Pope invites Eastern Orthodox priests and monks to 'grow in shared faith'
By Deborah Castellano Lubov
“The historic and cultural differences in our Churches represent a wonderful mosaic of our shared Christian heritage, which is something we can all appreciate.”
Pope Leo XIV made this observation on Thursday in the Vatican, addressing young priests and monks from the Eastern Orthodox Churches participating in a study visit, organized by the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity.
Greeting those before him representing the Armenian, Coptic, Ethiopian, Eritrean, Malankara, and Syriac Orthodox Churches, the Pope recalled the words of Saint Peter, "Peace to all of you who are in Christ."
Supporting one another
The Pope remembered that the Church recently celebrated the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, whose theme was taken from Saint Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians, in which the Apostle stresses the importance of being united in the faith, noting “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling.”
Pope Leo reflected on St. Paul's extensive travels throughout Israel, Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia, and even Europe, where he founded and visited numerous Christian communities. These journeys, the Pope noted, made him more aware of the particular characteristics of each Church, including their ethnic backgrounds, customs, and specific challenges, and even the risk that communities could become inward-looking or overly focused on their own concerns.
For this reason, “throughout his letters," Pope Leo said, "Saint Paul was determined to remind them that they were part of the one Mystical Body of Christ.” “In doing so,” the Pope added, “he encouraged them to support one another and to preserve the unity of faith and teaching that reflects the transcendent nature and oneness of God.”
Learning to ‘disarm’ ourselves
Pope Leo praised the shared Christian heritage of the Churches represented at the morning audience, while underscoring the need to work and pray together.
“We should continue to support one another," he said, "so that we may grow in our shared faith in Christ, who is the ultimate source of our peace,” noting that this growth requires learning how to “disarm ourselves.”
May we grow in unity and charity
Pope Leo quoted when the late Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Athenagoras I, whom the Pope called a "pioneer of the ecumenical movement," stated, “I am disarmed of the need to be right, to justify myself by judging others.” Instead, the Ecumenical Patriarch said he was engaging in “the hardest war," namely "the war against myself.”
Pope Leo therefore observed that “when we remove the prejudices we carry within ourselves and disarm our hearts, we grow in charity, work more closely together, and strengthen our bonds of unity in Christ,” thus making Christian unity become “a leaven for peace on earth and for the reconciliation of all.”
Pope Leo concluded by renewing his gratitude for their visit, inviting them to join him in praying together an Our Father, and asking the Lord to bless them and keep them safe.
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