21 July 2003
NEWS
Archbishop Christodoulos on WCC and the Future in Europe
Speaking to the Symposium on Orthodox Theology and Ecumenical Dialogue, at Thessaloniki, Archbishop Christodoulos belabored the importance of collaboration with non-Orthodox brothers.
He said: " We also now see the possibility of our leaving the WCC fading away. We hope that more effective contribution of the Orthodox in the decisions and activities of WCC will take place in the future. And here I have to confess a truth. If we, Orthodox, are indifferent and we voluntarily stay in the margin, or if we are divided depending on the narrow interests of our local Church, we must not complain for the situation in the WCC. The wrong is not always on the others."
He added: "In the beginning of the 21st century we experience in our Old Continent developments of historical significance. The European Union today consists of 25 countries and tomorrow of 27 or even 30, whereas the total number of its citizens will be over 500 millions. In this Europe we also have abundant responsibilities. However, despite of the fact that the majority of the population of Europe confess the Christian faith and tradition, certain politicians and socials factors of Europe, who are against the Church, try to impose the official atheism in the European Family and marginalize the role of the Church. There are also some ideological, social, scientific and political trends that attempt to rationalize life, to flatten it and to transform it to a simple function of flesh and bones. Transforming the human being from a person created in the image and likeness of God into a rational being without future, without faith, without hope is a nightmare and it crashes the souls of the people. In this situation the Christians must have a voice; they must give love and hope. The collaboration, which we developed in the last years on issues of social- and bio-ethics with our non-Orthodox brothers and sisters, has brought good results and this fill us with optimism."
[ Full text: http://www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/who/orthcontri2.htm ]
Pope: "Cyprus will be in an advantageous position to make
Europe ever more aware of its own Christian roots"
The Holy Father received the Letters of Credence of Giorgios
Poulides, accrediting him as the new ambassador from Cyprus to the Holy
See. In his welcome speech, given in English, the Pope said he was "pleased
to note that you are the first ambassador from your country to the Holy See
who will be resident in the city of Rome."
"You have mentioned the recent signing of the Accession Treaty of the
Republic of Cyprus to the European Union," stated the Pope. "This is
certainly a significant step for the nation as it starts to make the
necessary preparations for taking its place officially in the European
economic and political community. And with your nation's deep-seated and
long-standing Christian heritage, dating back to the very beginnings of
Christianity itself, Cyprus will be in an advantageous position to make
Europe ever more aware of its own Christian roots."
Reiterating remarks he made this year to the diplomatic corps, John Paul
II said: "'Europe is the bearer of values which have borne fruit for two
thousand years in an 'art' of thinking and living from which the whole world
has benefited. Among these values Christianity holds a privileged position.
... A Europe which disavowed its past, which denied the fact of religion,
and which had no spiritual dimension would be extremely impoverished in the
face of the ambitious project which calls upon all its energies:
constructing a Europe for all'."
"There is a manifest need in our contemporary world for the legitimate
aspirations, traditions and beliefs of people of different backgrounds to be
accorded full respect. Only mutual acceptance and sincere dialogue among
peoples and groups can sustain the work of maintaining harmonious relations.
Genuine peace requires the effective recognition and safeguarding of the
dignity and rights of all the members of the human family as the fundamental
criterion of policy and action, with special openness to and support of the
neediest: the poor, the sick, the young, the old, the laborer, the
immigrant."
The Holy Father then referred to "one of the most pressing problems facing
Cyprus today: the ongoing division of the island. The Holy See, together
with the rest of the international community, was greatly saddened that the
plan for peace and reunification presented last year by the Secretary
General of the United Nations ... did not gain the necessary consensus with
the parties involved and was thus not accepted. ... I am pleased to hear you
speak of your government's willingness to sit down once more at the table of
dialogue and negotiation, under the auspices of the United Nations."
In closing, the Pope affirmed that "sincere negotiation is required for
settling differences in a manner that serves the authentic good of all. ...
In all of this, of course, the members of the Catholic community will always
be eager to make their contribution along with their fellow Cypriots."
[ Source: Vatican Information Service ]
Symposium on Universities and the Church in Europe
A symposium on "Universities and the Church in Europe" has taken place from July 17 to 20 in Rome on the occasion of the 700th anniversary of La Sapienza University. One-thousand four hundred professors, students and academic authorities from 39 European
countries and delegations from Australia, America, Asia and Africa were
participate.
The symposium was organized by the Catholic Council of the Episcopal Conferences of Europe (CCEE) in collaboration with the Ministry of Education of the Italian Republic.
