Christian Unity -- L-Għaqda tal-Insara

 

The unexpected meeting at the start of February this year between Pope Francis from the Roman Catholic Church and Patriarch Kirill from the Russian Orthodox Church has led to excited commentary in the international media.  This was certainly a historic meeting, not having been held since the split, or Great Schism, between the church of Costantinople (Orthodox, Eastern) and that of Rome (Roman Catholic, Western), which happened a thousand years ago in 1054 and which also led to the two sides excommunicating each others' prelates.1

 

This has followed another meeting between Pope Francis and the spiritual leader of the Orthodox world, the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, towards the end of 2014.2

 

This is being considered as a step forward in the hope that Christian unity changes from hope into reality, a process that started from Vatican Council II.  However how likely is it that something like this actually happen?

 

First of all, we should clarify that we're not talking about the Protestant world, which represents about a third of the Christian world.

 

Secondly, apart from the good intentions that are being stated, one shouldn't forget that material matters separate the Roman Catholic world from that Orthodox.  There are two main questions that need to be resolved, before these two big branches can consider themselves to be real siblings.

 

The first is the position of the Roman Catholic Church, that all other churches accept the Pope as the head of all the church.  This is based primarly, but not only, on the Pope being considered the successor of the Apostle Peter, who Jesus called the rock on which to build his church,3 and who was martyred in Rome itself.

 

 I wrote 'not only', as the Pope in the period of time before the Schism, had come to assume a special status, and started being called upon to take decisions when disputes arose around the Christian world.

 

In fact, the Eastern churches considered the Pope as 'first amongst equals' (in Latin primus inter pares), a title that after the Schism began being attributed to the Patriarch of Konstantinople (the Ecumenical Patriarch referred to earlier).

 

The second question is referred to as Filioque, another Latin word that means 'and from the son'.  From the Council of Nicaea (in today's Turkey) of 325 AD, the Christian world declared that 'the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father'.  Some time after the Council of Constantinople (today called Istanbul, also in modern Turkey) of 381AD, the Western church began to declare that 'the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son', which the Eastern churches did not accept.

 

This question is rather fundamental, however what importance should it assume in a Christian's life?  I'm not a theologian.  I haven't studied theology.  However I, who mark 'Roman Catholic' when asked to identify my faith, do have a position, which is the following:

 

When I meet a hungry kid getting ready at night to sleep in the rough on the streets of Sydney, whose family consists of other kids in the same boat; when I meet people being held for years in prison far from their family without having yet been sentenced (half of whom are eventually found not guilty and released); when reading about millions of fellow humans that had to rush from their homes because someone else decided to offer them a choice between accepting a new faith or death - I assure you the Filioque is not the first thing that springs to mind.  Neither is it the second.

 

What springs to mind are the words of Jesus: “just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”4

 

That theological speculation has contributed to this profound and lasting split between these pillars of Christian faith, is for me a source of sadness as well as frustration how these churches after a thousand years have still not managed to consider each others as siblings.  I'm sure we can accept to understand the mysteries of our faith a little differently, and remain on speaking terms!

 

Going back to the first issue, a possible solution might be that the Catholic Church stop expecting the Pope to have supremacy on all the churches, and go back to the formula that worked for so many years before the Schism, that is the Pope be considered 'first amongst equals' as he was in ancient times.  This is provided the Eastern churches accept, of course.

 

This would necessitate the display of extraordinary humility by the Roman Catholic Church, and that's why I'm rather pessimistic.  Sure, individuals are humble, like priests I've met along the years, and certainly this most beloved Pope Francis.  But can we describe the Catholic Church as humble?  And the Orthodox churches?

 

You tell me.

 

 

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Il-laqgħa mhux mistennija tal-bidu ta' Frar ta' din is-sena bejn il-Papa Franġisku tal-Knisja Kattolika Rumana u l-Patrijarka Kirill tal-Knisja Ortodossa Russa wasslet għal diversi kummenti eċċitati fil-midja internazzjonali.  Ċertament kienet laqgħa storika, għax kienet ilha ma sseħħ mill-qasma, jew ix-Xiżma l-Kbira, bejn il-knisja ta' Kostantinopli (Ortodossa, fil-Lvant) u dik ta' Ruma (Kattolika Rumana, fil-Punent), li saret elf sena ilu fl-1054, u li kienet anke wasslet biex iż-żewġ naħat jiskomunikaw lill-prelati ta' xulxin.1

 

Din il-laqgħa segwiet oħra bejn il-Papa Franġisku u l-mexxej spiritwali tad-dinja Ortodossa l-Patrijarka Ekumeniku, Bartilmew I, lejn tmiem l-2014.2

 

Din qiegħda tiġi meqjusa bħala pass 'il quddiem fit-tama li l-għaqda tal-Insara tmur minn ħolma għal realtà, proċess li ilu għaddej mill-Kunsill tal-Vatikan II.  Imma kemm hija probabbli li sseħħ ħaġa bħal din?

 

L-ewwelnett, irridu niċċaraw li m'aħniex nitkellmu fuq id-dinja Protestanta, li jirrapreżentaw bejn wieħed u ieħor terz tad-dinja nisranija.

 

It-tieninett, apparti l-intenzjonijiet tajba li qed jingħadu, wieħed ma jridx jinsa l-ħwejjeġ ta' sustanza li jifirdu d-dinja Kattolika Rumana minn dik Ortodossa.  Hemm żewġ kwistjonijiet prinċipali li jridu jingħelbu, qabel dawn iż-żewġ friegħi kbar jerġgħu jikkunsidraw ruħhom aħwa ta' vera.  

 

L-ewwel hi l-pożizzjoni tal-Knisja Kattolika Rumana li l-knejjes l-oħra kollha jaċċettaw lill-Papa bħala l-kap tal-knisja kollha.  Din hija bbażata primarjament, imma mhux biss, fuq il-Papa jiġi kkunsidrat suċċessur tal-Appostlu Pietru, li Ġesù sejjaħlu bħala l-ġebla li fuqha kien se jibni l-knisja tiegħu,3 u li miet martri f'Ruma stess.  

 

Ktibt 'mhux biss', għax il-Papa matul iż-żmien qabel ix-Xiżma, kien rabba status speċjali, u beda jiġi msejjaħ biex jieħu deċiżjonijiet meta jinqalgħu kwistjonijiet madwar id-dinja Nisranija.

 

Fil-fatt, il-knejjes tal-Lvant kienu jqisu lill-Papa bħala 'l-ewwel fost l-indaqs' (bil-Latin primus inter pares), titlu li wara x-Xiżma l-Kbira bdiet tiġi attribwita lill-Patriarka ta' Kostantinopli (il-Patriarka Ekumeniku msemmi iktar qabel).

 

It-tieni kwistjoni hija msejħa Filioque, li hija kelma bil-Latin li tfisser 'u mill-iben'.  Mill-Kunsill ta' Nicaea (fit-Turkija ta' llum) fis-sena 325 w.K., id-dinja Nisranija kienet tistqarr li 'l-Ispirtu s-Santu ġej mill-Missier'.  Xi żmien wara l-Kunsill ta' Kostantinopli (illum tissejjaħ Istambul, fit-Turkija wkoll) fis-sena 381 w.K., il-Knisja tal-Punent bdiet tistqarr li 'l-Ispirtu s-Santu ġej mill-Missier u mill-Iben', ħaġa li l-knejjes tal-Lvant ma aċċettawx.

 

Din hija kwistjoni pjuttost fundamentali, imma fil-fatt kemm għandha tingħata importanza fil-ħajja tal-Insara?  Jien m'iniex teologu.  Ma studjajtx it-teoloġija.  Imma jien li nniżżel 'Kattoliku Ruman' meta mitlub biex nidentifika t-twemmin tiegħi, għandi pożizzjoni, li hi din li ġejja:

 

Meta niltaqa' ma xi tifel jew tifla bil-ġuħ, ilestu biex jorqdu barra fit-triqat ta' Sydney tard billejl, fejn il-familja tagħhom tikkonsisti fi tfal oħra fl-istess sitwazzjoni; meta niltaqa' ma' nies li ilhom snin miżmumin il-ħabs 'il bogħod mill-familja u lanqas biss għadha inqatgħatilhom is-sentenza tagħhom (fejn nofshom jiġu fil-fatt misjuba mhux ħatja u lliberati); meta naqra fuq miljuni ta' nies li kellhom jitilqu jiġru minn darhom għax xi ħadd ieħor iddeċieda joffrilhom l-għażla li jew jaċċettaw twemmin ġdid jew il-mewt - nassigurakom li mhux il-Filioque jiġini f'rasi l-ewwel.  U lanqas it-tieni.

 

Li jiġuni f'rasi huma l-kliem ta' Ġesù: “dak li tagħmlu mal-iżgħar fost dawn ħuti, tkunu qed tagħmluh miegħi”.4

 

Li l-ispekulazzjoni teoloġika ikkontribwiet għal din il-qasma tant profonda u dejjiema bejn dawn il-pilastri tat-twemmin Nisrani, għalija huwa sors ta' niket, u anke ta' frustrazzjoni kif dawn il-knejjes wara elf sena għadhom ma rnexxielhomx jerġgħu jitqiesu bħall-aħwa.  Ċert li nistgħu naċċettaw li nifhmu l-misteri tal-fidi tagħna b'mod daqsxejn differenti, u nibqgħu nitkellmu!

 

Biex immur lura għall-ewwel kwistjoni, soluzzjoni possibbli tkun li l-Knisja Kattolika tirrinunzja li tippretendi li l-Papa jkollu s-supremazija fuq il-knejjes kollha, u mmorru lura għall-formula li ħadmet għal tant snin qabel ix-Xiżma, ċoè dik li l-Papa jkun 'l-ewwel fost l-indaqs' kif kien meqjus fil-qedem.  Dan jekk il-knejjes tal-Lvant jaċċettaw, naturalment.

Biex tagħmel hekk, hemm bżonn ta' umiltà straordinarja mill-Knisja Kattolika Rumana, u għalhekk jien pjuttost pessimist.  Dażgur, umli huma individwi, bħal diversi qassisin li ltqajt magħhom matul is-snin, u ċertament dan il-Papa Franġisku tant maħbub.  Imma umli l-istituzzjoni tal-Knisja Kattolika?  U dawk Ortodossi?

 

Għiduli intom.

 

1http://americamagazine.org/content/dispatches/pope-francis-and-patriarch-kirills-meeting-cuba-milestone-road-christian-unity, retrieved 21/2/2016

2http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/11/30/pope_francis__patriarch_bartholomew_sign_joint_declaration/1113026, retrieved 21/2/2016

3Matt 16:18

4Matt 25:40

1http://americamagazine.org/content/dispatches/pope-francis-and-patriarch-kirills-meeting-cuba-milestone-road-christian-unity, retrieved 21/2/2016

2http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/11/30/pope_francis__patriarch_bartholomew_sign_joint_declaration/1113026, retrieved 21/2/2016

3Matt 16:18

4Matt 25:40