This past Wednesday, 30 May 2018, the Holy Father met briefly with the members of a delegation from the Patriarchate of Moscow. The meeting took place in the atrium of the Paul VI Hall prior to the start of the weekly General Audience.
Thank you very much for your visit, and also for this encounter, which helps us so much to live our faith in unity and hope of journeying together. I am happy to walk the road of unity with you: the only path that promises us something that is sure, for the path of division leads to war and to destruction.
Before all of you, I wish to repeat - in a special way before you, dear brother, and before all of you - that the Catholic Church will never allow an attitude of division to arise within her. We will never allow this to happen, I do not wish it. In Moscow - in Russia - there is only one Patriarchate: yours. We will not have any other. And when some Catholic faithful, either laypeople, priests or bishops, take up the banner of uniatism, that does not work any longer, it is finished, for me it is also a source of suffering. We should respect the Churches that are united to Rome, but uniatism doesn't work as a path toward unity today. Instead, I am consoled when I find this: a hand that is extended, a fraternal embrace, thinking together, and journeying. Ecumenism makes us journey together. Let us walk together.
Some people think - but this is not fair - that before we can walk together, we must have doctrinal agreement, on all points of division. This does not work for ecumenism, because we don't know when we will achieve agreement. Once, I heard a man of the Church, a man of God who said: I know the day when the doctrinal accord will be signed. They asked him: When? and he replied: The day after the coming of Christ in glory. We should continue studying theology, discussing the points, but at the same time, we need to walk together, not wait until these things are resolved before we journey, no. We walk and we can also do this at the same time, but we walk in charity, in prayer; like this example of the relics. Prayer together, one with the other, in dialogue. This is very good. The meeting between His Holiness, Kirill and me was good, I found a brother. And now, spiritually, we are walking together.
And finally, two words. One about respect for Catholics who are against you, Russian Orthodox brothers: the Catholic Church, the Catholic Churches should not meddle in the internal affairs of the Russian Orthodox Church, nor in political matters. This is my attitude, and the attitude of the Holy See today. Those who meddle are not obeying the Holy See. This is a matter of politics. The second thing: piety. It is important that we pray for each other, and that we pray for ourselves. WE know new brothers and sisters, and therefore we also need personal prayer. I want to tell you one thing: when we met with the Patriarch, afterwards, he sent me a relic of Saint Seraphim. I keep that relic on my nightstand, and at night, before I go to bed, and in the morning, when I get up, I venerate it and I pray for unity between us.
Thank you very much. Let us pray for one another. Let us bless one another. And let us keep going. Thank you.
Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
addressed to the delegation from the
Patriarchate of Moscow
Thank you very much for your visit, and also for this encounter, which helps us so much to live our faith in unity and hope of journeying together. I am happy to walk the road of unity with you: the only path that promises us something that is sure, for the path of division leads to war and to destruction.
Before all of you, I wish to repeat - in a special way before you, dear brother, and before all of you - that the Catholic Church will never allow an attitude of division to arise within her. We will never allow this to happen, I do not wish it. In Moscow - in Russia - there is only one Patriarchate: yours. We will not have any other. And when some Catholic faithful, either laypeople, priests or bishops, take up the banner of uniatism, that does not work any longer, it is finished, for me it is also a source of suffering. We should respect the Churches that are united to Rome, but uniatism doesn't work as a path toward unity today. Instead, I am consoled when I find this: a hand that is extended, a fraternal embrace, thinking together, and journeying. Ecumenism makes us journey together. Let us walk together.
Some people think - but this is not fair - that before we can walk together, we must have doctrinal agreement, on all points of division. This does not work for ecumenism, because we don't know when we will achieve agreement. Once, I heard a man of the Church, a man of God who said: I know the day when the doctrinal accord will be signed. They asked him: When? and he replied: The day after the coming of Christ in glory. We should continue studying theology, discussing the points, but at the same time, we need to walk together, not wait until these things are resolved before we journey, no. We walk and we can also do this at the same time, but we walk in charity, in prayer; like this example of the relics. Prayer together, one with the other, in dialogue. This is very good. The meeting between His Holiness, Kirill and me was good, I found a brother. And now, spiritually, we are walking together.
And finally, two words. One about respect for Catholics who are against you, Russian Orthodox brothers: the Catholic Church, the Catholic Churches should not meddle in the internal affairs of the Russian Orthodox Church, nor in political matters. This is my attitude, and the attitude of the Holy See today. Those who meddle are not obeying the Holy See. This is a matter of politics. The second thing: piety. It is important that we pray for each other, and that we pray for ourselves. WE know new brothers and sisters, and therefore we also need personal prayer. I want to tell you one thing: when we met with the Patriarch, afterwards, he sent me a relic of Saint Seraphim. I keep that relic on my nightstand, and at night, before I go to bed, and in the morning, when I get up, I venerate it and I pray for unity between us.
Thank you very much. Let us pray for one another. Let us bless one another. And let us keep going. Thank you.
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