VATICAN CITY, OCT. 22, 2009 (Zenit.org).- A Bulgarian Orthodox prelate told Benedict XVI of his desire for unity, and his commitment to accelerate communion with the Catholic Church.
At the end of Wednesday’s general audience, Bishop Tichon, head of the diocese for Central and Western Europe of the Patriarchate of Bulgaria, stated to the Pope, “We must find unity as soon as possible and finally celebrate together,” L’Osservatore Romano reported.
“People don’t understand our divisions and our discussions,” the bishop stated. He affirmed that he will “not spare any efforts” to work for the quick restoration of “communion between Catholics and Orthodox.”
Bishop Tichon said that “the theological dialogue that is going forward in these days in Cyprus is certainly important, but we should not be afraid to say that we must find as soon as possible the way to celebrate together.”
“A Catholic will not become an Orthodox and vice versa, but we must approach the altar together,” he added.
The prelate told the Pontiff that “this aspiration is a feeling that arose from the works of the assembly” of his diocese, held in Rome, in which all the priests and two delegates from every Bulgarian Orthodox parish took part.
“We have come to the Pope to express our desire for unity and also because he is the Bishop of Rome, the city that hosted our assembly,” he stated.
Eirenikon 
“A Catholic will not become an Orthodox and vice versa, but we must approach the altar together,” he added.
Assuming the good bishop was quoted accurately I have a problem with that statement and I would be a little disappointment if our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters didn’t as well. At the very least this seems to be a case of excessive enthusiasm.
In ICXC
John
Depends what he means by it, no?
I was a bit surprised, but I assume he meant an unspoken “after outstanding theological issues have been satisfactorily resolved”. Perhaps he is simply setting aside the insistence of some Orthodox that Latins cease being Latins liturgically, but this sort of off-the-cuff remark really needs more nuance.
There is not, however, perfect symmetry in how the two Churches address the issue of reciprocal access to communion. Orthodox can commune in Catholic churches under far broader terms than Bishop Tichon’s Muscovite brother, Hilarion, indicates would be the case for Catholics in Orthodox churches. In this sense Tichon’s remarks are probably a tad less shocking to Catholics.
[…] Bulgarian Orthodox Leader Affirms Desire for Unity […]
Can anyone verify if he’s the one genuflecting to the Pope in this video, or is this a file footage of some underlings of His. Shocked by his humility here (if thats him)
Why shocked? It’s just a gesture of respect. Catholic bishops do it all the time. It’s up to the individual. With the Bulgarian Patriarch, I assume they would then exchange the kiss of peace.
Whether the expressed aspirations are realistic, it is heartening to hear Orthodox Christians with a passion for the unity Christ himself desires–a passion sorely lack among many.
Just viewed this very emotional video…the visible joy and enthusiasm among both the hierarchs and the crowd is incredibly moving …am at a loss for words…
Herr Irenicist,
I wonder when you might bring this up for discussion:
http://bekkos.wordpress.com/2009/10/29/the-communio-article/
It would seem that your blog is the place to discuss it.
Best,
your devoted ochlophobist
Owen,
I have some comments to offer, but I will wait until our host opens a new thread on Bekkos. I understand he is a bit swamped at the moment.
It is a rather vague statment, but, it is simply true in that unifying Christ’s body is a prioroty which many of my Orthodox brethren fear for logical and illogical reasons. The Patriarch should have greeted the Pope as a equal. As to the genuflection this is the western version of the lesser prostration or bow which is used in the Byzantine Church. I have never seen an Orthodox Christian do this before. When in Rome….