Pope Stresses Religious Liberty for Eastern Catholics Urges Greater Understanding between Christians of Different Rites

VATICAN CITY, MAY 12, 2003 (Zenit.org).- In his meeting with students of the Eastern rite Pontifical Seminaries of Rome, John Paul II appealed for peace, development, and religious liberty in countries inhabited by Eastern rite Catholics.

These Catholic communities, while in communion with the Bishop of Rome, differ from the Latin tradition in their various rites. According to the Pontifical Yearbook, there are five Eastern rite traditions: Alexandrian, Antiochian, Armenian, Chaldean, and Byzantine or Constantinopolitan.

Although some of these Catholics have had to leave their countries because of persecutions or political and economic problems, the majority of these faithful are in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. They are spread over a wide geographic area that extends from North Africa to Asia.

"Turning to the many countries you come from," the Holy Father said, "I must strongly repeat the hope that peace will be ever more consolidated in that region; that fair and peaceful solutions will restore harmony and good living conditions to the populations so sorely tried by tensions and unjust oppression."

"May the Lord illuminate the leaders of nations so that they will courageously work, with respect for the law, for the good of everyone, and for the freedom of every religious community," he added.

The Pope exercises his ministry as Bishop of Rome to the Eastern rite Churches with the Vatican Congregation for the Oriental Churches, whose prefect is Cardinal Ignace Moussa I Daoud, patriarch emeritus of Antioch of the Syrians.

The Holy Father applauded this congregation's initiative to offer Arabic-speaking priests of different Eastern rites the possibility of a center of formation in Rome, at the College of St. Ephrem, to pursue their ecclesiastical studies and carry out apostolic activities.

John Paul II said this service is decisive for the "defense of the ritual identity and ecclesial and pastoral maturation" of these priests.

In particular, the Holy Father suggested "knowledge of the liturgy of the Oriental Churches and of the spiritual traditions of the Fathers and Doctors of the Christian East."

Lastly, the Pope encouraged greater mutual understanding between Latin and Eastern rite Catholics, to grow in "the unity" of the universal Church. It is necessary to "avoid tensions between Latins and Orientals and to stimulate dialogue between Catholics and Orthodox," he concluded.

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And may God bless him with good health and many years!

Could someone enlighten me as to how "the Vatican Congregation for the Oriental Churches" functions? Do I understand correctly that it is a kind of supra-synod?

Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen!

Andrew

The Vatican congregations are akin to our US government departments, i.e., State, Defense, Education, etc. They operate as administrative entities that examine problems/situations and issue regulations and "standards" (just like OSHA for workplace health and safety, or the IRS for taxation). Supposedly, they act under the direct guidance of the Holy Father, but in reality they only refer major issues "upstairs".

In the past, the Congregation for the Oriental Churches was headed by a Roman Cardinal, but over the past 30 years or so, an effort has been made to have one of us Easterns head up the congregation. However, I believe that the majority of members of the Congregation are Roman Catholics.

(Was anyone else disquieted by the use of Eastern "rites" in the Zenit news report? Grrrrr!)

Christ is Risen!

This is good news. I pray that this "religious liberty" for us Eastern Catholics will also happen here in the U.S. I mean our right to practice our unique liturgical, theological, spiritual and disciplinary patrimony freely and without reservations.

But what exactly is "religious liberty" for us Eastern Catholics on this side of the pond?

Ordaining the married?

Dear Andrew:

I wish to add to Dr. John's post on the COC dicastery:

The Congregation for the Oriental Churches is one of the MAJOR departments of the Roman Curia (there are numerous other offices and services) which assist the Pope, as Supreme Pontiff of the universal Church, in the Petrine Ministry.

By Papal fiat, it is now ALWAYS headed by a Prefect appointed by the Pope from any of the Eastern hierarchs in the Catholic communion.

The Congregation is made up of a Cardinal Prefect (who directs and represents it with the help of a Secretary and Undersecretary) and 27 Cardinals, one Archbishop, and 4 Bishops, designated by the Pope. Currently, the Prefect of the Congregation is HB Ignace Moussa Cardinal Daoud, the Patriarch Emeritus of the Syrian Catholics.

Members BY RIGHT are the Patriarchs and the Major Archbishops of the Oriental/Eastern Churches and the President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Unity among Christians. Accordingly, the Oriental/Eastern Churches are a very significant minority.

The work of the Cardinal members, gathered in special ordinary and plenary assemblies, is to define the most important questions, while regular issues are dealt with by His Eminence Cardinal Ignace Moussa Daoud, assisted by the Secretary His Excellency Antonio Maria Vegliò and by the Undersecretary Mons. Krzystof Nitkiewicz in collaboration with the Officials and Consultors. According to the different fields of competency the Dicastery is assisted by a College of about 50 Consultors who offer professional advice on particular questions or matters of great significance.

In addition, the everyday work of the Dicastery is being carried out by a staff of 29 people.

The Congregation's responsibilities were notably increased by Pope Pius XI with the Motu Proprio Sancta Dei Ecclesia of March 25, 1938. More recently Pope Paul VI (Regimini Ecclesiae Universae) and Pope John Paul II (Pastor Bonus) further clarified the scope of the Dicastery, which exercises the same authority over eparchies, bishops, clergy, religious and faithful of the Oriental Rite as do the Congregations for the Bishops, for the Clergy, for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life and for Catholic Education respectively over the dioceses, bishops, clergy, religious and faithful of the Latin Rite.

In addition, it has exclusive authority over the following regions: Egypt and the Sinai peninsula, Eritrea and Northern Ethiopia, Southern Albania and Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Jordan and Turkey.

Under the Congregation, as funding resources in addition to the contributions of the Holy See, are ROACO (or, in English: "Reunion of Aid Agencies for the Oriental Churches"), the US-based CNEWA ("Catholic Near East Welfare Association"), and SICO (or, in English: "Information Service of the Oriental Churches").

Hope this helps.

AmdG

Dear (Ecumenical) Reader Andrew,

To be fair to the Oriental Congregation, one must also add that its institutional predecessor in history was the congregation in charge of the evangelization of pagans etc. to which the Eastern Churches in union with Rome were added on by way of an ecclesial appendage . . .

Historically as well, Eastern Catholic Church patriarchs and primates - and their Churches - felt that this Congregation exercised undue control over their own internal matters as if to express a decided lack of trust in their ability to run their own affairs.

Cardinals of this congregation could, by virtue of their position, be an overlord to an Eastern Catholic Patriarch - whose rank is certainly beyond that of any simple, I-can-vote-for-a-pope Cardinal.

Given its past, there is no reason for the continued existence of this congregation, this bureaucratic left-over of a triumphalist Roman past.

It should have been discarded as highly offensive to the Particular Eastern Catholic Churches a long time ago.

Or else its former pagan focus could be readjusted to work with the many lapsed Latin Catholics in the West.

Alex

Alex:

In the current set-up of the Congregation, your statement quoted below probably is based on misinformation and, I may say, another Latin-bashing:



The head of the dicastery is an Eastern hierarch. The Patriarchs and Major Archbishops of all the other Eastern Churches are, OF RIGHT, members of the Congregation. The Latin cardinals appointed by the Pope to this curial department are UNDER, or work along with, the Prefect of the Congregation. The 50 or so Consultors are, well, just consultants.

No Latin cardinal "overlord" possible (or allowed)here, paisano!

Except, of course, the Pope.

AmdG

Dear Amado,

Historically, that "Congregation" was ruled by Latins who regarded Eastern Catholics as "incomplete Catholics" and the fact that this was a congregation aimed at converting pagans et al. says nothing good about its background either.

That today the Eastern Catholic Churches are allowed, by Rome's gracious benevolence, to participate or even head such a "congregation" doesn't change one iota of its past - or of the continued effrontery of having such a congregation to do what EVERY Particular Catholic Church of the East can and is entrusted to do.

This isn't "Latin bashing" and I'm truly sorry you had to resort to that sort of name-calling here.

(I would ask for the Moderator and/or Administrator to make a judgement here whether I am Latin bashing.)

If this is Latin bashing, so is every single criticism ever laid here by Eastern Catholics regarding Latinizations.

And so is the Vatican document of January 6, 1996 where many Latinizations are described.

I lived through a period where our Patriarch, the Confessor Josef Slipyj, suffered under the chicanery of the "Oriental Congregation."

It should have been discarded by the Vatican long ago and is an enduring relic of ancient Latin triumphalism with respect to the East in general, and the Eastern Catholic Churches "in Particular."

What I've said here is nothing other than what many others before have said, especially in the movement for the creation of a Ukrainian Catholic Patriarchate.

I am opposed to injustice in the Church, nomatter who commits it. In this case, it is a Latin congregation which is the offending party, a congregation that was also formerly entrusted with the Inquisition.

I'm also against the Inquisition and condemn this congregation for its past ties with that institution too.

Alex

Well said, Alex...

In Christ,
Theophilos

Amen.

Alex:

Relax, I am just clarifying things.

And then you say:



Please specify for me what the "injustice" you are attributing to the Oriental Congregation.

The predecessor of the COC was first established by Pope Pius IX on January 6, 1862 and began as part of the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith. Pope Benedict XV declared it independent on May 1, 1917. I think the Oriental Congregation NEVER, repeat NEVER, had anything to do with the inquisition.

On the other hand, the original Sacred Congregation of the Universal Inquisition (now the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and formerly known as the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, headed by Cardinal Ratzinger), was founded in 1542 by Pope Paul III, The old Congregation was solely responsible for the inquisition.

Thanks for bearing with me.

AmdG

Dear Amado,

I'm too involved in these issues to relax, Big Guy!

The Oriental Congregation was founded as a separate entity with its own independent organizational structure on the date you mention.

But the affairs of that Congregation belonged to the composite role of the Congregation you also mention that had responsibility for the Inquisition.

In other words, the Eastern Catholic Churches were under the umbrella Congregation of the same organizational unit that was charged with responsibility for the Inquisition and for the care of pagan lands.

That is what we have always found objectionable, offensive and intolerable.

That is why many of us wish Rome would simply can that congregation.

What I find offensive is your charging me with "yet another" (words to that effect) anti-Latin whatever.

Today is the commemoration in Florence of Jerome Savonarola who was killed under Pope Alexander VI.

Pope Julius II wished to canonize Savonarola, who has always enjoyed a cult in the Dominican Order and in Florence where St Philip Neri and St Catherine of Genoa, both from Florence, developed a strong private devotion to Savonarola.

When told by the Vatican officials that such a canonization would be inconvenient given the enduring power of the Medicis, Julius was unmoved.

He was then advised about the embarassment the Church would suffer in canonizing someone that it had put to death, in effect . . .

The Pope responded with, "The confession of sin is not what defiles (in admitting involvement in Savonarola's death) but it is the sin itself that defiles."

So it is with this congregation and its prior history (in terms of Eastern CAtholiic Churches management) with the other congregation.

Alex

So then, Gentlemen, thank you,

If I understand correctly, the Congregation is indeed a supra-synod, or in other words, a body which has jurisdiction over the synods of the supposedly sui juris Churches.

Is it true to state that the Eastern Catholics are a minority, albeit a significant minority, of this body? Are the Cardinals and/or consultors non-voting members? How does this body come to decisions? Do those present by RIGHT vote, or do all vote, if voting occurs at all? Perhaps they vote on recommendations which are then fowarded to the Pope of Rome?

In Christ,
Andrew

The very existence of this congregation shows that Rome spits on the very nature of the sui juris Churches, existing in papal and imperialistic arrogance. What would the Latins think if it was the other way around with the Easteners having an 'occidental congregation' for the Latins on their soil and canonical territory?

Spasi Khristos -
Mark, monk and sinner.