Firm Declarations of Patriarch Diodoros
That Strengthen the Faith of Orthodox People
This is the full text of the unwavering positions
and Orthodox convictions of the Most Holy Mother of the Churches, the Ancient
Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which was deposited and entered into the minutes
of the assembly of Orthodox leaders at the Phanar on the Sunday of Orthodoxy,
1992, by His Most Reverend Beatitude, the Venerable Patriarch Diodoros I.
Most Blessed and Most Reverend Presidents of
the Most Holy local Orthodox Patriarchates and Autocephalous and
Autonomous Churches, Holy Brethren, beloved in the Lord:
We bless and glorify the God Who is worshipped
in Trinity, Who in His Divine Providence arranged the present
much-desired Consultation of the Most Reverend Presidents of the
Patriarchates and of the Most Holy Autocephalous and Autonomous
Orthodox Churches, for the fulfillment of our common yearning and
our sacred desire to be face to face and to exchange thoughts on
the contemporary problems of mankind and to deliberate about the
topics that occupy our Holy Church.
Assuredly, after sending to all our beloved
brethren, the Most Blessed Presiding Hierarchs, about three years
ago our letter, numbered Protocol 395 and dated May 30 (Old
Style), in which we emphasized the need for such a Summit Meeting
of the Orthodox Presiding Hierarchs, we had in view that wherever
this would take place, it would not be simply a conventional
meeting, for the concelebration of the Liturgy and Communion from
the same cup of life and for the projection of the love and unity
that already exist among the Presiding Hierarchs, but that we
would be given an opportunity to set before ourselves in common
and at length many of the problems that seriously occupy our Holy
Orthodox Church and to find their solutions, for the benefit of
all the Orthodox.
This Assembly will constitute a truly historic
landmark in the journey of our Orthodox Church. For this reason
we are summoned, so that united "in the bond of peace"
and love in Christ, we might bear witness of this to the world, a
witness of faith and truth, unity and peace, love and
righteousness, salvation and freedom in Christ.
Hence, we departed in joy and exultation from
the Holy City of Jerusalem, the earthly seat of the Heavenly King
Christ, which was sanctified through His voluntary martyrdom on
the Cross, and His glorious Resurrection from the dead, and
blessed through the descent therein of the All-holy Spirit upon
the Holy Disciples and Apostles, on the day of Pentecost, at the
divine establishment of our Holy Church.
In ineffable gladness we are present in this
Queen of Cities, which has played such an important role in the
life of our Most Holy Church. And we come with the inward
conviction that the Divine Builder of our Church, Jesus Christ,
will lavish on all of us who have assembled "in the same
place" His divine illumination, wisdom and power, so that we
may address ourselves to the world, which awaits today the
consoling voice of Orthodoxy. We firmly believe that in this
sacred Assembly of ours, which culminates with a Pan-Orthodox
liturgical concelebration on the day when we celebrate the
triumph of Orthodoxy, the Spirit of God will preside, the
unchanging voice of Orthodoxy will be proclaimed "with one
mouth and one heart," the voice of the Lord "Who is the
same yesterday, today, and forever." For this reason, we
should reckon up the responsibilities which we shoulder as
Presiding Hierarchs of our Churches, by the mercy of God, and
spiritual guides of the flock that awaits blessings from us who
stand "in the type of Christ." We have, therefore, an
obligation imposed on us and a sacred duty to express our opinion
in deepest faith, in truth and sincerity, fearing nobody and
flinching under no adversary, for the Lord will give us
"reason and wisdom, which all our enemies will be unable to
gainsay or resist."
Following, then, the God-bearing Fathers and
teachers, we consider it necessary to assure the present
venerable and longed-for Assembly that our Holy Church of
Jerusalem maintains without alteration the sacred Traditions and
the order and practice of our Most Holy Church, which were
consecrated by the Holy Ecumenical Synods, following faithfully
what our Fathers taught.
She repeats, therefore, that she adheres
steadfastly to their definitions and decisions, accepting no
innovation, but on the contrary she rejects and condemns every
attempt made from whatever source to create a new order in the
Orthodox Church.
Thus, examining the proposed agenda, which is
derived from the agreed Memoranda of our Most Blessed brethren,
and having in hand the outline of the Message, which we are
called upon to adopt, in order to give thereby to the world the
witness of our Holy Orthodox Church, we have to remark on certain
points and ask you, our Most Holy and beloved brethren, to take
these into account and consider their importance, so that the
text may truly be the voice of the united Orthodoxy which will
find an echo not only in the ears, but also in the consciences of
the Orthodox faithful.
In the first place, the aim of the present
sacred Assembly, as we have previously mentioned, is to formulate
the opinion of the Church on the topics that occupy Holy
Orthodoxy today.
Our message, therefore, cannot have a
standpoint unrelated to reality, but must express clearly and
sincerely the position of Orthodoxy, re-echo her uneasiness,
namely the evaluation of those things that are happening around
her and often at her expense, stigmatize the bad and praise the
good, and emphasize concretely what she feels, without
hesitations and calculations inappropriate to the Church's manner
of expression, and without considering any material advantages
and promises.
A large part of our text, therefore, refers to
the proselytizing of the Orthodox faithful practised through the
Unia in the countries which were under Communist regimes. The
activities of the Uniates—to say nothing of the Roman
Catholics in general—are clearly known, as are the methods
through which they have been ceaselessly proselytizing the
Orthodox faithful not only in Russia, Ukraine, Poland,
Czechoslovakia, Romania and Serbia, but also in the Middle East,
using all manner of means, such as education, employment,
pressure, compulsion, violence and even crime, as the recent
history of the Orthodox Church in Croatia, Ukraine, and elsewhere
bears witness. We, as the spiritual leaders of the Orthodox
Church, come together today in a historic Meeting. The Most
Blessed Presiding Hierarchs of Russia, Serbia, Poland and
Czechoslovakia, having received bitter experience of the
persecutions against the Orthodox on the part of the Uniates and
the Roman Catholics, recently sent to all of us precious letters,
dramatizing the dreadful things that they, the Orthodox, are
suffering within the bosom of their Orthodox Churches, requesting
us to lend them moral support, but at the same time to condemn
such actions, which not only constitute a flagrant violation of
basic human rights, but are also utterly opposed chiefly and
primarily to the spirit of Christian teaching.
It is natural, then, for this Assembly of ours
not to be restricted only to calling attention to and to
ascertaining, but also to expressing its feelings
sincerely—feelings of bitterness over the conduct of certain
Christians, who have been given the opportunity and "have
entered to spy on the freedom which we have in Christ Jesus, in
order to enslave us." The offensive phrase of the Pope, the
leader of the Roman Catholics, speaking about the
"re-evangelization of Europe," that the Orthodox people
who inhabit the Eastern states have not known Christ, must
inspire all of us with serious thoughts and anxieties about the
intentions of the Roman Catholics against the Orthodox. We must
not be asleep, calming ourselves and each other about a supposed
change of Rome's intentions and her good will to continue the
dialogue of love with the Orthodox Church. The recent tragic
events are unfortunately proof of their hostile disposition. Our
faithful Orthodox people do not accept diplomatic solutions, nor
do they compromise on matters of faith. For this reason they
anxiously await the voice of Orthodoxy through us, the voice of
truth which boldly denounces evil, refutes falsehood, and
condemns plainly and directly every anti-Christian and
anti-Orthodox activity, from whatever source it proceeds. They
await the condemnation of those who founded and support the Unia,
and they await the condemnation of the actions of the Roman
Catholics in general and of the Pope in particular, as inciting
and encouraging the acts of violence and other actions of the
Unia at the expense of the Orthodox.
For this reason it will be futile to continue
the theological dialogues with the Roman Catholics. Our Most Holy
Church of Jerusalem has repeatedly begged them to end the
proselytizing of the Orthodox faithful by the Roman Catholics and
the Unia—who have always used as many artifices and ways as
possible for this purpose—in the Middle East, and especially
in the Holy Land. Secondly, through her representatives and
written testimonies, our Church has complained to the bipartite
theological dialogue about what is being perpetrated against her.
Finally, believing that She is laboring in vain in the dialogue
with them, that there is no purpose in continuing contacts with
the unrepentant, in accordance with the injunction of the Apostle
of the Nations, "Reject a heretical man after the first and
second admonition," She has broken off the Theological
Dialogue, as the only correct response to the bleeding of our
flock. Thus She has made Her position clear.
Beyond the religious propaganda and the
proselytizing of the Roman Catholics, however, our Patriarchate
faces also their cunning attempts to outflank the Orthodox
presence in the Most Holy Places of Pilgrimage and to increase
their influence over the Holy Land, through the political
diplomacy of the Vatican and the intervention of Catholic
European forces into the international political scene.
We therefore deem worthy of congratulations the
decision of the Most Holy Church of Greece, which at the first
regular Meeting of the Permanent Holy Synod in February denounced
"the cunning policy of Rome," asked the Greek State
"to break off diplomatic relations between the Vatican and
Greece," and remarked that the dialogue with Rome "has
proved neither sincere nor fraternal to the Orthodox world."
We congratulate His Beatitude, Archbishop Seraphim of Athens and
All Greece, for his courageous condemnation on television of the
activities of the Vatican. The stopping of Theological Dialogues
by our Church of Jerusalem, as much as the decision of the Church
of Greece, has been praised by the Orthodox Faithful and appears
to be a position imperative for all of us who are called to
respond to the questions of the Orthodox people about how we
should face the onslaughts of the Uniates and the Roman
Catholics.
In the same spirit we think that theological
dialogues with the heterodox have no positive outcome. Already
some of the heterodox have diverged from their original position,
adopting innovations alien to the spirit of the Church. Some of
the Orthodox Bishops are engaging in dialogues with them, and
worse than this, are praying with them, which causes scandal to
the faithful and damage to their souls.
Likewise, optimism is expressed about the
"positive"—as it is asserted—outcome of the
dialogue with the Anti-Chalcedonians [the Monophysites], who have
repeatedly been condemned for their persistence in heresy and
false belief. Our Most Holy Church of Jerusalem abides
steadfastly by the decisions of both the Holy Ecumenical Synod of
Chalcedon and the subsequent Holy Ecumenical Synods, and neither
setting aside any of the definitions nor subjecting them to fresh
inquiry, she has broken off the theological dialogue with the
non-Chalcedonians.
She does not, however, exclude the possibility
of their return and re-inclusion in the bosom of our Most Holy
Orthodox Church. In what way the heterodox are received is known.
They must fully accept—without any exception—the
teaching of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, which
is formulated in the definitions and decisions of the Ecumenical
Synods.
The partial acceptance of the teaching of the
Orthodox Church, that is, the exception of certain definitions of
the Ecumenical Synods, as is being done by the heterodox
according to what pleases them and serves their interests, as in
this case by the Anti-Chalcedonians, cannot constitute a sign of
their contact with our Most Holy Orthodox Church. On the
contrary, it will entangle her in vicissitudes and divisions,
which will weaken her healthy body. For this reason we are bound
to inform you, our Most Blessed brethren, in this fraternal
Assembly, that our Most Holy Church is abstaining also from this
dialogue. For, despite the positive estimate of its progress that
it is going to develop further to the better, it will be of no
benefit, unless it presupposes the full acceptance of the
Orthodox Teaching.
But if such is the progress of the Theological
Dialogues with the heterodox, what are we to say about the active
participation of the Orthodox Church in the World Council of
Churches?
The fact that this organization is composed of
many "churches" of varied provenance—Protestant
groups, Congregations and offshoots—means that it is not the
ideal forum for us to present the spiritual wealth of our Most
Holy Orthodox Church.
Without doubt Orthodoxy is the diamond of the
Christian faith and, as a precious stone, preserves its value,
wherever it be found.
In this hodgepodge of Christian confessions,
the voice of Orthodoxy is desperately raised, but disappears in
the ocean of resolutions of the World Council of Churches, the
style and content of which are far removed from true confession.
With particular reference to the pitiful image—from an
Orthodox perspective—evoked by the inaugural sessions, the
festivals at the conclusion of the proceedings and its
manifestations in general, which have a peculiar liturgical
character and form a pandemonium of joint prayer and worship of
anti-Orthodox syncretism, as they recently took place in
Canberra, Australia, we note with sorrow the tragic participation
of Orthodox Hierarchs in them, as applauding and blessing what
happened.
After we have all confirmed these points, there
must be an international denunciation of the leading role of the
Pope of Rome in the tragic actions against the Orthodox faithful
and a condemnation of the acts of violence and of the
proselytizing activities of the Roman Catholics and the Uniates
incited and supported by them. Likewise, we must also make a
decision about cutting off the Theological Dialogue with the
Roman Catholics and the heterodox in general. Otherwise the
Orthodox people will have doubts about the assumptions and aims
of the present Assembly. With good reason the Orthodox faithful
will ask: Why do we condemn certain Orthodox groups bluntly and
make no mention at all of a dialogue of love with them, at the
same time that the Orthodox Church engages in dialogues with
heretics? How do we justify the expression that we must abstain
from communion with such [Orthodox] groups, when we embrace the
heterodox, whether this be opportunely or inopportunely?
Your Beatitudes and Your Eminences, Holy
Brethren, in declaring hence, at this sacred Assembly, the
position of our Most Holy Church of Jerusalem on the topics set
before us today, in deepest realization of our calling and
responsibility, not to mention our promise "rightly to teach
the word of truth," we offer the following summary.
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Our Most Holy Church of Jerusalem:
1. Accepts and preserves all the decisions and
definitions of the Holy local and Ecumenical Synods, which our
Holy Orthodox Church and her Sacred Tradition and practice
dictate.
2. To remove all misunderstanding, recognizes
all the prerogatives and rights of the Patriarchate of
Constantinople and of the other Ancient Patriarchates, which the
Holy Ecumenical Synods have bestowed upon them, and also that
which the practice of our Holy Orthodox Church has lavished on
them by way of privileges, and is opposed to any attempt at
creating a new order in the Church.
3. Believes that, because our Most Holy
Orthodox Church in general is the secure treasury of the Truth,
the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, for this reason the
Theological Dialogue with the heterodox is turning out to her
loss, to the extent that in the attempt to discover points that
we can accept in common with them, the Orthodox Church places in
doubt the truth that she possesses. For this reason, She:
4. Abides by Her decisions made in Sessions 65
(May 9/22, 1989) and 88 (February 23/March 7, 1992) of our Holy
and Sacred Synod concerning the suspension of the Theological
Dialogues with the heterodox in general, namely with the Roman
Catholics, the Anglicans, the Anti-Chalcedonians, the Old
Catholics, and the Reformed Churches.
5. Condemns forthrightly the proselytizing
activities of the Vatican, as stirring up and strengthening its
recent proselytizing and assaults on the Orthodox faithful in the
countries of Eastern Europe and the Middle East, and denounces
internationally its anti-Christian activity and behavior.
6. Abides steadfastly by her abstention from
the theological Sessions of the World Council of Churches.
We personally,
7. Abide by our previous recommendation
concerning the meeting of the Presiding Hierarchs of the Most
Holy Orthodox Churches for the scrutiny, study, and resolution of
other varied problems that still exist and which seriously occupy
our Holy Orthodox Church in her totality, since, as is attested,
the convocation of the Holy and Great Synod, is being delayed.
+ + +
In making these suggestions to you, with much
love, in this present sacred Assembly of Presiding Hierarchs, we
entreat you to study the foregoing observations seriously, and we
recommend that you make serious and definite decisions, such as
are dictated by contemporary circumstances and the demands of the
whole Orthodox Church.
In conclusion, we express our warm thanks to
His All-Holiness, the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomaios for his
noble hospitality, and we wish him strength in the discharge of
his Patriarchal and pastoral duties.
May our Lord be our helper, defender and
inspirer, for the glory of the most praiseworthy name of the
Suprasubstantial Trinity and for the good of Holy Orthodoxy
throughout the world.
DIODOROS I
Patriarch of Jerusalem
From The Question of Union by Constantine Cavarnos (Etna,
CA: The Center for Traditionalist Orthodox Studies, 1992 [1964]). It is posted here by the kind permission of the CTOS.
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