1.-
Having gathered with divine cooperation and by kind
invitation of the Archbishop of the City of Constantinople
and Ecumenical Patriarch in his see at the Phanar,
and having concelebrated unto to the Lord in this
historical sacred Church of the Wisdom of God in the
glorious city of Nicaea, where our Fathers were moved
by the All-Holy Spirit and formulated the unshakeable
doctrines of our Orthodox Faith, the Primates, by
God's mercy, of the Most Holy Orthodox Churches throughout
the world, address the Orthodox faithful all over
the earth, our Christian brothers and sisters in the
whole world, and every person of good will, with a
blessing from God and an embrace of love and peace.
Rejoice in the Lord always, brethren; again we say,
rejoice! (Cf. Phil. 4:5)
2.-
The festivities on the occasion of the sacred jubilee
of the two millennia of Church life are concluded
and culminated by our Synaxis (Assembly). Through
these festivities, the entire Orthodox Church the
world over offered praise and glory to the Triune
God, whose boundless love and immeasurable mercy have
so deigned that His Son and Word "may dwell among
us" (John 1:14) through His incarnation, whereby
"we have seen His glory, the glory as of a Father's
only Son, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14)
3.-
In consideration of this great gift, whereby our Lord
emptied Himself and, being humbled, assumed within
Himself fallen humanity, for our sake becoming "Emmanuel,
God with us" (Matt. 1:24), the Church of Christ,
as His body that has been extended through the ages,
is conscious of its noble mission and profound responsibility
within history. It beholds with a sense of awe its
course over the last two thousand years, as well as
its impending challenges of the times.
4.-
In regards to its historic course thus far, the Most
Holy Orthodox Church of Christ, filled with thanksgiving,
exclaims the words of that Golden-Mouthed Father of
the Church: "Glory be to God for all things".
From the first day of its life to this very moment,
and even "until the Lord comes" (I Cor.
11:26), the Orthodox Church has lifted His cross and
possessed His grace, which "is perfected in weakness"
(II Cor. 12:9). Being persecuted by all kinds of enemies,
it is victorious; and dying daily, behold it lives!
(Cf. II Cor. 6:9). Calling to mind the Lords words
that "even the gates of Hades shall not prevail
against it" (Matt. 16:18) and based on the power
of His Resurrection (cf. Phil. 3:10), it is not daunted
by those who assault it, no matter how powerful these
may be from a worldly perspective. Rather, it agonizes
and strives for one thing alone: to transmit and embody
faithfully the love of God that was incarnate and
revealed in Christ for all people and all times. In
this way, the Church and every individual - even the
most despised and deserted person in the world - will
feel that God is also for their sake "Emmanuel,"
that it is especially and primarily for their sake
that God became human, was crucified and is risen.
And it is for their sake that He granted to the world
His body, the Church, in order to gather the scattered
(cf. John 11:52), to reconcile the separated, and
to include in its embrace, as if in the embrace of
God Himself, all those who "labour and are heavy
laden" (Matt. 11:28), righteous and sinners alike,
both poor and wealthy, indeed the whole of creation.
5.-
When gathered in the Holy Eucharist, the Church realizes
and reveals to the world and to history the incorporation
of all in Christ, the transcendence of every discrimination
and contrast, a communion of love wherein "there
is neither male nor female, neither Greek nor Jew,
circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian or Scythian,
slave or free" (Col. 3:11 and Gal. 3:28). In
this way, it presents an image of the Kingdom of God,
but at the same time also an image of ideal human
society, and the foretaste of the victory of life
over death, of incorruption over corruption, and love
over hatred.
6.-
Bearing this Message of unity and reconciliation as
a sacred deposit through the centuries, the Church
regards its unity as its primary and greatest concern
and benefit. It feels deeply grieved and painfully
wounded whenever or for whatever reason - although
in its nature it always remains undivided - the seamless
garment of the Lord is torn apart and its unity is
threatened or fragmented. This is why, in casting
our minds back over the past two millennia, we express
our pain that, while during the first thousand years
after Christ His Church experienced a common and undivided
tradition, during the next thousand years the Christian
world was divided and fragmented lamentably to the
great scandal of the whole world and to the impairment
of the message of love and reconciliation which the
Lord entrusted to us. Without seeking or listing at
this time the historical causes of this division,
we invite everyone to work in a dialogue of truth
and love for the unity of those who believe in Christ.
We should not be sparing in pain or labour, but "speak
the truth in love" (Eph. 4:15), "without
each one looking to their own interests, but to the
interests of others" (Phil. 2:4). It is only
through dialogue that is sincere and without ulterior
motives, based on the common and undivided tradition
of the first millennium after Christ, that we are
able to construct the unity that is so deeply desired
and needed. Thus the proclamation of love and of reconciliation
in Christ will be more convincing to the contemporary
world. This is what we wish to underline in regard
to the overall endeavour for the restoration of unity
among all Christians through the so-called "ecumenical
movement," in which our Orthodox Church has participated
from the outset.
7.-
Out of concern then for the unity of all those who
believe in Christ, indeed agonizing and striving for
such unity, we - the ones entrusted with the leadership
of the Most Holy Orthodox Church - in no way ignore
the necessity and obligation to care also for the
preservation and increase of unity within our own
Orthodox Church. We have received this unity from
our Fathers as a unity, in the same faith, in a common
worship, especially in the Holy Sacraments, and most
especially in the Holy Eucharist, as well as in the
communion of Saints who bequeathed to us an example
in whose footsteps we may follow. Indeed, it is particularly
wonderful that, in spite of the variety of languages,
races and cultures, this unity pervades the entire
body of Orthodoxy, rendering the local Holy Orthodox
Churches a single undivided body, namely the One,
Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church of Christ. We
humbly recognize this as a gift of the Holy Spirit,
and safeguard it as the apple of our eye.
8.-
Those serving in the ministry of ecclesiastical leadership,
having been appointed guardians and protectors of
this unity, bear a heavy sense of responsibility whenever
dangers and divisive tendencies appear in the holy
body of Orthodoxy. We have at other previous synaxis
(assemblies) such as these strongly condemned schisms
that plague the unity of the Most Holy Orthodox Church.
Once again we invite all those who for whatever reason
have separated from the canonical structure of the
Church to return to it. At this present Synaxis (Assembly),
we regard it as our duty to remind ourselves and one
another that in no way should the historically inherited
system of Autocephalous Orthodox Churches provide
opportunity or ground for the development of an independence
that acts against our unity. For though we are many
local Churches, we do not cease to comprise one Church.
9.-
This reminder is most especially compelling whenever
autocephaly is connected to the national identity
and peculiarity of peoples. The diversity of nations
and cultures is beneficial and blessed by God. Our
Holy Orthodox Church blesses and sanctifies it. Nevertheless,
of its very nature the Church cannot constitute a
vehicle for the facilitation or propagation of political,
nationalistic, or racial interests. The condemnation
by the Orthodox Church of the heresy of ethno-phyletism
at Constantinople in the year 1872 forever remains
of critical importance. Any interference in another
canonical jurisdiction through the establishment therein
of bishops not belonging to the local Church and its
canonical shepherds endangers the unity of the Church
and contradicts fundamental principles of Orthodox
Ecclesiology.
10.-
Every fragmentation of the unity of the Church, on
the pretext of preserving customs and traditions or
supposedly defending authentic Orthodoxy, is equally
unacceptable and must be considered condemnable. As
the whole life of the Orthodox Church bears witness,
diversity in customs in no way prevents eucharistic
communion among Orthodox Churches, while the preservation
of the authentic Orthodox Faith is guaranteed through
the Synodical system which has always been the ultimate
criterion on matters of faith in the Church.
11.-
On this significant and historic occasion, we share
these thoughts about the unity of the Church with
believers in Christ throughout the world, especially
with those who bear the name of Orthodox Christians,
firmly considering that without unity in faith, worship,
sanctity of life, but unity in the Episcopal and canonical
structure of the Church, its witness in the contemporary
world is in no way feasible.
12.-
This unity does not constitute a luxury for the Church,
but a constitutive element of its existence and witness
in the world. The unity of the Church concerns not
only the Church in and of itself, but also the unity
of all humankind and the whole world. According to
St. Maximus the Confessor, the Church is and depicts
and contains in seed all of creation, because it is
the body of Christ, "who fills all in all"
(Eph. 1:23). Consequently, in caring and striving
for the unity of the Church, we have in mind the deeper
human search to transcend various divisions, oppositions,
conflicts and battles. We also recall the human thirst
for peace and cooperation, and the vision of a society
where everyone lives in harmony, "bearing with
one another in love," in accordance with the
Apostolic exhortation (Eph. 4:2). The unity of the
Church is offered in this way as a proper example
for human unity, a unity that respects particularity
among persons and nations, in an age of rapid development
of various tendencies and forms of "globalisation".
13.-
Thus, we invite all those who believe in Christ to
labour tirelessly for the restoration of the shattered
unity among Christians, forging dialogues with one
another in truth and in love. We urge all those belonging
to the Holy Orthodox Church to remain united around
their canonical bishops, recalling always the divinely
inspired words of St. Ignatius the God-Bearer: "wherever
the bishop is, there also is the Church".
14.-
Once again, we assure everyone that, as responsible
shepherds and leaders of the Church of Christ, we
are vigilantly caring for its unity and for the fulfilment
of its sacred mission in the world and in history.
We attentively listen to humanity's anguish and expectations,
as well as its fears as we enter the third millennium
after Christ. We shall do everything in our capacity,
by gathering regularly in person or through our representatives,
to secure and promote the invaluable unity of the
Church of Christ. We shall strive to render perceptible
and tangible for the entire world the saving reality
that, in Christ and through the Church, God is not
far from humanity, but rather is everywhere present
and near everyone; He is Emmanuel, God with us.
15.-
Finally, embracing everyone - both those afar and
those nearby - in the love of our Lord and God who
was incarnate for the salvation of the world, we pray
His grace and mercy be abundantly upon all.
At
the Phanar, Christmas 2000
