top

CNEWA - {1992}

Catholic-Orthodox Relations in Post-Communist Europe:
Ghosts from the Past and Challenges for the Future Bishops of Europe

[ By Unknown author ]

In December 1991, Pope John Paul II convened a special Synod of Bishops of Europe. Although fraternal delegates from other churches and ecclesial communities were invited to participate, the Orthodox churches were almost completely absent. To explain why this was so, the Ecumenical Patriarchate sent Metropolitan Spyridon of Italy to the Synod.

In his speech in the presence of the Pope, the Metropolitan said that the Orthodox absence was due to the tensions that existed between Catholics and Orthodox in Eastern and Central Europe. He listed two main reasons for this: first, that the rebirth of so-called “uniate” churches in that region had been accompanied by acts of violence, and, secondly, that the setting up of parallel Catholic ecclesiastical structures in those countries exceeded what was required to care for the local Catholic populations. The Metropolitan continued:

The impression is now widespread among the Orthodox that [the Catholic Church] is distancing itself from the Second Vatican Council, and that the territories of countries which have been Orthodox for centuries, now liberated from the communist regimes, are being considered by their Roman Catholic brothers as «terra missionis».

The bishop warned that the situation was so bad that the theological dialogue might be suspended or even completely broken off.

Similar concerns had been expressed by the Holy Synod of the Moscow Patriarchate the previous October when it responded negatively to the papal invitation. And two months later, in February 1992, the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece issued a strongly worded statement charging Pope John Paul II with being deceitful and dishonest in his relations with the Orthodox. The Greek bishops also accused the Holy See of using the Byzantine Catholic churches to extend its influence in Orthodox countries and called upon the Greek government to break off diplomatic relations with the Vatican.

It is quite clear, then, that Catholic-Orthodox relations are going through a difficult period. The fall of communism in Eastern and Central Europe, while obviously a good thing, has caused old problems to resurface and has created serious difficulties for the international commission for dialogue between the two churches.

To gain a better understanding of these problems, I would like to look back into the history of Catholic-Orthodox relations, with special emphasis on the origins of the policy of uniatism and the formation of the Byzantine Catholic churches, and the Orthodox reaction to this policy. I will then try to show the way in which this history affects the present situation, and examine the approach the international commission has taken to the problem. And finally, I will try to identify some of the challenges that the Catholic and Orthodox churches face in view of their contemporary ecumenical relationship.

[ Catholic Near East Welfare Association - www.cwnews.com [...] - {1992} ]