A momentous occasion

Today is the Feast of the great St. Andrew.

What was he great for (besides being a saint)? For starters, he brought his brother Peter to Christ, thus setting up what would become the foundation for the Church.

So it’s profound that the Successor of Peter has met today with the Successor of Andrew in an effort to forge a new unity between Roman Catholics and the Orthodox. Together, they issued a new declaration, and it was loaded.

Christian unity as an instrument of evangelization, necessary also for a Europe wounded by secularization; resumed theological dialogue between Catholics and Orthodox, currently tackling the key question of the Petrine primacy; religious freedom as a right that Europe should safeguard and promote; the difficult conditions faced by many Christians around the world. A joint declaration signed today by the Pope and the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople focused on these matters. The declaration was signed at the end of a solemn Divine Liturgy celebrated in the patriarchal church on the feast day of St Andrew, patron of the eastern Churches.

It seems the text of the declaration was still being refined until the last minute. There are three identifiable parts to it: ecumenism, proclaiming the Gospel, even in Europe, and religious freedom.

The visit to the Patriarchate, which was the main reason for the voyage, was maligned by Islamic nationalists who depicted it as a quest for unity for a new crusade. Apart from the meeting in the Patriarchate, the much anticipated visit this afternoon to Santa Sophia was also the focus of attention, largely because of fears that the Pope may pray there. Someone even wrote, incredibly: “It would serve to re-consecrate the ancient church.” Protests drew little or no following. One was scheduled for today. The barbed description of an eyewitness: “There were 10 protesters, 100 policemen and 1000 journalists.”

Wow. All those journalists from around the world, covering every word and gesture of the Pope and Patriarch — especially Benedict — and beaming that message out to their countries. I hope they get how providential this event is, coming at the precise time that Turkey’s effort to enter the European Union hits new resistence over rights and freedoms, and at the precise time the Middle East hurls closer to civil or regional war over an Islamic power struggle.

Benedict and Bartholomew’s message is aimed at the central point in it all, recognition of truth and freedom.

The declaration said: “We have evaluated positively the journey towards the formation of the European Union. The actors of this great initiative will not fall short of taking into consideration all aspects regarding the human being and his inalienable rights, especially religious freedom, witness and guarantee of the respect of all other freedoms. In any unification initiative, minorities must be protected, with their cultural traditions and religious specificities. In Europe, Catholics and Orthodox, while remaining open to other religions and to their contributions to culture, must unite their efforts to preserve Christian roots, traditions and values, to assure respect of history, as well as to contribute to the culture of the Europe of the future, to the quality of human relations at all levels.”

Christian unity, in the Declaration, is an instrument that gives strength to the proclamation of the Gospel in today’s world, in which “we cannot ignore the growth of secularization, relativism and nihilism, especially in the western world. All this demands a renewed and powerful proclamation of the Gospel that is adapted to the cultures of our time.”

Note: The proclamation needs to be adapted to the culture of the times, not the Gospel.

Footnote: To my son, Andrew, happy ‘Name’s Day’, feast of your patron.