Representative of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity: Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill to sign a non-theological statement

On Friday, February 12, 2016, for the first time in history, heads of the Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church will meet. It is expected that the hierarchs will hold a two-hour conversation and sign a joint statement.

In an interview with Vatican Radio, head of the Department for Dialogue with Slavic Orthodox Churches of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity Fr. Hyacinthe Destivelle lifted the veil over this document.

“This is a joint declaration, which will probably focus on issues that are critical to the Catholic-Orthodox dialogue in general,” the priest said.

“This is not a statement, which will focus on any particular theological issue, it will not be a statement which will open some special theological perspective, because theological dialogue is being held within the framework of the International Commission for theological dialogue between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches.”

According to the representative of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, the statement will focus on the “areas of cooperation and dialogue, which are not theological in nature, but which, however, are very important for the rapprochement between the churches: the persecution of Christians in the Middle East, family issues, secularization and the role of Christians in a secularized society, the issues of youth and life in general ... All these aspects are particularly important, especially in the dialogue with the Russian Orthodox Church, “ he said.

Responding to a journalist's remark that modernity requires Christians to speak out in unison, Fr. Destivelle said: “Definitely, the main objective of the meeting and indeed of the statement is to confirm that we are not ‘competitors’ but ‘brothers’ - especially with the Orthodox, who share the same apostolic succession, the same idea of the Church and the Holy Sacraments, we recognize all the sacraments of the Orthodox and the Orthodox, in turn, recognize the Catholic sacraments. Therefore, we are interested in working together and witnessing Christ together. Ultimately, this is the purpose of this meeting between Patriarch and Pope Francis: joint Christian witnessing in the modern world.”

Talking about the lengthy preparations for this meeting, the representative of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity said that “some concerns on the part of the Moscow Patriarchate” had been in the way so far: the “concerns about Catholic proselytism” in Russia, and the fear of what they call the ‘Uniate method’, in particular, in Ukraine,” Fr. Destivelle said, adding: “I think these concerns have been reasoned away and the Russian Orthodox have understood that the Catholic Church has no intention to engage in proselytism, moreover, nor is has any desire to resort to the ‘Uniate method’ that would imply subordination of  some parts of the Orthodox Church.”

As the priest emphasizes, the Catholic Church now professes a different method for achievement of unity, which lies “not in adjoining a part of the Orthodox Church,” but provides for “a path that we want to go together, the path of brotherhood, cooperation in various fields, the path of theological dialogue and the testimony of charity, the ultimate goal of which is “being able one day to take together the communion of Christ's Body and Blood.”