Ἀριθ. πρωτ./Α/ΕΞ/3713 2019 Ἐν Ἀθήναις τῇ 16ῃ Μαΐου 2019
Address of His Beatitude Ieronymos II
Archbishop of Athens and All Greece
at the Commencement of the international conference “Mapping the Una Sancta: On Orthodox - Catholic Ecclesiologies Today”, Syros 10-14 June 2019
Right Reverend Bishop of Ebbsfleet Jonathan,
Beloved Fathers,
Distinguished professors and academics of the conference “Mapping the Una Sancta: On Orthodox-Catholic Ecclesiologies Today” conference,
Please allow me to cordially welcome you to the Apostolic Church of Greece and to wish that your stay may be crowned with success and substantial fecundity for the future.
It is with great delight that I am addressing the present academic conference on the nature of the “One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church”; for four decades now, the Church of Greece has been participating actively in the Theological Dialogue carried out under the coordinative role of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, a Dialogue in love and truth, which has shown forth points in common but also differences in the expression of the Christian message, in the historical development of us all and of each one of us individually. Seeing that your conference was initially convened by two lay members of the Orthodox and Catholic Church respectively, Dr Sotiris Mitralexis and Dr Andrew Kaethler, I have to remark that the bottom-up approach to such a dialogue of the Churches attempted at your conference is not merely a welcome addition to the official, institutional theological dialogue attempted elsewhere, but indeed a dire necessity, and a testimony to the relevance of the dialogue at large for the people of God. The fact that your bottom-up approach and discussion emerges on the basis of erudite and courageous scholarly effort by the academics participating is a testimony to both its seriousness and sincerity.
A mere weeks ago we experienced the immense joy of the celebration of Easter, at which we cried with one voice that Christ our God is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death. For the Orthodox participants of this conference, the celebration of the inaugural event of the Church, Pentecost, draws near; Catholic and Anglican participants witnessed this celebration in their ecclesial communities just before the commencement of this conference. It is only natural, then, to wish that the Spirit of Pentecost may guide and illumine the present gathering, not only of distinguished academics, but also and primarily of faithful men and women.
I confess my certitude that an august company of scholars such as your respected own cannot but bear precious ecclesiological fruits by communally meditating on the very nature of the Church, the visible body of the Only-Begotten Son and Immortal Logos of God, Who for our salvation willed to be incarnate of the holy Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary — and I pray to that end, so that the Lord Whose presence we attest to may bless this conference in order that its participants may, under the guidance of the Comforter, rightly divide the word of His truth.
Prayerfully yours,
IERONYMOS II
Archbishop of Athens and All Greece
Ἀριθ. πρωτ./Α/ΕΞ/3713 2019 Ἐν Ἀθήναις τῇ 16ῃ Μαΐου 2019
Χαιρετισμὸς τοῦ Μακαριωτάτου Ἀρχιεπισκόπου Ἀθηνῶν
καὶ πάσης Ἑλλάδος κ. κ. ΙΕΡΩΝΥΜΟΥ Β΄
στὸ διεθνὲς συνέδριο “Mapping the UnaSancta: On Orthodox-Catholic Ecclesiologies Today”, Σύρος 10 - 14 Ἰουνίου 2019
Θεοφιλέστατε Ἐπίσκοπε τοῦ Ebbsfleet κ.Ἰωνάθαν,
Ἀγαπητοὶ πατέρες,
Διακεκριμένοι καθηγητὲς καὶ ἀκαδημαϊκοὶ τοῦ συνεδρίου “Mapping the Una Sancta: On Orthodox - Catholic Ecclesiologies Today”,
Ἐπιτρέψτε μου νὰ σᾶς καλωσορίσω ἐγκαρδίως στὴν Ἀποστολικὴ Ἐκκλησία τῆςἙλλάδας καὶ νὰ ευχηθῶ τὴ στέψη τῆς διαμονῆς σας μὲ ἐπιτυχία καὶ οὐσιαστικὴ γονιμότητα γιὰ τὸ μέλλον.
Μὲ ἰδιαίτερη χαρὰ ἀπευθύνομαι στὴν παρούσα ἀκαδημαϊκὴ διάσκεψη σχετικὰ μὲ τὴ φύση τῆς «Μίας, Ἁγίας, Καθολικῆς καὶ Ἀποστολικῆς Ἐκκλησίας»∙ ἐδῶ καὶ τέσσερις δεκαετίες, ἡ Ἐκκλησία τῆς Ἑλλάδος συμμετέχει ἐνεργὰ στὸν Θεολογικὸ Διάλογο ποὺ διεξάγεται ὑπὸ τὸν συντονιστικὸ ρόλο τοῦ Οἰκουμενικοῦ Πατριαρχείου, ἕναν διάλογο ἐν ἀγάπῃ καὶ ἀληθείᾳ, ὁ ὁποῖος ἔχει ἀναδείξει κοινὰ σημεῖα ἀλλὰ καὶ διαφορὲς στὴν ἔκφραση τοῦ χριστιανικοῦ μηνύματος, στὴν ἱστορικὴ ἐξέλιξη ὅλων μας καὶ καθενὸς ἀπὸ ἐμᾶς ξεχωριστά. Δεδομένου ὅτι ἡ διάσκεψή σας συνεκλήθη ἀρχικὰ ἀπὸ δύο λαϊκὰ μέλη τῆς Ὀρθόδοξης καὶ τῆς Καθολικῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἀντιστοίχως, τὸν δρ Σωτήριο Μητραλέξη καὶ τὸν δρ Andrew Kaethler, μὲ ὁδηγεῖ νὰ σημειώσω πὼς ἡ προσέγγιση «λαϊκῆς πρωτοβουλίας» πρὸς τὴν κατεύθυνση ἑνὸς τέτοιου διαλόγου τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν ποὺ ἐπιχειρεῖται στὴ διάσκεψή σας δὲ συνιστᾶ ἁπλῶς μιὰ εὐπρόσδεκτη προσθήκη στὸν ἐπίσημο, θεσμικὸ θεολογικὸ διάλογο ποὺ ἐπιχειρεῖται ἀλλοῦ, μὰ ἀληθινὰ μιὰ ἐπείγουσα ἀναγκαιότητα καὶ μία μαρτυρία γιὰ τὴ σημασία τοῦ διαλόγου ἐν συνόλῳ γιὰ τὸν λαὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Τὸ γεγονὸς ὅτι ἡ προσέγγισή σας καὶ οἱ ἀναζητήσεις σας «ἀπὸ τὴ βάση πρὸς τὰ πάνω», καταπῶς λέγεται, ἀναδεικνύεται στὴ βάση κατατεθειμένων εὐκρινῶν καὶ θαρραλέων ἀκαδημαϊκῶν ἐρευνῶν τῶν συμμετεχόντων ἀκαδημαϊκῶν ἀποτελεῖ μαρτυρία τῆς σοβαρότητας καὶ τῆς εἰλικρίνειάς της.
Λίγες μόλις ἑβδομάδες πρὶν βιώσαμε τὴν ἀνεκλάλητη χαρὰ τῆς ἑορτῆς τοῦ Πάσχα, κατὰ τὴν ὁποῖα μαρτυρήσαμε στεντορείᾳ τῇ φωνῇ πὼς Χριστὸς ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν ἀνἐστη ἐκ νεκρῶν, θανάτῳ θάνατον πατήσας. Γιὰ τοὺς Ὀρθοδόξους συμμετέχοντες τῆς ἐδῶ διάσκεψης, ὁ ἑορτασμὸς τοῦ ἱδρυτικοῦ γεγονότος τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, ἤτοι τῆς Πεντηκοστῆς, ἐγγίζει. Οἱ Καθολικοὶ καὶ Ἀγγλικανοὶ συμμετέχοντες ὑπῆρξαν μάρτυρες αὐτῆς τῆς ἑορτῆς στὶς ἐκκλησιαστικές τους κοινότητες ἀκριβῶς πρὶν τὴν ἀπαρχὴ τοῦ ἐδῶ συνεδρίου. Εἶναι φυσικό, λοιπόν, νὰ εὐχηθεῖ κανεὶς νὰ ὁδηγεὶ καὶ νὰ φωτίζει τὸ Πνεῦμα τῆς Πεντηκοστῆς τὴν ἐδῶ σύναξη διακεκριμένων ἀκαδημαϊκῶν, ἀλλὰ πρωτίστως υἱῶν καὶ θυγατέρων τῆς Ἐκκλησίας.
Ὁμολογῶ τὴ βεβαιότητά μου ὅτι μιὰ ἐκλεκτὴ σύναξη μελετητῶν ὅπως ἡ δική σας δὲν μπορεῖ παρὰ νὰ φέρει πολύτιμους ἐκκλησιολογικοὺς καρπούς διὰ τῆς ἐνασχολήσεώς της μὲ τὴν ἴδια τὴ φύση τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, τοῦ ὁρατοῦ σώματος τοῦ μονογενοῦς Υἱοῦ καὶ Λόγου τοῦ Θεοῦ, τοῦ καταδεξαμένου διὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν σωτηρίαν σαρκωθῆναι ἐκ τῆς ἁγίας Θεοτόκου καὶ ἀειπαρθένου Μαρίας. Καὶ προσεύχομαι γιὰ τοῦτο, ὥστε ὁ Κύριος τοῦ ὁποίου τὴν παρουσία μαρτυροῦμε νὰ εὐλογεῖ αὐτὴ τὴ διάσκεψη, ὥστε οἱ μετέχοντες σὲ αὐτὴν νὰ μπορέσουν, ὑπὸ τὴν καθοδήγηση τοῦ Παρακλήτου, νὰ ὀρθοτομήσουν τὸν λόγο τῆς ἀληθείας Του.
Εὐχόμενος,
ΙΕΡΩΝΥΜΟΣ Β΄
Ἀρχιεπίσκοπος Ἀθηνῶν καὶ πάσης Ἑλλάδος
No comments:
Post a Comment