wfn.org | Episcopalians welcome Ecumenical Pa

[ENS.parti@ecunet.org (ENS)]

November 13, 1997
Episcopal News Service
Jim Solheim, Director
212-922-5385
ens@ecunet.org

97-1996
Episcopalians welcome Ecumenical Patriarch, move towards new
dialogue in U.S.

by James Solheim
       (ENS) Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople,
spiritual leader of 300 million Orthodox faithful around the world, swept
through the United States on an intense month-long pilgrimage to the
centers of political and religious power. At several stops along the 16-
city trip, beginning in mid-October, he was greeted by Episcopalians.      
       Presiding Bishop Edmond Browning, who met the patriarch at the
funeral of his predecessor Athenagoras in 1991, said that he was "very
impressed" with comments Bartholomew made at a State Department
dinner and at a breakfast at the White House with Vice President Al
Gore. "He made it clear that the Orthodox must address the moral
concerns of our time, especially issues such as hunger and world peace,"
Browning said. "And he was very strong on environmental issues, which
is why they call him the Green Patriarch."
       The visit came at a time of increasing tension over leadership
among the world's 15 independent Orthodox churches and some anxieties
about their commitment to the ecumenical movement. As the "first
among equals" of Orthodox patriarchs, Bartholomew is trying to keep
peace in a quarrelsome family where some members have just emerged
from an era of communist domination. 
       While there is rejoicing at the newly established freedom, there
are some obvious growing pains in the pan-Orthodox world. The Russian
Orthodox Church, by far the largest Orthodox church in the world, is
trying to improve its position and seeking control of Orthodox churches
in former Soviet-controlled nations like Estonia and the Ukraine.
Patriarch Alexy II of Russia actually suspended communion with
Bartholomew over control of the Estonian church. A September summit
meeting between Alexy and Bartholomew during an international
environmental conference on the Black Sea cruise bolstered the prospects
for cooperation.

Icon of evil
       In comments at the Holocaust Museum in Washington October
20, the patriarch expressed his deep sorrow over Christian involvement
in the mass murder of Jews during World War II. "To even attempt to
contemplate this depth of human suffering is almost too much to bear.
Yet we must try. We must understand that such depravity of human
action was caused by a deprivation of human spirit." 
       And he said that "Jews and Christians bear a special responsibility
towards the hope and guarantee that this terrible evil must never again
take root within the human psyche." He concluded, "In this sacred
memorial to the Holocaust, the singular icon of our century's evils has
been transformed into an instrument of spiritual renewal." By repenting
of the "most terrible crimes," he added, "we begin to find the road
towards the love for one another that has eluded us for so much of our
collective histories."

The lamp of faith
       During an Ecumenical Doxology service at the Washington
National Cathedral with Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders, the
patriarch said that "this wonderful cathedral speaks with resplendent
eloquence of the aspirations of the American people to achieve a society
in which the light of conscience is raised high as a torch of freedom." He
added that he affirmed "that religious liberty is a necessary condition for
authentic faith. The lamp of faith must never be shielded by prejudice,
fear or hate." While in Washington, the patriarch convened the first
dialogue between Orthodox and Muslims.
       Bartholomew expressed his joy over the vision of his predecessor
Athenagoras who is enshrined in a stained glass window at the cathedral
commemorating the meeting between Athenagoras and Pope Paul VI in
1965 that revoked the excommunications dating back to the Great Schism
between the eastern and western church in 1054. He also presented to the
cathedral an icon of St. Andrew who founded the church in ancient
Byzantium.

Calming the waters
       During his visit Bartholomew also tried to calm the waters in the
Greek Orthodox Church in the United States and some resistance to the
leadership of its new patriarch, Spyridon, elected with the ecumenical
patriarch's strong support. Laity have been pressing for a stronger
administrative role in the archdiocese.
       The issue of uniting the Orthodox believers in America into one
indigenous church was not discussed, leaving some frustration among
church leaders. Metropolitan Theodosius of the Orthodox Church in
America, with direct ties to the Russian Patriarchate, raised the issue
with the patriarch during a visit to New York. Orthodoxy was not meant
to be a "tribal" religion confined to "ethnic ghettoes," he said in urging
Bartholomew to observe during his travels the strong desire for a unified
Orthodoxy beyond what is a divisive and competitive spirit.
       Addressing the Orthodox participation in the ecumenical
movement, the patriarch met with church leaders at the offices of the
National Council of Churches in New York. He expressed appreciation
for the role of the NCC in bring together churches and the council's
efforts to rebuild black churches that have been destroyed by fire and
hatred. But he also chastised the "so-called missionaries" from the west
who are invading Orthodox territory. 
       "In lands where the Orthodox Church is recovering from decades
of persecution, a new threat to the Orthodox faith has appeared," he said.
"Many Protestant missionaries from the west, whose voices were not
heard during the decades of oppression, have not come to lend support
but to convert Orthodox believers." He called the missionaries "wolves in
sheep's clothing" and said that the Orthodox were asking for "your love
and understanding as we seek to rebuild the house that was shattered by
active governmental persecution."
       "I think it's significant that the Ecumenical Patriarch felt that
there was that level of trust and maturity in ecumenical relations that he
could speak not only the kind words but also the candid words that
needed to be said among caring partners in the ecumenical movement,"
said the Rev. William Rusch, the NCC director for Faith and Order.
"That's true ecumenism."

Renewed dialogue with Orthodox?
       Bartholomew's visit is also credited with new energy to
reestablish the official dialogue between the Greek Archdiocese and the
Episcopal Church in this country. The dialogue was suspended by the
Orthodox as a sign of frustration that "resulted from recent developments
such as the ordination of women, including one who is a practicing
lesbian, and a recent article by Bishop Spong which  characterized the
Apostle Paul as a homosexual," according to archdiocesan news
accounts.
       As a signal of a new beginning, Archbishop Spyridon, leader of
the Greek Orthodox in America, joined with Browning at the Church
Center for prayers and conversation in November. In an interview,
Browning said that he felt "a tremendous sense of warmth and readiness
to begin our conversations again. And I had the deep impression that this
was being endorsed by the Ecumenical Patriarch."
       "Even though we still have some problematic issues--issues of
church discipline and theological issues like the ordination of women and
homosexuals--our friendship was never broken," observed the Rev.
David Perry, the Episcopal Church's ecumenical officer. "We still hold
out the hope that we can walk together." 
       Perry said that he was impressed with the "strong commitment to
justice for humankind and the environment," expressed by Bartholomew
and Spyridon. "We share the same commitment, stemming from our
understanding of God's creation."

Orthodox and the ecumenical movement
       When asked about pressure among the Orthodox to withdraw from
the ecumenical movement, Perry said, "Now is the time to increase our
energies to stay connected." He contended that "it is insane to talk about
the ecumenical movement without the Orthodox. It would seriously
diminish the effectiveness of our witness."
       "Bartholomew is the most ecumenically progressive patriarch of
the church in living memory," said Prof. J. Robert Wright of the General
Seminary in New York. "In fact, the five historically most prominent
sees in Orthodoxy are now lead by patriarchs who are providing
outstanding ecumenical leadership."
       Wright, who has been active in dialogue with the Orthodox for a
long time, served with Bartholomew on a World Council of Churches
committee. He is trusting that the patriarch's outstanding ecumenical
track record will help the Greek church in this country "live up to the
same standards in its relationship with the Episcopal Church." 
       
--James Solheim is director of news and information for the Episcopal
Church.