At the Orthodox Centre of the Ecumenical Patriarch (12 June 1984)

On Tuesday, 12 June 1984, the Holy Father gave an Address at the Orthodox Centre of the Ecumenical Patriarch in Chambesy, Switzerland. The Pope assured them of his prayers, saying, “I pray for the prosperity of the Orthodox Churches, rich in theological, spiritual and canonical traditions which come from the common heritage of the early Church and which have been enlivened at all times by the uninterrupted presence of saints, men and women, giving their lives in the service of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Your Eminence , dear Brothers in Christ,

The meeting between brothers in the name of the Lord Jesus is always a source of joy. Your fraternal welcome increases the joy I have in being among you. I thank you with all my heart.

In these days following the feast of Pentecost, celebrated this year on the same Sunday by Catholics and Orthodox, our meditation focuses on the coming of the Holy Spirit and on the extraordinary works he accomplishes among men. Thus the vision of the first Christian community, filled with the Holy Spirit, is presented to us: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” ( Acts 2:42). The apostles and the first disciples had awaited the coming of the Spirit, “all with one accord devoted themselves to prayer, together with some women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers” ( Acts 1:14). Therefore, while awaiting the full communion between our Churches, we never cease to hope for this gift, imploring the One who brings about unity: “the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, present everywhere and filling all things”.

This Orthodox Center of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, through its various activities, ensures a fraternal service in favor of all the Orthodox Churches and promotes a better understanding between the East and the West. This mutual understanding still needs to be deepened and purified of all prejudice or erroneous judgment, so that the truth may set us free. For this purpose, to prepare a new generation formed in dialogue and by dialogue, colloquia are held here regularly. I hope that they will be blessed by the Lord and bear fruit.

Through you, I also greet all the Orthodox Churches which have their secretariat here for the preparation of their “great and holy Council”. In its preparatory phase as well as in those of its realization and its application, the conciliar experience is fruitful for the life of the Church and for its mission. In deep communion with you, I hope that the preparation of your Council will take place in the best possible conditions, that it will bring you a rich experience and that it will be able to respond to the needs of the Orthodox Churches in the various situations in which they live and bear witness to Christ who died and rose again for the salvation of all men, by the proclamation of the immutable Word of God.

The Second Vatican Council made a decisive contribution to the search for full unity among Christians, because the renewal of the Churches is intimately linked to the great cause of unity. I remember the Conciliar aula. The presence of the delegated Observers of the other Churches, including the Orthodox Churches, expressed in itself the sad reality of our separations, but it also bore witness to the profound common desire to recover full unity. And it was a source of true joy, sometimes even of enthusiasm. Everyone also knows how much the reflection of the Council Fathers benefited from the presence of the delegated Observers.

I pray for the prosperity of the Orthodox Churches, rich in theological, spiritual and canonical traditions which come from the common heritage of the early Church and which have been enlivened at all times by the uninterrupted presence of saints, men and women, giving their lives in the service of our Lord Jesus Christ.

As our Churches remain attentive to what the Spirit says to them today, our thanksgiving rises to the Lord who leads us towards full unity. Our Churches are now engaged in a dialogue that is expressed both by theological study and by increasingly intense fraternal relations, by mutual attention and a spirit of solidarity that continue to grow because of the almost total communion of faith that exists between us. This commitment and these various steps allow us to hope that the difficulties that remain will be gradually overcome and that the blessed day will soon come when we will be able to share the same Eucharistic bread and drink from the same chalice.

Once again I thank you for your very cordial welcome, and from here I would like to extend my warm greetings to my dear Brother His Holiness Patriarch Dimitrios I ; I faithfully keep in my heart the precious memory of our meeting and I hope that the Lord will grant us to renew it.

Upon all of you who serve the Orthodox Churches in this Centre, I invoke divine blessing.

“May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all!” ( 2 Cor. 13:13) Amen.

© Copyright 1984 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana

 Copyright © Dicastero per la Comunicazione - Libreria Editrice Vaticana