Letter to the Pope

Hat tip to Fr. C. I wholly agree with the Patriarch's notion of our common challenges becoming "a solid basis for good relations and mutually beneficial cooperation." Surely we can do this without minimizing our theological differences, right?

16 April 2007, 13:51
Patriarch Alexy of Moscow and All Russia's greetings letter to Pope
Benedict XVI on the occasion of his 80th birthday

Your Holiness,

I cordially greet you on the occasion of your 80th birthday.

On this solemn day of your jubilee, may I express my special
admiration of your life that has wholly been dedicated to the church
ministry. You were young when you were ordained and since then you
have led a praiseworthy life culminating in your election to high and
eminent position of the Primate of the Roman Catholic Church.

As a minister of the Church, you have long been a famous theologian
fully dedicated to defending and affirming of traditional Christian
values. What makes your position especially convincing is that you as
a theologian are not merely a theoretically thinking scholar, but
above all a sincere and deeply devoted Christian who speaks of the
abundance of his heart (cf. Matthew 12.34).

I share many of the insights of your theological works and I would
like to underline coinciding of our Churches' views on most vital
issues with which the modern world challenges Christianity. I am
deeply persuaded that it should become a solid basis for good
relations and mutually beneficial cooperation between the Russian
Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church.

I wholeheartedly wish you good health, many years of life, and God's
help in your high ministry.

+Alexy
Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia
April 16, 2007

Comments

Anonymous said…
This is the same conversation we were having on an earlier post. The problem is that we Americans, esp. converts, are able to compartmentalize our theological beliefs, and actually change them when the need arises. It's good that we can do this. But in the Old World, theological beliefs and practices are woven into everything else, including morals and politics and culture. The result is what looks to us like compromises. It's not possible for this Roman/Russian dialogue to truly take place without in some sense altering the theological views. Note that the theological views and differences can technically stay the same, while the context changes, i.e. the minimization you're talking about. I think you have every reason to be very concerned.

- Steve
9:44 AM
Patrick said…
I don't think the talks will lead the Russians anywhere they don't already want to go anyway. And I insist that it won't affect those who remain Orthodox, unless you get a big kick out of playing the numbers game, in which case, you should've remained Baptists. I mean, good grief, if our predecessors could be martyred and see their families martyred without apostasizing or worrying themselves to death about the "Future of the Church," maybe we should learn a thing or two from them.
12:20 PM
fdj said…
We shall see....I may be naive, but I expect we will see cordial relations and little more.
3:41 PM
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