Exclusive Analysis: Are these the two faces of Orthodoxy?

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Pope Francis has made a number of stops in Eastern Europe lately. He has visited many predominately Orthodox Christian countries where the flocks of Catholic believers are generally small.

Two of these visits – in Bulgaria and in Romania, respectively – stand out for how different they were, particularly in regards to the reception of the Pope by the local autocephalous Orthodox Church hierarchy.

In Bulgaria, the Pope’s agenda, particular his interaction with the Orthodox Church leadership there evolved, or better, devolved, to the point of minimal interaction and nothing approaching any joint events within the context of a church setting. It reached the point that Pope Francis prayed alone, sitting in a chair facing the traditional Orthodox iconostasis and altar behind it.

Some Bulgarian hierarchs even expressed rather un-Christian sentiments during and following the Pope’s visit there. It should be stated, to be fair, that other Orthodox hierarchs were much more welcoming and sympatheticto the visit of Francis.

In Romania, in stark contrast, the Pope was welcomed yesterday very warmly by local church officials, led by Patriarch Daniel.

The difference between the two local Orthodox churches in their bilateral approach and reception of the Pope could not be made more manifest. In Bucharest, the Pope was seated near the Patriarch, while many Orthodox and Catholic clergymen, together with dignitaries and faithful, sat in the seats in the newly consecrated and breathtaking National Cathedral in Bucharest. The Pope was treated with Christian warmth and hospitality.

Theological differences between East and West need not descend to indifference, or even worse, disrespect. One can believe that the entirety of the Truth of Christ is encapsulated in the Ark of Salvation – in the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church – while simultaneously believing that dialogue and engagement with the Catholics need not threaten that belief.

Does the reception of the Pope by the Romanian Orthodox Church make them somehow less “Orthodox”? Is Patriarch Daniel somehow less committed to Orthodoxy than his Bulgarian counterparts because he embraced the Pope in a brotherly spirit?

The answer to both questions is a hard No. Unfortunately there are some within the Orthodox Church who view dialogue and the engagement with others as a threat, or even worse, an evil to be avoided.

The Bulgarian Orthodox Church was one of four local churches that decided at the last moment to not attend the Holy and Great Council (2016) in Crete. The bishops assembled there, in their Encyclical (Section VII. Church: Witness on Dialogue), stated the following:

The Church manifests sensitivity towards those who have severed themselves from communion with her and is concerned for those who do not understand her voice. Conscious that she constitutes the living presence of Christ in the world, the Church translates the divine economy into concrete actions using all means at her disposal to give a trustworthy witness to the truth, in the precision of the apostolic faith. In this spirit of recognition of the need for witness and offering, the Orthodox Church has always attached great importance to dialogue, and especially to that with non-Orthodox Christians. Through this dialogue, the rest of the Christian world is now more familiar with Orthodoxy and the authenticity of its tradition. It also knows that the Orthodox Church has never accepted theological minimalism or permitted its dogmatic tradition and evangelical ethos to be called into question. Inter-Christian dialogues have provided Orthodoxy with the opportunity to display her respect for the teaching of the Fathers and to bear a trustworthy witness to the genuine tradition of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. The multilateral dialogues undertaken by the Orthodox Church have never signified, and do not signify, nor will they ever signify, any compromise in matters of faith. These dialogues are a witness to Orthodoxy, grounded on the Gospel message “come and see” (John 1.46), see, namely, that “God is love” (1 John 4.8).

Encyclical of the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church

This long passage is directly relevant to the issue at hand and shows that Orthodoxy is not a narrow-minded faith and that the leadership of local churches should not behave as such. We should keep and observe Christ’s commandment: “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matt 28.19).

This outlook and approach to dialogue has been preached by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, and his recent predecessors, for more than half a century. In today’s information age it is imperative that the Orthodox Church offer a consistent and compassionate witness of Christ to the world. In fact, if they were strategic, the local Orthodox churches in the countries visited by the Pope would leverage and take advantage of the media attention that accompanies Francis to actually advance and advertise, for lack of a better word, the Orthodox Church.

Nikodemos

The Orthodox World