Pope Benedict XVI and Orthodox Unity
Here are two stories:
Pope tells Cypriot Orthodox leader he holds ‘firm hope’ for Christian unity
Associated Press - June 16, 2007
VATICAN CITY – Pope Benedict XVI told a visiting Cypriot Orthodox leader Saturday that he holds hope that the Catholic and Orthodox churches can be united, despite centuries of painful division.
The churchmen also explored how the two sides could work together on social, moral and bioethical issues, including same-sex marriage and embryonic stem cell research.
Archbishop Chrysostomos II of Cyprus has offered to play the role of mediator to try to arrange a groundbreaking meeting between the pope and the Orthodox patriarch of Moscow, Alexy II. That encounter eluded the late John Paul II in his long papacy because of Catholic-Orthodox tensions following the demise of Soviet communism.
In a speech to the archbishop after their private session, Benedict said he held “firm hope” of uniting the two churches. Despite “centuries-old divisions, diverging roads and despite the hard work of closing painful wounds, the Lord has never ceased to guide our steps on the path toward unity and reconciliation,” Benedict said. Chrysostomos told reporters that the chief problem was a lack of communication between the pope and the patriarch. He said he will pursue his offer to help organize a possible meeting when he meets with Alexy in Moscow next month. The archbishop has contended that Benedict’s background as a theologian with a good grasp of Orthodox theology would help the process of reuniting the two churches, which split nearly 1,000 years ago.
He said he left the meeting “with much optimism.”
The Russian church accuses Roman Catholics of improperly seeking converts in areas that traditionally would be Russian Orthodox. The Vatican has rejected the allegations, saying it is only ministering to Russia’s tiny Catholic community of about 600,000 people in a country of 144 million.
In a joint statement, both leaders pledged to “intensify the search for full unity among all Christians.” http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20070616-1504-vatican-orthodox.html
And the Orthodox Patriarch apparently agrees:
Alexy II Favors Ecumenical Ties
Says Orthodox-Catholic Partnership Is Important
Zenit - June 15, 2007
MOSCOW - Expanding cooperation between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church will have significant implications for the future of Europe, according to Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia…
Alexy II regretted that relations between the Moscow Patriarchate and Catholics in Russia are not always problem-free: “I think these relations could be improved with the Council of Episcopal Conferences of Europe’s involvement.”Cardinal Erdo, archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, said that his meeting with the orthodox patriarch was “very cordial.”The cardinal said to Vatican Radio: “Our common conviction was that without God our objective vision of reality is not complete, and if only the world and the universe existed, but not God, then the universe has no value and every discourse on values loses its meaning.”http://www.zenit.org/article-19890?l=english
Pope Benedict XVI has repeatedly and publicly stated that he is determined to obtain greater unity with the Eastern Orthodox.
Part of the reason why is that Roman Catholic prophecy specifically states that the East and Western churches will unite and that Rome will dominate:
One prophecy, that was given no later than 1202, by a Catholic abbott named Joachim states:
A remarkable Pope will be seated on the pontifical throne, under special protection of the angels. Holy and full of gentleness, he shall undo all wrong, he shall recover the states of the Church, and reunite the exiled temporal powers. As the only Pastor, he shall reunite the Eastern to the Western Church…This holy Pope shall be both pastor and reformer. Through him the East and West shall be in ever lasting concord. The city of Babylon shall then be the head and guide of the world. Rome, weakened in temporal power, shall forever preserve her spiritual dominion, and shall enjoy great peace…At the beginning, in order to bring these happy results, having need of a powerful assistance, this holy Pontiff will ask the cooperation of the generous monarch of France (Great Monarch). (Cited in Connor, Edward. Prophecy for Today. Tan Books and Publishers, Rockford (IL), 1984, pp. 31-32).
Biblical prophecy states that there will be a major unifying religion that it calls “Babylon the Great” (Revelation 17:5)–but one that the Bible warns against. The Orthodox (and all others) need to heed the Bible and “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities” (Revelation 18:4-5).
For more information, please see the article:
Europa, the Beast, and Revelation Where did Europe get its name? What might Europe have to do with the Book of Revelation? What does religion have to do with this?