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By Cindy Wooden
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Before St. John Paul II arrived in
Greece in 2001 there were protests by Orthodox faithful and an all-night prayer
vigil by Orthodox monks on Mount Athos, praying that the pope would not come.
But things have changed. "You see it, you hear it and
it's huge," said Maristella Tsamatropoulou, spokeswoman for Caritas
Hellas, the Catholic charity in Greece.
Caritas and Apostoli, the Greek Orthodox charitable agency,
have signed a formal cooperation agreement and have been working together for
years. First, they sought to respond to the needs created by Greece's major economic
crisis and, now, they have joined forces to help the tens of thousands of
refugees stuck in the country.
Working together has led to better relations between
Orthodox and Catholics generally, Tsamatropoulou said in a telephone interview
April 12. "Obviously, we are a small minority and there still are some
bishops and monks who are hostile to Catholics, but their numbers are
decreasing." Catholics make up less than 2 percent of the Greek
population.
"The personality of this pope has helped," the
Caritas spokeswoman said. "We hear from believers and nonbelievers, 'You
have an extraordinary boss.'"
Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of
Constantinople were scheduled to visit Lesbos, Greece, April 16 to highlight
the plight of the refugees and migrants.
Jesuit Father David Nazar, rector of the Pontifical Oriental
Institute in Rome, said he believes that for Pope Francis, as well as for
Patriarch Bartholomew, the primary motive of the Lesbos meeting is "compassion
for the world; it's pastoral."
Although not planned as an "ecumenical meeting," he
said, their gesture can "show the unity of believers, show what God wants
to happen in the world" and shine light on a situation of human suffering.
For many Christians, the official Catholic-Orthodox
theological dialogue, while necessary for establishing full unity, is dealing
with issues far removed from their everyday lives. Even with different opinions
on the best political policies needed to deal with the refugee crisis, the
outreach of the pope and patriarch is something very concrete.
For Catholics, a pope's involvement in the refugee issue is
much more natural than a patriarch's outreach would be for many Orthodox,
Father Nazar said. The Catholic Church has a long history of being socially
involved, particularly through its schools, universities and hospitals, going
into the world to serve others. Generally speaking, he added, in Eastern churches the
focus is on monasteries, where people would come for spiritual solace. The monks
did not go out to them.
And ecumenically, "any step like this that religious
leaders can do together breaks down walls," he said.
Patriarch Bartholomew, who studied at the Oriental
Institute, "is very courageous" in risking criticism for going to
Lesbos with the head of the Roman Catholic Church as well as for making such an
obvious social intervention, Father Nazar said.
The pope and patriarch meeting "in a pastoral
mode" communicates an important message to a specific sector of Orthodoxy
-- "those who want to step out pastorally and be more engaged with
everything that is happening in the hearts and minds of people in the modern
world," he said.
The Jesuit said it is interesting that the Lesbos trip is
taking place two months before leaders of all the world's Orthodox churches are
set to hold their first council meeting in centuries and one of the topics is
"what is the mission of Orthodoxy in the world."
The "Great and Holy Council of the Orthodox Church,"
commonly referred to as the pan-Orthodox council, is scheduled for June 16-27
in Crete. Preparations for the meeting have been going on for decades.
Jack Figel, the U.S.-based chairman of the Orientale Lumen
conferences and foundation, said St. John Paul's visit to Greece and,
especially, his public apology for the historical wrongs done to Orthodox
Christians, opened doors and "created a much warmer relationship between
the Orthodox Church of Greece and the Catholic Church."
Going to Greece with Patriarch Bartholomew gives Pope
Francis' visit "a long-term ecumenical dimension," showing how the
Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church globally can and do work together for
the good of society, said Figel, a Ruthenian Catholic long involved in
Catholic-Orthodox relations.
While some Greek Orthodox likely are "not happy"
with the visit, Figel said, "they are not being so vocal." Archbishop
Ieronymos II of Athens and the synod of the Orthodox Church of Greece invited Pope
Francis, which could be seen as an indication that their faithful are ready for
progress in building Christian unity and providing a united Christian witness
in service.
In addition, Pope Francis' personality, gestures and
particularly the way he constantly refers to himself as "bishop of
Rome" -- not as pope -- is "pleasant for the Orthodox to hear,"
he said. While in official theological discussions, the Orthodox have
recognized in theory the value of a universal primate for the Christian church,
they still have serious reservations about how the traditional ministry of the
pope has been exercised.
The joint visit of Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew
also may have an impact -- at least in the perception of Orthodox faithful
around the world -- on the pan-Orthodox council, Figel said.
The Russian Orthodox Church is the largest of the Orthodox
churches, and Pope Francis met its head, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, in Cuba in
February. Meeting the ecumenical patriarch now, Figel said, reaffirms Pope
Francis' recognition of Patriarch Bartholomew's spiritual leadership among the
Orthodox as well as "elevating in the world's mind" the role of the
ecumenical patriarch.
"My guess is that Pope Francis is a brilliant tactician
and strategist," Figel said. "It may have been an inspiration of the
Holy Spirit -- I hope it has been -- but it certainly seems to me as an
outsider that there is a connection between Havana, Lesbos and the Great
Council."
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Follow Wooden on Twitter @Cindy_Wooden.
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