Posted by by Fr. Steven Kostoff (dcalvert) on 7/21/2007, 9:52 am
Dear Fathers, Parish Faithful & Friends in Christ,
I have received more than a few newspaper articles or email forwards from many of you recently concerning the "controversial" statement issued by Pope Benedict XVI concerning the Roman Catholic Church and its relationship to the other "churches" - including the Orthodox - in the world. The Roman pontiff simply restated the well-known position of Rome that the Christian "bodies" not in communion with the Roman Catholic Church, and thus not accepting the supremacy of the Bishop of Rome over all Christians, are in fact not genuine "churches," but rather defective Christian communities. As one of the articles puts it:
The other communities "cannot be called 'churches' in the proper sense" because they do
not have apostolic succession - the ability to trace their bishops back to Christ's original
apostles - and therefore their priestly ordinations are not valid ...
According to the pope, the Orthodox are seen in a more positive light:
The ... Orthodox churches were indeed "churches" because they have apostolic succession.
But it said they do not recognize the primacy of the pope, a defect, or a "wound" that harmed
them ...
How gracious and generous of the pope! An immediate Orthodox response would be that the real "wound" or defect within Christendom is the far-from-convincing claims made about the bishop of Rome to be the "supreme pontiff" who is infallible in his ecclesisatical pronounements.
According to the document containing this statement, Pope Benedict XVI stated clearly:
"Christ 'established here on earth' only one Church." And also that the (Roman) Catholic
Church "has the fulness of the means of salvation."
We Orthodox would, on the one hand, fully agree with that statement in principle; but, on the other hand, fully disagree in countering that the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church is the (Eastern) Orthodox Church - not the Church of Rome which fell into schism precisely when and because it was making outrageous claims about the universal authority of the bishop of Rome! That is at the heart of the Great Schism usually, but rather misleadingly, dated at 1054. The truth is that we as Orthodox would say basically the same thing about the other "churches," and that those without Apostolic Succession can only be called "churches" in the loose or conventional sense of that word. Apostolic Succession and fidelity to the "faith once and for all delivered to the saints" (JUDE 3) are essential attributes of Christ's "true" Church. The Orthodox Church has maintained both of these attributes in a way that the other "churches" have not down through the centuries. There is no "judgement" in making that claim. It is simply a way of stating that we know where the Church is, without claiming to know where the Church is not.
Actually, I have no real intention of being polemical in these brief "fragments," but rather to actually praise the pope for his straightforward, clear and honest declaration of the Roman Catholic Church's position. The Ecumenical Movement has become so watered down in a search for the lowest common denominator that would allow for superficial talk of "Christian unity," that any clear statement that raises the key issues of division are now greeted with horror and rancour! Real discussion begins when positions are openly and honestly stated. The pope may have opened up old wounds, but they can only be healed when the seriousness of the wounds are acknowledged. Only then is true dialogue possible. So, I am quite glad that Pope Bendict "rocked the boat" by issuing this document. It will help to "clear the air" so that when "the dust settles" there will be a much clearer understanding as to where the various "churches" actually stand.
These are just a few preliminary comments that I hope to develop in a "meditation" next week.
Fr. Steven C. Kostoff
Christ the Savior/Holy Spirit Orthodox Church
http://www.christthesavioroca.org
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