Message of Pope of Rome Benedictus XVI on the occasion of the Patronal Feast of Ecumenical Patriarchate.
To His Holiness Bartholomew I
Archbishop of Constantinople
Ecumenical Patriarch
"The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you!
My love to all of you in Christ Jesus " (1 Cor 16:23-24).
It is with great joy that I write to Your Holiness on the occasion of
the Feast of Saint Andrew, apostle and brother of Saint Peter
The delegation which I send to you, led by the President of the
Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, His Eminence Cardinal
Walter Kasper, brings you the warmest fraternal greetings of the Church
of Rome. While I myself would have wished to be present to assure you
personally of my affection for you in the Lord and to pray with you, I
nevertheless convey my fervent hope for an even deeper communion which
will overcome those obstacles remaining between us and enable us to
celebrate together the Holy Eucharist, the one sacrifice of Christ for
the life of the world.
This year we commemorate the Fortieth Anniversary of 7 December 1965,
that day on which Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras, dissatisfied
with what had occurred in 1054, decided together at Rome and
Constantinople "to cancel from the Church’s memory the sentence of
ex-communication which had been pronounced". That momentous event
became the basis of a renewed relationship marked by reciprocal respect
and reconciliation. We remember with joy the inspiring words pronounced
that day in the Cathedral of the Phanar by the beloved Patriarch
Athenagoras : "God is Love (1 Jn 4:9): love is the God-given mark of
the disciples of Christ, the power which gathers in unity the Church,
and the source of its peace, harmony and order, as a perpetual and
brilliant manifestation of the indwelling Holy Spirit" (Response to The
Common Declaration, 7 December 1965).
Indeed, this cancellation marked the beginning of a new season of
ecclesial life, a season of dialogue, which has seen significant
progress yet remains challenged to continue the rigorous pursuit of its
much cherished goals. In this regard, it is a source of great
satisfaction to me that after a pause of some years our theological
dialogue begins once again. I pray that it will indeed be fruitful and
am confident that no effort will be spared to make it so. He who puts
his hand to the plough must not turn back (cf. Lk 9:62). Rather, he
must persevere and bring his work to completion, sowing the seed and
awaiting the abundant harvest that God in his goodness will provide.
Attentive then to what the Spirit says to the needs of the Churches
today and in the future, I assure Your Holiness and the Holy Synod, and
through you all the Orthodox Churches, that the Catholic Church remains
irrevocably committed to promoting all suitable and helpful initiatives
to strengthen charity, solidarity and theological dialogue between us.
In the joy of the Feast of Saint Andrew, Holy Guardian of the Church of
Constantinople, I renew to Your Holiness my fraternal love and send you
my warm greetings in the embrace of peace.
From the Vatican, 26 November 2005
BENEDICTUS PP. XVI
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