Vatican Council. In this way our rich traditions will not remain a monument to admire and recall, but a source of life to heal European culture which more and more is becoming secularised and de-Christianised.

During our meeting, we looked with apprehension at the dramatic situation of suffering of our Christian brothers and faithful in the Middle East, especially in Syria. United with the Holy Father and the local bishops, we pray that the path of dialogue might be embarked upon more decisively and that to prayer may be united political decisions based on justice and respect for the various religious communities leading to an immediate ceasefire, the abandonment of any form of violence and an end to arms shipments which feed the war in the country.

Through the intercession of the Mother of God and Saints Cyril and Methodius, we ask our Lord to send peace on all the people on the continent. Listen to our interview with the meeting's local organiser, Fr. Robert Jager: