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Orthodoxy the top priority in his
quest for unity.
Although fewer than 100,000 Or–
thodox Christians are left in Tur–
key, Ecumenical Patriarch Deme–
trios
l
is regarded as "first among
equals" in the Orthodox bierarchy.
His is the ancient see of Constanti–
nople (modern lstanbul), once the
capital of Byzant-ine Christianity
and regarded then by Easterners as
equal to tbe see of Rome. Once
Rome's reunion with the Orthodox
communities is perceived as being
within reach, the unity movement
already under way with major Prot–
estant bodies will necessarily gather
momentum.
T he ultimate goal? Not unity for
unity's sake, but formation of a
uni ted "spiritual front" to present to
a world rapidly falling apart.
Dawn of " New Millennium"
The pope's trip to Turkey was well–
timed. The final day of the visit–
November 30-was the Feast of St.
Andrew. The Orthodox faithful espe–
cially venerate Andrew, brother of
Peter, who, it is said, brought C'hris–
tianity to the lands surrounding the
Black Sea.
" lt
is the feast of St.
Andrew, Turkey's patron," the pope
said at the beginning of the journey.
" 1 must go for ecumenical reasons.
1
am in the hands of God."
For the first time since· the schism
in the 11th century, a pope was
present at an Orthodox eucharistic
celebration. Demetrios 1 also was
present at a papal mass.
In neither service was Hiere a
sharing of the bread and wine. But
full communion might not be too
long in coming. The pope and the
patriarch announced formation of a
joint commission to study the re–
maining outstanding differences be–
tween the two bodies.
Thus, the two leaders went consid–
erably beyond the first effort at
recbnciliation, begun 15 years ago in
Jerusalem, with the symbolic em–
brace of Pope Paul VI and Patriarch
Athenagoras. At that time the two
leaders lifted the mutual excommu–
nication orders imposed .in 1054 by
Pope Leo IX and Patriarch Michael
Erularius of Constantinople.
The pope said he hoped that re<>on–
ciliation be.tween the Christian
world's two oldest forces could come
6
about by the end of the century.
During the homily (sermon) of his
mass in Istanbul the pope said: "Pur–
ing the second millennium [of Chris–
tianity] Oijr churches were rigid in
their separation. Now the third mil–
lennium of Christianity is at the
gates. May the dawn of this inillen–
nium rise on a church which has full
unity again."
" It
seems to me," John Paul told
Demetrios, "that the question facing
us now is not whether we can reestab–
lish full communion but whether we
still have the right to remain sepa–
rated."
Doctrinal differences between
Rome and the Orthodox community
remain, but none thought insur–
mountable. The main drawbacks?
" Pride and obstinacy," admits an
Orthodox bishop in Istanbul, who
adds: "We were one and in our creed
and worship we have always been
one.... Now the time has cometo be
.one again."
Undoubtedly the principal obsta–
ele continues to be the role of the
pope himself. The Orthodox church–
es have indicated a willingness to
recognize the pope as "first among
equals" in the hierarchy of Chris–
tian leadership. However, they re–
ject the notion of papal infallibility
introduced in 1870, nearly eight
centuries after the Roman-Orthodox
schism.
The Vatican hopes that such inci–
dents as the recent convening of the
church's cardinals from around the
world show that the current pope is
more approachable, more willing to
"share" authority.
Unity With Anglicans, Others Sought
John Paul
11
clearly indicated that
the unity drive, which took him first
to Istanbul, will not stop there. His
vision of a united spiritual front is
much broader than that.
Pope John Paul wants the snai l–
paced process of Christian church
unity--or as he calls it, the "great
movement of al) Christians" –
speeded up. He referred on one occa–
sion in lstanbul to his "impatience
for unity." Shortly before his trip he
told crowds in the square before St.
Peter's Basílica: "This visit is impor–
tant. It will show concretely the
decision of the pope, already often
affi rmed, to carry ahead the efforts
towards the
unity of al/ Chris–
tian~."
En route from Rome to Ankara,
Turkey, where he began his visit, he
told reporters aboard his plane that
this was only bis first ecumenical
trip, adding that he was "ready to go
now" to1meet the leaders of the
Anglican Church in London. For his
part, the newly elected archbishop of
Canterbury, Robert Runcie, has also
expressed desire to meet Pope John
Paul
11
as soon as possible.
Theological studies by a joint com–
mission of Roman Catholics and
Anglicans (similar to that agreed
upon In Turkey) have proven to be
surprisingly fruitful. The final report
of the Anglican-Roman Catholic
International Commission is .due for
completion in 1981 .
Dialogue With Lutherans
In the joint communiqué issued at
the end of his Turkish sojourn, both
pope and patriarch outlined their real
aims and purposes: "This theological
dialogue," the communiqué read,
"has as its objective not only to move
toward reestablishment of full com–
munion between the sister Catholic
and Orthodox churches but also to
contribute to multiple dialogues de–
veloping in the Christian world in
search of its unity."
The other major dialogue that has
gone far to date is that between
Lutherans and Roman Catholics–
especially between the two bodies in
the United States.
As long ago as 1974 Catholic and
Lutheran theologians in America
agreed that "papal primacy need not
be a barrier to reconciliation" be–
tween the two churches. The theolo–
gians said Lutheran officials should
ask themselves "if they are able to
acknowledge not only the legitimacy
of tbe papal possibility [but] desira–
bility of the papal ministry, renewed
under the gospel . .. in a larger com–
munion which would include the
Lutheran churches."
The role of the pope has separated
the two churches for nearly 500 years
since the reformers, despairing of
changes in the office, went so far as
to brand the papacy "antichrist."
Time hea1s old wounds , however.
In their joint 1974 statement, the
theologians said a "special responsi–
(Continued on page 44)
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