From a Melkite Greek Catholic press release (September 1996):
"The holy Synod of the Melkite Greek
Catholic Church met in Rabweh, Lebanon, July 22-27, 1996 and, after studying
the question of unity within the Patriarchate of Antioch, declared that
communicatio in sacris = worship in common is possible today and
that the ways and means of its application would be left to the joint decisions
of the two Antiochian Church Synods - Melkite Greek Catholic and Greek
Orthodox. The Synod of thirty-four bishops and four general superiors under
the presidency of Patriarch Maximos V (Hakim) deliberated extensively on
the topic of church unity particularly within the Antiochian Patriarchate
which has been divided since 1724, and
issued a document titled, Reunification
of the Antiochian Patriarchate. This document is part of the official minutes
of the Synod and was made public on August 15, 1996 in the Middle East....
"The Melkite Synod sees that the
church of the first millennium could be the model for unity today. The
Synod strongly affirms its full communion with the Apostolic See of Rome
and that this communion would not be ruptured. The Fathers offered their
thanks to the International Theological Commission as well as the Joint
Synodal Commissions recently reestablished by Patriarch Maximos V and Orthodox
Patriarch Ignatius IV."
Key to this initiative was the profession of faith made by the Melkite Greek Catholic Archbishop Elias Zogby:
"They offer special thanks to Archbishop Elias Zoghby whose 1995 Profession of Faith was the major force for reopening dialogue with the Orthodox brothers. Zoghby, the former archbishop of Baalbek and a long-time leader among the Melkite bishops, offered this brief statement in 1995 and it was subscribed to by 24 of the 26 bishops present at the 1995 Holy Synod:
1. I believe everything which Eastern
Orthodoxy teaches.
2. I am in communion with the Bishop
of Rome as the first among the bishops, according to the limits recognized
by the Holy Fathers of the East during the first millennium, before the
separation."
In October, 1996 the Holy Synod of the Antiochian Orthodox Patriarchate issued a statement which included these concerns on the Melkite proposal:
"In this regard, our Church questions
the unity of faith which the Melkite Catholics think has become
possible. Our Church believes that the discussion of this
unity with Rome is still in its primitive stage.
The first step toward unity on the doctrinal level, is not to consider
as ecumenical, the Western local councils which the
Church of Rome, convened, separately, including the First Vatican Council.
"And second the Melkite Catholics
should not be obligated to accept such councils. Regarding inter-communion
now, our Synod believes that inter-communion cannot be separated from the
unity of faith. Moreover, inter-communion is
the last step in the quest for unity and not the first."
In a letter to the Antiochian Archdiocese of North America, Metropolitan Philip also said:
"Please be advised that, while we
pray for unity among all Christians, we cannot and will not enter into
communion with non-Orthodox until we first achieve the unity of faith.
As long as this unity of faith is not realized, there cannot be intercommunion.
We ask you to adhere to the instructions which you receive from our office
and hierarchs."
Next is the text of the letter
with Rome's commentary on the Melkite Initiative. It has been translated
from the French by Ken Guindon. It was reviewed by His Grace Bishop Nicholas
Samra (who made a few corrections) and permission was given to publish
this in English:
The Dicasteries involved appreciate
very much that common pastoral initiatives are undertaken by Catholics
and Orthodox, according to the instructions found in the Directory for
the application of the principles and norms for Ecumenism, especially in
the areas of Christian formation, of education, a common effort in charity,
and for the sharing of prayer when this is possible.
As to experiences of a theological
nature, it is necessary to labor patiently and prudently, without precipitation,
in order to help both parties to travel along the same road.
The first level in this sharing
concerns the language and the categories employed in the dialogue: one
must be very careful that the use of the same word or the same concept
is not used to express different points of view and interpretations of
a historical and doctrinal nature, nor lends itself to some kind of oversimplification.
A second level of involvement necessitates
that the sharing of the content of the dialogue not be limited only to
the two direct participants: the Patriarchates of the Catholic Greek-Melkites
and the Orthodox of Antioch, but that it involve the Confessions with whom
the two Patriarchates are in full communion: the Catholic communion for
the
former and the Orthodox for the
latter. Even the Orthodox ecclesiastical authorities of the Patriarchate
of Antioch have brought forth a similar preoccupation. This global implication
also will permit averting the risk that some initiatives, meant to promote
the full communion at the local level, might give rise to a lack of understanding
or suspicions beyond the generosity of the intentions.
Now we consider the elements contained
in the profession of faith of his Excellency Kyr Elias Zoghby, Greek-Melkite
Catholic Archbishop emeritus of Baalbek, signed in February 1995, and to
which numerous hierarchs of the Greek-Melkite Catholic Synod have adhered.
It is clear that this Patriarchate
is an integral part of the Christian East whose patrimony it shares. As
to the Greek-Melkite Catholics declaring their complete adhesion to the
teaching of Eastern Orthodoxy, it is necessary to take into account the
fact that the Orthodox Churches today are not in full communion with the
Church of Rome, and that this adhesion is therefore not possible as long
as there is not a full correspondence in the profession and exercise of
the faith by the two parties. Besides, a correct formulation of the faith
necessitates a reference not only to a particular Church, but to the whole
Church of Christ, which knows no frontiers, neither in space nor in time.
On the question of communion with
the Bishops of Rome, we know that the doctrine concerning the primacy of
the Roman Pontiff has experienced a development over time within the framework
of the explanation of the Church's faith, and it has to be retained in
its entirety, which means from its origins to our day. One only has to
think about what the first Vatican Council affirmed and what Vatican Council
II declared, particularly in the Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium Num.
22 and 23, and in the Decree on ecumenism Unitatis Redintegratio Number
2.
As to the modalities for exercising
the Petrine ministry in our time, a question which is distinct from the
doctrinal aspect, it is true that the Holy Father has recently desired
to remind us how "we may seek--together, of course--the forms in which
this ministry may accomplish a service of love recognized by all concerned"
(Ut unum sint, 95); however, if it is legitimate to also deal with this
on a local level, it is also a duty to do this always in harmony with a
vision of the universal Church. Touching this matter, it is appropriate
to be reminded that in any case, "The Catholic Church, both in her praxis
and in her solemn documents, holds that the communion of the particular
Churches with the Church of Rome, and of their Bishops with the Bishop
of Rome, is--in God's plan--an essential requisite of full and visible
communion" (Ut unum sint, 97).
As to the various aspects of communicatio
in sacris, it is necessary to maintain a constant dialogue in order to
understand the meaning of the current regulation in force, in the light
of underlying theological presuppositions; premature, unilateral initiatives
are to be avoided, where the eventual results may not have been sufficiently
considered, they could produce serious consequences for other Eastern Catholics,
especially for those living in the same region.
In summary, the fraternal dialogue
undertaken by the Greek-Melkite Catholic Partriarchate will be better able
to serve the ecumenical dialogue to the degree that it strives to involve
the entire Catholic Church to which it belongs in the maturing of new sensitivities.
There is good reason to believe that the Orthodox in general so share the
same
worry, due also to the obligations
of communion within their own body.
The Dicasteries involved are ready
to collaborate in order to further the exchange of verifications and echoes;
they express their satisfaction for these meetings which have been held
on this subject with the representatives of the Greek-Melkite Catholic
Church, and they hope and wish that these meetings continue and intensify
in the future.
Not doubting at all that Your Beatitude
would want to share these ideas, we beg you to accept the expression of
our fraternal and cordial greetings.
Joseph Card. Ratzinger, Achille
Card. Silvestrini, Edward Card. Cassidy
For more information about this
topic please contact the Melkite Church in America