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.]
