The event will seek to reunite churches separated by war
Pope Francis has offered his formal support to an attempt at rapprochement between the leaders of the Russian and Ukrainian Orthodox Churches, the “National Catholic Reporter” magazine reported this Friday (24).
According to the publication, the Ecumenical Council of Churches (CEC), an organization that brings together more than 350 Churches in 120 countries, is proposing a sort of peace negotiation between the two groups of Orthodox, who have broken up due to the war started by La Russia in Ukraine in February last year.
Due to the defensive positions of President Vladimir Putin, the Russian patriarch Cyril I has distanced himself even further from the Ukrainian leadership and has also entered into a crisis – while not breaking ties – with the Church of Constantinople. Furthermore, Cyril and the pontiff had their relationship shaken by the Russian defense of the war.
In an interview with the magazine, WCC general secretary Rev. Jerry Pillay said he met the Pope at the Vatican on Thursday (23) and “gave his blessing” to the meeting. “The Pope has expressed concern, like us, because the Churches are apparently very divided on political issues,” added Pillay, first with the Russian Orthodox and then a round table with all the people involved on the last day. The idea is to hold the event in Geneva, where the WCC is based.
“People are exhausted by what is happening in the world and by the ceaseless war that continues”, added Pillay, stating that the theme of the summit will be “How can we rise above these things and respond to them with the Christian Gospel in front of us?”
The reverend also pointed out that due to Cyril’s political stances in defense of war, many WCC members have called for the Russian Orthodox Church to be expelled from the membership cadre. But these attempts were rejected by the central council.
“We feel we have provided a platform for different points of view and we continue to encourage dialogue even when the dialogue is not exhausted. If we bring them to the table, we can talk. If we don’t have them on the table, then it’s a lost cause,” he concluded. . .
Source: Terra
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