Sometimes there are no fireworks. Turning points can pass in
silence, almost unobserved.
It may be that way with the "Great Schism," the
most serious division in the history of the Church. The end of the schism may
come more quickly and more unexpectedly than most imagine.
On Sept. 18, inside Castel Gandolfo, the Pope's summer
palace about 30 miles outside Rome, a Russian Orthodox Archbishop named
Hilarion Alfeyev, 43 (a scholar, theologian, expert on the liturgy, composer
and lover of music), met with Benedict XVI, 82 (also a scholar, theologian,
expert on the liturgy and lover of music), for almost two hours, according to
informed sources. (There are as yet no "official" sources about this
meeting -- the Holy See has still not released an official communique about the
meeting.)
The silence suggests that what transpired was important --
perhaps so important that the Holy See thinks it isn't yet prudent to reveal
publicly what was discussed.
But there are numerous "signs" that the meeting
was remarkably harmonious.
If so, this Sept. 18 meeting may have marked a turning point
in relations between the "Third Rome" (Moscow) and the "First
Rome" (Rome) -- divided since 1054.
Archbishop Hilarion was in Rome for five days last week as
the representative of the new Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill of Moscow.
One key person Archbishop Hilarion met with was Cardinal
Walter Kasper. On Sept. 17, the cardinal told Vatican Radio that he and
Archbishop Hilarion had a "very calm conversation."
Cardinal Kasper also revealed something astonishing: that he
had suggested to the archbishop that the Orthodox Churches form some kind of
"bishops' conference at the European level" that would constitute a
"direct partner of cooperation" in future meetings.
This would be a revolutionary step in the organization of
the Orthodox Churches.
Papal-Patriarch encounter?
Cardinal Kasper said a Pope-Patriarch meeting was not on the
immediate agenda, and would probably not take place in Moscow or Rome, but in
some "neutral" place (Hungary, Austria and Belarus are
possibilities).
Archbishop Hilarion himself revealed much about how his Rome
visit was proceeding when he met on the evening of Sept. 17 (before his meeting
with the Pope) with the Community of Sant'Egidio, an Italian Catholic group
known for its work with the poor in Rome.
"We live in a de-Christianized world, in a time that
some define -- mistakenly -- as post-Christian," Archbishop Hilarion said.
"Contemporary society, with its practical materialism and moral
relativism, is a challenge to us all. The future of humanity depends on our
response… More than ever before, we Christians must stand together."
A report from Interfax, the news service of the Moscow
Patriarchate, on Sept. 18 revealed that Archbishop Hilarion spoke to the Pope
about "cooperation between the Russian Orthodox and Roman Catholic
Churches in the area of moral values and of culture" -- in particular
during the "Days of Russian Spiritual Culture," a type of exhibit
with lectures scheduled for spring 2010 in Rome. (One might imagine that the
Pope himself could attend such an exhibition).
…
Growing influence
"During a talk with Pope Benedict XVI, Archbishop
Hilarion of Volokolamsk pointed out the status of Orthodox believers in Western
Ukraine where three Orthodox dioceses had been almost eliminated as a result of
coercive actions of Greek Catholics in late 1980s and early 1990s,"
Interfax reported.
Archbishop Hilarion "stated the need to take practical
steps to improve the situation in Western Ukraine," within the territories
of Lvov, Ternopol and Invano-Frankovsk Dioceses, the report said.
Meanwhile, in Russia itself, the influence of the Russian
Orthodox Church, headed by Patriarch Kirill, seems to be growing, though not
without opposition.
The rise in Russia of Kirill and his increasing influence in
legislative matters seems to be arousing opposition from the
"siloviki," forces connected with the old KGB.
In an article in the current issue of Argumenty Nedeli,
Andrey Uglanov says that Kirill's extraordinary activity has attracted
attention from some who do not like to have their positions questioned, let
alone challenged. And that has become Kirill's "big problem."
These "siloviki," Uglanov says, have been offended
by Kirill's "anti-Stalinist and anti-Bolshevik actions," including
his appearance at the Solovetsky stone in Moscow's Lubyanka Square on the very
Day of the Memory of the Victims of Political Repression.
In this context, Hilarion's visit to Rome takes on even more
importance.
The Russian Orthodox Church is a power in Russia, but it
faces opposition and needs allies.
What is occurring in Hilarion's visit to Rome, then, may
have ramifications not only for the overcoming of the "Great Schism,"
but also for the cultural, religious and political future of Russia, and of
Europe as a whole.
…
Closer relations between Rome and Moscow, then, could have
profound implications also for the cultural and liturgical life of the Church
in the West. There could be a renewal of Christian art and culture, as well as
of faith.
All of this was at stake in the quiet meeting between
Archbishop Hilarion and Benedict XVI on Friday afternoon, in the castle
overlooking Lake Albano.
Russia