ECCLESIOLOGICAL
PRINCIPLES
6. The division between the Churches of the
East and of the West has never quelled the desire for unity wished
by Christ. Rather this situation, which is contrary to the nature
of the Church, has often been for many the occasion to become more
deeply conscious of the need to achieve this unity, so as to be
faithful to the Lord's commandment.
7. In the course of the centuries various attempts
were made to re-establish unity. They sought to achieve this end
through different ways, at times conciliar, according to the political,
historical, theological and spiritual situation of each period.
Unfortunately, none of these efforts succeeded in re-establishing
full communion between the Church of the West and the Church of
the East, and at times even made oppositions more acute.
8. In the course of the last four centuries,
in various parts of the East, initiatives were taken within certain
Churches and impelled by outside elements, to restore communion
between the Church of the East and the Church of the West. These
initiatives led to the union of certain communities with the See
of Rome and brought with them, as a consequence, the breaking of
communion with their Mother Churches of the East. This took place
not without the interference of extra-ecclesial interests. In this
way Oriental Catholic Churches came into being. And so a situation
was created which has become a source of conflicts and of suffering
in the first instance for the Orthodox but also for Catholics.
9. Whatever may have been the intention and
the authenticity of the desire to be faithful to the commandment
of Christ: "that all may be one" expressed in these partial
unions with the See of Rome, it must be recognized that the reestablishment
of unity between the Church of the East and the Church of the West
was not achieved and that the division remains, embittered by these
attempts.
10. The situation thus created resulted in fact
in tensions and oppositions. Progressively, in the decades which
followed these unions, missionary activity tended to include among
its priorities the effort to convert other Christians, individually
or in groups, so as "to bring them back" to one's own
Church. In order to legitimize this tendency, a source of proselytism,
the Catholic Church developed the theological vision according to
which she presented herself as the only one to whom salvation was
entrusted. As a reaction, the Orthodox Church, in turn, came to
accept the same vision according to which only in her could salvation
be found. To assure the salvation of "the separated brethren"
it even happened that Christians were rebaptized and that certain
requirements of the religious freedom of persons and of their act
of faith were forgotten. This perspective was one to which that
period showed little sensitivity.
11. On the other hand certain civil authorities
made attempts to bring back Oriental Catholics to the Church of
their Fathers. To achieve this end they did not hesitate, when the
occasion was given, to use unacceptable means.
12. Because of the way in which Catholics and
Orthodox once again consider each other in their relationship to
the mystery of the Church and discover each other once again as
Sister Churches, this form of "missionary apostolate"described
above, and which has been called "uniatism," can no longer
be accepted either as a method to be followed nor as a model of
the unity our Churches are seeking.
13. In fact, especially since the panorthodox
Conferences and the Second Vatican Council, the re-discovery and
the giving again of proper value to the Church as communion, both
on the part of Orthodox and of Catholics, has radically altered
perspectives and thus attitudes. On each side it is recognized that
what Christ has entrusted to his Church — profession of apostolic
faith, participation in the same sacraments, above all the one priesthood
celebrating the one sacrifice of Christ, the apostolic succession
of bishops — cannot be considered the exclusive property of
one of our Churches. In this context, it is clear that any rebaptism
must be avoided.
14. It is in this perspective that the Catholic
Churches and the Orthodox Churches recognize each other as Sister
Churches, responsible together for maintaining the Church of God
in fidelity to the divine purpose, most especially in what concerns
unity. According to the words of Pope John Paul II, the ecumenical
endeavor of the Sister Churches of East and West, grounded in dialogue
and prayer, is the search for perfect and total communion which
is neither absorption nor fusion but a meeting in truth and love
(cf. Slavorum Apostoli, n. 27).
15. While the inviolable freedom of persons
and their obligation to follow the requirements of their conscience
remain secure, in the search for re-establishing unity there is
no question of conversion of people from one Church to the other
in order to ensure their salvation. There is a question of achieving
together the will of Christ for his own and the design of God for
his Church by means of a common quest by the Churches for a full
accord. on the content of the faith and its implications. This effort
is being carried on in the current theological dialogue. The present
document is a necessary stage in this dialogue.
16. The Oriental Catholic Churches who have
desired to re-establish full communion with the See of Rome and
have remained faithful to it, have the rights and obligations which
are connected with this communion. The principles determining their
attitude towards Orthodox Churches are those which have been stated
by the Second Vatican Council and have been put into practice by
the Popes who have clarified the practical consequences flowing
from these principles in various documents published since then.
These Churches, then, should be inserted, on both local and universal
levels, into the dialogue of love, in mutual respect and reciprocal
trust found once again, and enter into the theological dialogue,
with all its practical implications.
17. In this atmosphere, the considerations already
presented and the practical guidelines which follow, insofar as
they will be effectively received and faithfully observed, are such
as to lead to a just and definitive solution to the difficulties
which these Oriental Catholic Churches present to the Orthodox Church.
18. Towards this end, Pope Paul VI affirmed
in his address at the Phanar in July 1967: "It is on the heads
of the Churches, of their hierarchy, that the obligation rests to
guide the Churches along the way that leads to finding full communion
again. They ought to do this by recognizing and respecting each
other as pastors of that part of the flock of Christ entrusted to
them, by taking care for the cohesion and growth of the people of
God, and avoiding everything that could scatter it or cause confusion
in its ranks" (Tomos Agapis, n. 172). In this spirit Pope John
Paul II and Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios I together stated clearly:
"We reject every form of proselytism, every attitude which
would be or could be perceived to be a lack of respect" (December
7th, 1987).
PRACTICAL
RULES
19. Mutual respect between the Churches which
find themselves in difficult situations will increase appreciably
in the measure that they will observe the following practical rules.
20. These rules will not resolve the problems
which are worrying us unless each of the parties concerned has a
will to pardon, based on the Gospel and, within the context of a
constant effort for renewal, accompanied by the unceasing desire
to seek the full communion which existed for more than a thousand
years between our Churches. It is here that the dialogue of love
must be present with a continually renewed intensity and perseverance
which alone can overcome reciprocal lack of understanding and which
is the necessary climate for deepening the theological dialogue
that will permit arriving at full communion.
21. The first step to take is to put an end
to everything that can foment division, contempt and hatred between
the Churches. For this the authorities of the Catholic Church will
assist the Oriental Catholic Churches and their communities so that
they themselves may prepare full communion between Catholic and
Orthodox Churches. The authorities of the Orthodox Church will act
in a similar manner towards their faithful. In this way it will
be possible to take care of the extremely complex situation that
has been created in Eastern Europe, at the same time in charity
and in justice, both as regards Catholics and Orthodox.
22. Pastoral activity in the Catholic Church,
Latin as well as Oriental, no longer aims at having the faithful
of one Church pass over to the other; that is to say, it no longer
aims at proselytizing among the Orthodox. It aims at answering the
spiritual needs of its own faithful and it has no desire for expansion
at the expense of the Orthodox Church. Within these perspectives,
so that there will be no longer place for mistrust and suspicion,
it is necessary that there be reciprocal exchanges of information
about various pastoral projects and that thus cooperation between
bishops and all those with responsibilities in our Churches, can
be set in motion and develop.
23. The history of the relations between the
Orthodox Church and the Oriental Catholic Churches has been marked
by persecutions and sufferings. Whatever may have been these sufferings
and their causes, they do not justify any triumphalism; no one can
glorify in them or draw an argument from them to accuse or disparage
the other Church. God alone knows his own witnesses. Whatever may
have been the past, it must be left to the mercy of God, and all
the energies of the Churches should be directed towards obtaining
that the present and the future conform better to the will of Christ
for his own.
24. It will also be necessary — and this
on the part of both Churches — that the bishops and all those
with pastoral responsibilities in them scrupulously respect the
religious liberty of the faithful. These, in turn, must be able
to express freely their opinion by being consulted and by organizing
themselves to this end. In fact, religious liberty requires that,
particularly in situations of conflict, the faithful are able to
express their opinion and to decide without pressure from outside
if they wish to be in communion either with the Orthodox Church
or with the Catholic Church. Religious freedom would be violated
when, under the cover of financial assistance, the faithful of one
Church would be attracted to the other, by promises, for example,
of education and material benefits that may be lacking in their
own Church. In this context, it will be necessary that social assistance,
as well as every form of philanthropic activity be organized with
common agreement so as to avoid creating new suspicions.
25. Furthermore, the necessary respect for christian
freedom — one of the most precious gifts received from Christ
— should not become an occasion for undertaking a pastoral
project which may also involve the faithful of other Churches, without
previous consultation with the pastors of these Churches. Not only
should every form of pressure, of any kind whatsoever, be excluded,
but respect for consciences, motivated by an authentic exigency
of faith, is one of the principles guiding the pastoral concern
of those responsible in the two Churches and should be the object
of their common reflection (cf. Gal. 5:13).
26. That is why it is necessary to seek and
to engage in an open dialogue, which in the first place should be
between those who have responsibilities for the Churches at the
local level. Those in charge of the communities concerned should
create joint local commissions or make effective those which already
exist, for finding solutions to concrete problems and seeing that
these solutions are applied in truth and love, in justice and peace.
If agreement cannot be reached on the local level, the question
should be brought to mixed commissions established by higher authorities.
27. Suspicion would disappear more easily if
the two parties were to condemn violence wherever communities of
one Church use it against communities of a Sister Church. As requested
by His Holiness Pope John Paul II in his letter of May 31st, 1991,
it is necessary that all violence and every kind of pressure be
absolutely avoided in order that freedom of conscience be respected.
It is the task of those in charge of communities to assist their
faithful to deepen their loyalty towards their own Church and towards
its traditions and to teach them to avoid not only violence, be
that physical, verbal or moral, but also all that could lead to
contempt for other Christians and to a counter-witness, completely
ignoring the work of salvation which is reconciliation in Christ.
28. Faith in sacramental reality implies a respect
for the liturgical celebrations of the other Church. The use of
violence to occupy a place of worship contradicts this conviction.
On the contrary, this conviction sometimes requires that the celebration
of other Churches should be made easier by putting at their disposal,
by common agreement, one's own church for alternate celebration
at different times in the same building. Still more, the evangelical
ethos requires that statements or manifestations which are likely
to perpetuate a state of conflict and hinder the dialogue be avoided.
Does not St. Paul exhort us to welcome one another as Christ has
welcomed us, for the glory of God (Rom. 15:7)?
29. Bishops and priests have the duty before
God to respect the authority which the Holy Spirit has given to
the bishops and priests of the other Church and for that reason
to avoid interfering in the spiritual life of the faithful of that
Church. When cooperation becomes necessary for the good of the faithful,
it is then required that those responsible to an agreement among
themselves, establish for this mutual assistance clear principles
which are known to all, and act subsequently with frankness, clarity,
and with respect for the sacramental discipline of the other Church.
In this context, to avoid all misunderstanding and to develop confidence
between the two Churches, it is necessary that Catholic and Orthodox
bishops of the same territory consult with each other before establishing
Catholic pastoral projects which imply the creation of new structures
in regions which traditionally form part of the jurisdiction of
the Orthodox Church, in view to avoid parallel pastoral activities
which would risk rapidly degenerating into rivalry or even conflicts.
30. To pave the way for future relations between
the two Churches, passing beyond the outdated ecclesiology of return
to the Catholic Church connected with the problem which is the object
of this document, special attention will be given to the preparation
of future priests and of all those who, in any way, are involved
in an apostolic activity carried on in a place where the other Church
traditionally has its roots. Their education should be objectively
positive with respect of the other Church. First of all, everyone
should be informed of the apostolic succession of the other Church
and the authenticity of its sacramental life. One should also offer
all a correct and comprehensive knowledge of history aiming at a
historiography of the two Churches which is in agreement and even
may be common. In this way, the dissipation of prejudices will be
helped, and the use of history in a polemical manner will be avoided.
This presentation will lead to an awareness that faults leading
to separation belong to both sides, leaving deep wounds on each
side.
31. The admonition of the Apostle Paul to the
Corinthians (1 Cor 6:1-7) will be recalled. It recommends that Christians
resolve their differences through fraternal dialogue, thus avoiding
recourse to the intervention of the civil authorities for a practical
solution to the problems which arise between Churches or local communities.
This applies particularly to the possession or return of ecclesiastical
property. These solutions should not be based only on past situations
or rely solely on general juridical principles, but they must also
take into account the complexity of present realities and local
circumstances.
32. It is in this spirit that it will be possible
to meet in common the task of re-evangelization of our secularized
world. Efforts will also be made to give objective news to the mass-media
especially to the religious press in order to avoid tendentious
and misleading information.
33. It is necessary that the Churches come together
in order to express gratitude and respect towards all, known and
unknown — bishops, priests or faithful, Orthodox, Catholic
whether Oriental or Latin — who suffered, confessed their faith,
witnessed their fidelity to the Church, and, in general, towards
all Christians, without discrimination, who underwent persecutions.
Their sufferings call us to unity and, on our part, to give common
witness in response to the prayer of Christ "that all may be
one, so that the world may believe" (John 17:21).
34. The International Joint Commission for Theological
Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church, at
its plenary meeting in Balamand, strongly recommends that these
practical rules be put into practice by our Churches, including
the Oriental Catholic Churches who are called to take part in this
dialogue which should be carried on in the serene atmosphere necessary
for its progress, towards the re-establishment of full communion.
35. By excluding for the future all proselytism
and all desire for expansion by Catholics at the expense of the
Orthodox Church, the commission hopes that it has overcome the obstacles
which impelled certain autocephalous Churches to suspend their participation
in the theological dialogue and that the Orthodox Church will be
able to find itself altogether again for continuing the theological
work already so happily begun.
Balamand
(Lebanon), June 23rd, 1993
(*)The
text was originally drafted in French
and translated into English during the meeting.
[Information
Service 83 (1993/II) 96-99 with corrections from Information
Service 84 (1993/III-IV) 149 inserted.]
