This is the strangest news story I’ve come across in a while. I can’t help but think that there is something seriously wrong with the English translation (hint: I’m guessing “1st century” means “1st millennium”). Anyhow, here’s the story from the Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU):
Munich — In a recent interview with the German ecumenical journal Cyril and Methodius, the Patriarch of the Orthodox Church in Constantinople Bartholomew I invited Eastern Catholic Churches to return to Orthodoxy without breaking unity with Rome. He noted that “the Constantinople Mother-Church keeps the door open for all its sons and daughters.” According to the Orthodox hierarch, the form of coexistence of the Byzantine Church and the Roman Church in the 1st century of Christianity should be used as a model of unity. This story was posted by KATH.net on 16 June 2008.
At the same time, the patriarch made positive remarks about the idea of “dual unity” proposed by the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Archbishop Lubomyr (Husar). Patriarch Bartholomew I noted in particular that this model would help to overcome the schism between the Churches.
I don’t quite understand what the EP is getting at here. Is he proposing dual communion just for the Eastern Catholics after they have returned to Orthodoxy (which makes no ecclesiological sense for either side), or dual communion for all of Orthodoxy, this side of the eschaton?
Has His All-Holiness, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, been possessed by the spirit of Archbishop Elias Zoghby? Assuming that His All-Holiness is really proposing the concept of dual communion, what will be the response of the other local Orthodox Churches, particularly Moscow? What will the monks of Mount Athos do … not to mention the Orthodox convert blogosphere?
Unfortunately, I don’t read German, but perhaps the original Kath.net story referenced in the RISU article could shed some light on what the EP is talking about (Babelfish helps a little bit).
Hat tip to Byzantine Texas and to Rorate Caeli.
Update – This Catholic World News article has a bit more detail. Still, it would be helpful to have what the Patriarch said verbatim.
Eirenikon 
I sent it to The Cafeteria is Closed in hopes for a translation.
http://closedcafeteria.blogspot.com/
Add me to the list of those who are stunned and painfully curious.
[…] media reports of ecclesial news before this discussion begins. However, “Eirenikon” points out this bit of odd news from the […]
Howdy, I’m Googling around … but I think there are two different things: a return to Communion with the Orthodox (whatever *that* might mean), and separately, an appreciation of the idea of “dual unity” proposed by Cardinal Husar.
The KATH.net article in German is not any longer and doesn’t offer anything not in the RISU translation.
I’m trying to find the journal “Cyril & Methodius” online and am also searching for any information on the details of what Cardinal Husar’s ideas might be.
Right now: this is just too vague and sketchy. Still, to hear the Ecumenical Patriarch look upon the Eastern Catholic Churches as a bridge (which is also the Roman view) with Rome seems like a big step forward. It seems that otherwise many Orthodox continue to view them as obstacles to unity.
A bit more detail on the Cardinal’s proposal?
http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=59186
I am waiting for more details from an Orthodox source. That said, what I have read so far is disturbing if true. I would hope Roman Catholics are as disturbed as I am.
ICXC
John
I don’t know what the Roman Catholics would say, but I don’t think I am the only Byzantine Catholic who would welcome this.
And Gashwin- Rome no longer views the reunion of particular churches as a model. In many ways it had the opposite effect than what was intended, confirming Orthodox skepticism by the Latinizations that crept in (the Melkites resisted this better than the others).
I just read the statement by the EP; he states that much study and preparation blah blah blah. I suspect this has to do with the EP and the Autonomous Ukrainian situation. I certainly wont lose any sleep over this.
[…] The story is discussed, with links, on the Eirenikon site: https://eirenikon.wordpress.com/ [direct link here–mh] […]
[…] source> https://eirenikon.wordpress.com/2008/06/19/ep-proposes-dual-communion/ […]
Daniel Nichols, it is hard to imagine a Christian unity without it being a union of particular churches, which is what Orthodoxy is. A union of particular churches with Rome is the only practical way a restored communion can be achieved, as I see it. If there is another way, it would be good to hear it.
Also, it is not hard to imagine the Orthodox being divided over any particular decision. As ASimpleSinner has said in different places, if the EP were to work out a union with Rome, some clerics would get together, name him a heretic and call someone else the EP. Orthodoxy is fundamentally prone to division, as are all churches separated from Rome.
Given this dynamic, the idea of the Eastern Catholic Churches being a bridge in some kind of double communion, is perhaps a way to hold Orthodoxy together while making progress toward reunion with Rome. As I see it, maintaining Orthodox unity is perhaps the greatest practical difficulty not only in achieving union with Rome, but in making any decisions, as the Old Calendarists have well demonstrated.
[…] would really like to think that there’s some mistranslation or misquotation going on here (remember that weird story, over a year ago, about the Ecumenical Patriarch and “dual communion…, but the Archbishop is Italian and he made his comments to an Italian […]