The Extraordinary Historical Significance of His All-Holiness' Presence at Pope
Francis' Installation as Bishop of Rome
3/19/2013
Amid the crush of news reports in the past month that followed Pope Benedict's
unprecedented resignation from the papacy, one of the most intriguing was the
decision by His All-Holiness, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, to attend Pope
Francis' installation as Bishop of Rome. The occasion is being presented in the
media as something that has not happened since the ecclesiastical schism that
separated Christian East and Christian West in the eleventh century. But that
characterization is almost certainly wrong--this is quite likely the first time
in history that a Bishop of Constantinople will attend the installation of a
Bishop of Rome. And this is a profoundly bold step in ecumenical relations
between the Orthodox and the Roman Catholics, one that could have lasting
significance.
Prior to the sixth century, the election of a Roman bishop was a local affair.
In most cases, the new pope was chosen from among the city's clergy and was
typically either the eldest priest or the eldest deacon. There were a few
exceptions, but this was the typical pattern. News of an election would
circulate throughout the Christian world but that news flow would have been too
slow to enable high-ranking Church officials from the East to travel to Rome for
the event.
During the sixth century, Byzantine armies conquered the Italian peninsula,
returning the city of Rome to the imperial Roman government, now centered in
Constantinople. In this context, which lasted from the mid-sixth century until
the loss of Byzantine influence in Italy in the eighth century, the election of
a new Roman bishop required the approval of the Byzantine emperor (the same, of
course, was true of the election of a new Ecumenical Patriarch). Under such an
arrangement, papal elections took longer but there still would be no reason for
an Eastern Patriarch to travel to Rome for the installation.
There are a few examples from this Byzantine period, such as the election of
Pope Pelagius I in 556, where the man elected to be the Roman bishop was
actually in Constantinople at the time of his election. While it is possible
that the sacramental ceremony to install the new pope could have occurring in
Constantinople--whereby the Patriarch of Constantinople would have been
present--it is far more likely that the official ceremony would have occurred in
Rome and, therefore, would have been conducted without the Patriarch's presence.
At the conclusion of Byzantine influence in papal elections in the eighth
century, the election of Roman bishops returned, again, to local considerations.
And, as geo-political factors continued to push Italy and the Eastern empire in
separate directions, relations between individual popes and patriarchs became
more sterile and distant--indeed, between the ninth and fifteenth century there
are only one or two occasions where a Roman bishop and an Ecumenical Patriarch
ever met in person.
With all of this in mind, His All-Holiness' decision to travel to Rome for Pope
Francis' installation as Roman bishop is an extraordinary event in the history
of Christianity. And it is significant for reasons far beyond its novelty. First
and foremost it is a powerful symbolic gesture for the cause of Christian unity.
It demonstrates in unprecedented fashion the extent to which the Ecumenical
Patriarch considers the relationship with the Roman Catholic Church to be a
priority. For their part, members of the Vatican staff have responded to this
grand gesture and have arranged for the reading of the Gospel at the
installation to be sung in Greek (rather than Latin) in recognition of the fact
that the Ecumenical Patriarch has taken this unprecedented step.
The Christian world has been divided for so long that the establishment of an
authentic reunion will require courage, leadership, and humility. It will also
require a foundation in common faith and concerns. Given Pope Francis'
well-documented work for social justice and his insistence that globalization is
detrimental to the poor, it would appear as though the Orthodox and the Roman
Catholic traditions have a renewed opportunity to work collectively on issues of
mutual concern. With our Lord's assistance, that common cause can be transformed
into more substantive theological work. But such work requires a first step and
it would appear as though Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is willing to take
such a step.
George E. Demacopoulos, PhD
Archon Didaskalos tous Genous
Historian for the Order of St. Andrew
Orthodox Christian Studies Center, Fordham University
