Pope And Patriarch Join Hands

From the desk of Joshua Trevino on Thu, 2006-11-30 15:18

Two hours ago, Pope Benedict XVI and Patriarch Bartholomew I celebrated the Liturgy of St John Chrysostom in the Patriarchal chapel in Istanbul.  They then emerged into the sunlight, joined hands and proclaimed their goal of a reunified Church.  I was there for both -- and here is my photograph of this incredible event.

pope-patriarch-trevino-smal.jpg

 

Sunnis, Shiites, Hittites, Hippies

Submitted by George2 on Sun, 2006-12-03 13:20.

How many lives would be saved if the leaders of the Islam factions would do the same? I am afraid this will take another 1000 years, the time for the West to get from the Middle Ages to this moment.

finally

Submitted by Untergang on Fri, 2006-12-01 15:46.

maybe the time has come for the final return of latin as the liturgical language worldwide, the union of the western and eastern traditions perhaps is the first sign of west recovery, if Benedict XVI can get rid of those elements within the very church that are infected by the leftist and heretical ideologies of the last 200 years

Christion church exaltation

Submitted by Bart Vanhauwaert on Fri, 2006-12-01 09:00.

I am not sure how I can relate this recent flood of posts on the pope's visit with the mission statement of this site (quoting We defend freedom and, though we do not pretend to know the ultimate truth, we strive to acquire as much knowledge as possible by presenting facts and views that are hard to find in the “consensus-media” of Europe.)

There's plenty of mention and discussion on the pope's visit in the European consensus media already. And frankly, I am not sure what suffers most under religion : freedom or the accumulation of knowledge...

Thank you for that wonderful

Submitted by tradcat on Fri, 2006-12-01 00:26.

Thank you for that wonderful picture

oiznop

As a regular attender at a Latin Mass I hope that it does become more widespread. Talk has it that the Pope may have something to say about that subject soon.

Latin how Quaint...

Submitted by FLLegal on Fri, 2006-12-01 03:47.

Oh Whoopee...

Back to the "dead language" that Jesus spoke... no wait that was the formal language of the people who nailed him to the Cross, i.e. the formal language of the Roman Republic and Roman Empire.

Is this change a correction of "error"? If so, then so much for the doctrine of infallibility. The Catholic church council known as Vatican II decreed that Catholics pray in their local language rather than Latin. It appears they are backing off that position and/or having second thoughts by expanding the permission of Bishops to authorize the conducting of mass in Latin.

@FLLaw3870

Submitted by atheling on Sat, 2006-12-02 10:00.

You really are obtuse. Did your Mama drop you on the head when you were born?

I've stated before, that the doctrine of "infallibility" concerns only FAITH AND MORALS. If you don't know what those two terms mean, I advise that you invest in a dictionary.

Ignorance is a sad thing. But when it's coupled with arrogance, it gets really ugly.

Here's another history lesson for you, since your "sect" is so impoverished by a lack of intellectual achievement:

Latin was the universal language in the Western World since the Medieval Ages. Law, commerce, education, religion and science all employed Latin as it was readily understood by all literate peoples despite their tribal or national affiliation.

This common language enabled people of different cultures to understand each other. In the Church, Latin also permitted all of its members to worship and participate as a community. The use of Latin also enabled the Pope to write letters and encyclicals to all the faithful and clergy without having to write it in a myriad of languages. The use of Latin in the Church for the past TWO THOUSAND YEARS also gives a sense of continuity. You see, the Catholic Church is UNIVERSAL. That means all if its ONE BILLION members are ALL OVER THE WORLD, and not just restricted to some pimple on the anus of the world like your backyard tent revival.

Besides its practical uses, Latin also possesses great beauty in its meter, precision and logic. Indeed, it is still used by the sciences for systems of classification and by law for clarification and definition. So, it's not "dead", as you claim. Ironically, it's THINKING that is dead, obviously, in the pseudo Christianity which you purport to practice.

Bene, cum Latine nescias, nolo manus meas in te maculare.

The picture says it all!

Submitted by Poitiers on Thu, 2006-11-30 18:46.

Its wonderful, Thank God for Benedict. The fact that men like Benedict still walk the earth is hope enough for the west. A religious gesture should be made at Hagia Sofia.

Just being there at his "walled quarters" highlights the disgusting fact that the ecumenical patriarch is all but held captive by the muslim state. Christians have to reclaim their historic homelands before it is too late. Papa Ratzinger in his "dialogue" may be undertaking a missionary role amongst Muslims living in Europe and a preservationist role for Christian minorities living in hostile lands, to preserve the light so to speak like his namesake St. Benedict did centuries before.

Commentators unfortunately lack the culture to understand the Regensburg speech, and the issues of dialogue and reciprocity.

How long will it last????

Submitted by oiznop on Thu, 2006-11-30 18:01.

That depends on the final dogma the East and West can agree to...The Eastern faiths are far more conservative than the Western...e.g., the Greek Orthodox Church (in the USA) still conduct their masses in Greek, and are very liturgical....Will the Eastern faiths recognize Vatican II???...Will the Western faiths return to masses in Latin overall??...This all remains to be seen...(and I may have to take a class in Latin!)....... 

Say what?

Submitted by crawdad on Thu, 2006-11-30 16:33.

"[...]and proclaimed their goal of a reunified Church."
Is this as historically significant as it sounds? 'Cuz it sounds... major!

Hope for the future

Submitted by Ransom on Thu, 2006-11-30 16:41.

Such a beautiful picture.

I can only hope and pray that this bodes well for the future of Christendom. It's been almost 1,000 years since the Great Schizm. Let's pray that East and West can continue to grow closer together in dialogue.

And this comes from a Protestant!