The Roman Church clearly supports this dialogue with a lot of different religions, as well as some protestant groups and a few orthodox christians. But where's the limit?

According to some orthodox churches, ecumenical dialogue with non-chalcedonean churches, the latin church and sometimes with old protestants, is correct, but despise all kind of dialogue with other religions. Sometimes this point of view is influenced by the local problems (this is the case of the Antiochians and the church of Jerusalem and their muslim neighbours).

A huge part of the Church of Greece and the ROCOR thinks that the ecumenical dialogue with christians and non-christians is useless and against orthodoxy, and share these ideas with some traditionalist catholic groups (schsimatic and non-schismatic) like the SSPX:

"1986
The Pope visits Togo and India, again scandalizing the faithful by taking public part in ceremonies of a pagan nature..."

"1992
While 300 religious leaders, (Christian, Buddhist, Jews, Moslems, Hindus, Animists) are invited by Cardinal Daneels to pray in Bruxelles for the world's peace, rejecting that our Lord Jesus Christ is the only one Who can bring peace to the world saying -Buddha, Krishna, Allah, donate nobis pacem-, the Society organizes a concentration of Catholics for a ceremony of reparation for the Cardinal's sin with the public prayer of the Stations of the Cross."

"The Pope, to the great scandal of Catholics traditional or not, preaches in the Lutheran temple of Rome in March. On the 10th of May, he bows before a bonze [a pagan priest–Ed.] in a Buddhist temple in Thailand; at the same time the Vatican abrogates the concordat with Italy"

"Rome, September: the Pope writes to all Moslems of the world saying that he addresses them “in the name of the same God that we adore.”
While the Pope adores Allah, on November 19, in Le Bourget, 23,000 faithful gather together to adore the Triune God and to thank Him on the occasion of the 60th Priestly Jubilee of the Archbishop"

If the Pope goofs and kisses a copy of Anton LaVey's Satanic Bible, then we'll know the RC authorities have gone too far!

Actually that would be pretty funny: some PC, putatively Catholic ecumenists sitting down in San Francisco to "dialogue, man' with the Satanists.

Ecumenist: "We feel your pain, your alienation... '

Satanist: "YO' MAMA *&^%$ MY ?%$#!!'

http://oldworldrus.com

Remie,

Remember, the Holy Father also was part of a Christian-Marxist dialogue. He remains my number one hero.

Kurt

The administrator requests that, while this is certainly an acceptable topic for discussion, the participants refrain from turning it into another “bash the pope” thread.

As used in conversations with non-Christians, “ecumenical dialogue” refers to a discussion with the inhabitants of the world on how we can live together in peace and serve one another. A more correct term would be “interfaith dialogue”. For those of us who are Catholics it means that we meet with peoples of other faiths in order to learn to see the Christ who is present in all human beings and to win their respect so that we may witness Jesus Christ to them. It is, for us, definitely not a gathering of different religions in which we in any way acknowledge that their religions are equivalent to Christianity. Friendship breeds understanding and understanding opens doors for witnessing.

Have the various Church officials always done what is perfect? No. But we should not be too quick to judge their actions until we understand their intentions. How can one witness the Gospel to others if one refuses to talk with them? Please keep this in mind as you participate in this discussion.

Viva papa! Viva Administrator!

For that matter, viva everyone, even those who disagree with Pope or Administrator.

Viva, viva.

Actually, relations with non-Christians are "interfaith'. Relations between Christians are "ecumenical'.

http://oldworldrus.com

Dear Administrator,

Thank you!

You ask those of us tend to disrepect the Pope or mis attribute motives to him or who slant his behavior in terms that consist of bashing to keep in mind that he is due respect as the touchstone of unity in the Catholic Communion and stop it. Even more, you ask that all of us speak about all religious leaders with respect.
Surely, no reasonable poster can argue with that request!

Gratefully,

Steve

Ad Multos Annos!

Working together for peace!

www.mpfweb.org/200110_5ways.html


Make peace by teaching the poor how to share in God's bounty or help teach one poor person a trade.

[ 01-17-2002: Message edited by: Abdur Islamovic ]

Dear Serge,

After the New Skete debacle, I thought you'd be a little less sanctimonious, especially with regard to the Pope?

But before you ask me to apologise, I would like to hear your apology for this entirely uncalled for comment on a Catholic website.

Looking forward to it,

Alex

Apologize for what?! I could be in Catholic communion tomorrow and would write the same thing.

Traditionalists, for example, realize the Catholic faith is not the personal cult of the Pope and will point out when he makes mistakes, like the Koran-kissing incident. Vatican I, for whatever problems it may have, did not teach papal impeccability!

Seriously, it would take a very holy exorcist to evangelize Satanists. But the thought of some Satanists making like Linda Blair, cussing out some ecumenical officials, cracked me up.

http://oldworldrus.com

[ 01-17-2002: Message edited by: Serge ]

Muslims and Christians Adore the One God---Pope John Paul II

www.ewtn.com/library/papaldoc/jp2muslm.htm

I agree with John Paul II 99% of the time. 1% of the time, it is me who is wrong.

Kurt

P.S. Town in Pennsylvania where a group of Ukrainians, claiming 'jurisdiction didn't matter to them', would join the Orthodox parish in odd years when they had their parish elections and the Catholic parish in even years when they had their elections. In this case, I don't think these folks were model ecumenists, they were simply trying to manipulate the system.

(Not that I havn't notice membership going up in my parish around parish election times, But I had nothing to do with it!)


K.

Like Serge, I respect the Pope but don't always agree with everything he says or find some of his statements useful.

However, I do think dialogue is always helpful, among Christians, with the Jews, Muslims, Marxists, or even some social groups who have been marginalized and alienated from church or society.

axios

www.axios.net

Dear Axios,

I agree with you, Friend in Christ!

I just thought Serge may have perhaps, er, "overstated" his position with the reference to the satanic bible.

The reference put some of us, who really love Serge, on the "horns of a dilemma."

Cheers,

Alex

OK, here's my two cents.

I am Catholic.

I love the Pope.

The Pope makes mistakes.

Getting mad at someone when they point that out is wrong.

Correcting someone who makes a *false* or *inaccurate* statement about the Pope's actions is right.

Labelling constructive dialogue about the Pope's actions "Catholic-bashing" is silly. Are we a bunch of weaklings that can't handle such dialogue? Reminds me of the PC people who cry out, "you can't say that! it's meeeeeean!" (NOTE: I am NOT thinking of anyone in my mind at the moment. This is a general statement.)

Catholic-bashing (per se) is wrong.

Why do people jump all over Serge, but tolerated Rum Orthodox? What's this world coming to?! :-)

anastasios

However, I do think dialogue is always helpful, among Christians, with the Jews, Muslims, Marxists, or even some social groups who have been marginalized and alienated from church or society.

Sure it is! All a part of evangelization.

http://oldworldrus.com

I've always been willing to tolerate a little Rum, its the Baptists that won't touch the stuff.

K.

Dear Anastasios,

No one is jumping all over Serge. I'm not and I hope nothing I've said is interpreted that way.

If you think I am, I apologise.

It is one thing to criticize the Pope for kissing the Koran.

Serge did that. And, truth be told, I too did that.

It is another thing to say, as Serge did, that the next thing the Pope might do (or even say this half in jest) is kiss the satanic bible.

Perhaps I'm misinterpreting this. But there is a saying in Ukrainian, "Don't whistle in Church." And I think this is a case of just such whistling in Church.

That is not only serious (as you and Serge thought my poking fun at New Skete was), it is, first and foremost in bad taste and is disrespectful.

And I'm not the only one who affirms this. The Administrator said as much as well immediately following Serge's post.

Sorry it offends anyone. But, as you yourself said, I'm sure we're not wimps and can take criticism all around. Am I right?

Alex

[ 01-17-2002: Message edited by: Orthodox Catholic ]