That We May Be One: Wounds of a Thousand Years Begin to Heal

Is a thousand years long enough to say you’re sorry?

Maybe, but for a long time, “sorry” wasn’t in the vocabulary of either side of what is known as the “Great Schism.” The Great Schism split the Church, East from West, around the year 1050. The Church has paid dearly for this split down through the past millennia, with the fall of Constantinople being part of the price.

From then to now, the thaw has been slow and touchy. Pope John Paul II paved the way by making the first moves toward reconciliation. Today, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I announced that he will attend the inauguration of Pope Francis.

Mark Shea made the poignant observation that Pope Francis, who only has one lung, is the pope under whom the Church will once again begin to breath with both lungs. None of this is to say that what we are looking at is a re-uniting of the two rites. But it is of incredible importance in a world in which Christians of every communion are increasingly subjected to hostility, outright discrimination and violent persecution that we come together in our mutual self defense.

The Patriarch of Constantinople surely understands this far better than I do.

We must begin to stand together.

I view this wonderful news as an indication that our leaders know this and are beginning to move toward doing it.

God bless both these men.

Deacon Greg Kendra has the story. Also, This article from AsiaNews.com gives details:

For the first time since the Great Schism, ecumenical patriarch to attend pope’s inaugural Mass
The metropolitans of Argentina and Italy will accompany Bartholomew. Moscow Patriarchate hopes in closer cooperation with Rome but excludes for now a meeting between Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill.

Istanbul (AsiaNews) – The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I will attend Pope Francis’s inaugural Mass. The Ecumenical Patriarchate Press Office informed AsiaNews about the decision, noting that this is the first time such an event occurs since the Catholic-Orthodox split in 1054, an important sign for Christian unity.

The ecumenical patriarch will be accompanied by Ioannis Zizioulas, metropolitan of Pergamon and co-president of the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Roman Catholic and the Orthodox Church, as well as Tarassios, Orthodox Metropolitan of Argentina, and Gennadios, Orthodox Metropolitan of Italy.

Relations between Catholics and Orthodox have been improving since the Second Vatican Council through mutual visits, acts of friendship and theological dialogue.

Under Benedict XVI, the dialogue picked up in earnest after a lull. In trying to promote it, the pope suggested ways to express the primacy of Peter’s successor that could be acceptable to the Orthodox, finding his inspiration from the undivided Church of the first millennium. (Read the rest at: http://www.asianews.it/news-en/For-the-first-time-since-the-Great-Schism,-ecumenical-patriarch-to-attend-pope’s-inaugural-Mass-27408.html)