The Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I received a pilgrimage of visiting Catholic priests and journalists, hoping to celebrate the Savior’s Easter on the same day as his Catholic brothers in the near future. During the reception, the patriarch also answered some questions raised by the members of the pilgrimage group, emphasizing that all people should condemn the war in unison, and also pointed out that human beings must apply modern technology and digital technology on the premise of respecting human dignity.
(Vatican News Network)The Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, received a group of visiting Catholic priests and journalists at the Patriarchate of Istanbul, Turkey, on November 10. On the occasion of this meeting, Patriarch Bartholomew I answered some questions from the members of the delegation, in particular he expressed his wish that in the near future the Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church will celebrate Easter on the same day.
Patriarch Bartholomew I first mentioned the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea, recognized by both the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church. He said: “The Council of Nicaea was extremely important in determining what our Christian faith was, and it was also very important in determining the date of Easter and how it was celebrated. Unfortunately, we have not celebrated Easter together for far too long, many centuries. “Therefore, in the context of the 1700th anniversary of the Council, Patriarch Bartholomew stated that his goal with “the Pope is to find a solution to this problem”.
“Perhaps, it is not yet the time to agree on the details. But I want to stress that the Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church share the good intentions of finalizing a date for the common celebration of the resurrection of Christ. We hope this time will be a good outcome. “
The Orthodox Patriarch then referred to the harrowing Russo-Ukrainian war, saying: “There is no reason for this war in any way. I speak very harshly, but I have to speak in the name of Christianity, etc. I think , all who have the right view of things cannot fail to condemn this war. The Pope himself desires that all people in the world have a sense of promoting peace.”
“A few years ago, on New Year’s Day, the Pope said in his message that there can be no peace without justice. That statement could not be more true. In my sermons, I always repeat these messages of the Pope. New Year’s Day Today is a day of prayer for peace, and the message of the Pope’s message is very important and very wise.”
Later, Patriarch Bartholomew reminded these Catholic brethren: “I wish you a good return journey, and do not forget Turkey, Anatolia, where there are many memories of our past Christians, especially the first centuries , the earliest ecumenical councils. A few weeks ago, I met at Ephesus with the Catholic bishops of our country. The Apostolic See ambassador to Ankara and the Catholic bishops were in the cathedral where the third ecumenical council was held. Presided at Mass and invited me to preach on that occasion.” “We have so many sacred places here that we occasionally need to come back to visit and admire.”
Finally, on whether the digitization of modern technology has a negative impact on human dignity, Patriarch Bartholomew explained: “We respect science and technology. The 2016 Pan-Orthodox Synod of Crete said that science, technology and science Research is a gift of God. But on the other hand, we also recognize that there are deviations. We have to put the dignity of the human being, of human nature, at the center of everything. Of course, modern and digital technology and the massive use in schools, But this new approach cannot replace ancient teachings based on spiritual values.”
In accepting the meeting, the Patriarch of the Orthodox Church re-emphasized: “The core of everything is human dignity. We must make choices around it and respect human freedom.”
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