Pope Meets with Phanar Bishops: Praises Phanar’s Ecumenism
On June 28th, civil date, Benedict XVI of Rome, met with a delegation of Phanar bishops, led by Metropolitan Emmanuel Adamakis of France. During the meetings, the Roman Pope made clear his great joy at the Phanar’s complete embrace of ecumenism with the Papacy of the Vatican. He lauded Patriarchs Athenagoras, Demetrios, and Bartholomew (Archontonis) as being fully committed to the ecumenical cause. The even was reported on Vatican Radio, as well as prominent Papist online news sites, including the official L’Osservattore Romano.
L’Osservattore Romano reports:
It was also an opportunity to remember, in particular, the “passion for the unity of the Church” which inspired the Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras and the Pontiffs, John XIII and Paul VI, who “made themselves champions of courageous projects that paved the way to renewed relations between the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Catholic Church”.
The activity of the present Ecumenical Patriarch follows in these tracks. “It is a cause of special joy to me to note that His Holiness Bartholomew I is following with fresh fidelity and fruitful creativity the way marked out by his predecessors, Patriarch Athenagoras and Patriarch Dimitrios, and is distinguishing himself in the international arena for his openness to inter-Christian dialogue and for his commitment to the service of Gospel proclamation in today’s world”.
Left out, of course, has been the fundamental dogmatic issues that divide Orthodoxy from Romanism. However, as the current occupant and claimant of the Throne of Constantinople is notorious for his modernistic approach to issues (such as countenancing abortion ‘rights’, and obsession with population reduction/pseudo-environmentalism), and his views of trans-religious syncretism, the lack of theological clarity is not surprising.
And, of course, a video of the events between Phanar representatives and the Vatican.
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