ISTANBUL - 1 December 2006 - 593 words
Joint
declaration of Benedict XVI and Bartholomew I
At the end of the divine liturgy they celebrated yesterday morning
in the patriarchal church of St George in Istanbul, Benedict
XVI and His Holiness Bartholomew I, ecumenical patriarch, returned
to the ecumenical patriarchate where they signed a joint declaration.
In their declaration, the Pope and the Ecumenical Patriarch of
Constantinople, recall the meetings of their predecessors, "who
showed the world the urgent need for unity and traced sure paths
for attaining it, through dialogue, prayer and the daily life
of the Church."
"As pastors," they write, "we have first of all
reflected on the mission to proclaim the Gospel in today's world.
... Moreover, we cannot ignore the increase of secularization,
relativism, even nihilism, especially in the Western world. All
this calls for a renewed and powerful proclamation of the Gospel,
adapted to the cultures of our time. Our traditions represent
for us a patrimony which must be continually shared, proposed,
and interpreted anew. This is why we must strengthen our cooperation
and our common witness before the world."
The Pope and the Patriarch highlight how they "have viewed
positively the process that has led to the formation of the European
Union. Those engaged in this great project should not fail
to take into consideration all aspects affecting the inalienable
rights of the human person, especially religious freedom, a witness
and guarantor of respect for all other freedoms. In every step
towards unification, minorities must be protected, with their
cultural traditions and the distinguishing features of their religion."
"Our concern extends," their joint declaration proceeds,
"to those parts of today's world where Christians live and
to the difficulties they have to face, particularly poverty, wars
and terrorism, but equally to various forms of exploitation of
the poor, of migrants, women and children. Catholics and Orthodox
are called to work together to promote respect for the rights
of every human being, created in the image and likeness of God,
and to foster economic, social and cultural development.
"Our theological and ethical traditions can offer a solid
basis for a united approach in preaching and action. Above all,
we wish to affirm that killing innocent people in God's name is
an offence against him and against human dignity. We must all
commit ourselves to the renewed service of humanity and the defence
of human life, every human life.
"We take profoundly to heart the cause of peace in the Middle
East, where our Lord lived, suffered, died and rose again, and
where a great multitude of our Christian brethren have lived for
centuries. We fervently hope that peace will be re-established
in that region, that respectful coexistence will be strengthened
between the different peoples that live there, between the Churches
and between the different religions found there. To this end,
we encourage the establishment of closer relationships between
Christians, and of an authentic and honest inter-religious dialogue,
with a view to combating every form of violence and discrimination.
"At present, in the face of the great threats to the natural
environment, we want to express our concern at the negative consequences
for humanity and for the whole of creation which can result from
economic and technological progress that does not know its limits.
As religious leaders, we consider it one of our duties to encourage
and to support all efforts made to protect God's creation, and
to bequeath to future generations a world in which they will be
able to live."
Following the signing ceremony, the Pope had lunch with Patriarch
Bartholomew at the ecumenical patriarchate.
Source: VIS
© Independent Catholic
News 2006
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