Treffen von Papst und Patriarch von Konstantinopel in Jerusalem

Patriarch   Athenagoras, published after their meeting of 6 January 1964). Our meeting,   another encounter of the Bishops of the Churches of Rome and Constantinople   founded respectively by the two Brothers the Apostles Peter and Andrew, is a   source of profound spiritual joy for us. It presents a providential occasion   to reflect on the depth and the authenticity of our existing bonds,   themselves the fruit of a grace-filled journey on which the Lord has guided   us since that blessed day of fifty years ago.

2.   Our fraternal encounter today is a new and necessary step on the journey   towards the unity to which only the Holy Spirit can lead us, that of   communion in legitimate diversity. We call to mind with profound gratitude   the steps that the Lord has already enabled us to undertake. The embrace   exchanged between Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras here in Jerusalem,   after many centuries of silence, paved the way for a momentous gesture, the   removal from the memory and from the midst of the Church of the acts of   mutual excommunication in 1054. This was followed by an exchange of visits   between the respective Sees of Rome and Constantinople, by regular   correspondence and, later, by the decision announced by Pope John Paul II and   Patriarch Dimitrios, of blessed memory both, to initiate a theological   dialogue of truth between Catholics and Orthodox. Over these years, God, the   source of all peace and love, has taught us to regard one another as members   of the same Christian family, under one Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and   to love one another, so that we may confess our faith in the same Gospel of   Christ, as received by the Apostles and expressed and transmitted to us by   the Ecumenical Councils and the Church Fathers. While fully aware of not   having reached the goal of full communion, today we confirm our commitment to   continue walking together towards the unity for which Christ our Lord prayed   to the Father so ‚that all may be one‘.

3.   Well aware that unity is manifested in love of God and love of neighbour, we   look forward in eager anticipation to the day in which we will finally   partake together in the Eucharistic banquet. As Christians, we are called to   prepare to receive this gift of Eucharistic communion, according to the   teaching of Saint Irenaeus of Lyon, through the confession of the one faith,   persevering prayer, inner conversion, renewal of life and fraternal dialogue.   By achieving this hoped for goal, we will manifest to the world the love of   God by which we are recognized as true disciples of Jesus Christ.

4.   To this end, the theological dialogue undertaken by the Joint International   Commission offers a fundamental contribution to the search for full communion   among Catholics and Orthodox. Throughout the subsequent times of Popes John   Paul II and Benedict the XVI, and Patriarch Dimitrios, the progress of our   theological encounters has been substantial. Today we express heartfelt   appreciation for the achievements to date, as well as for the current   endeavours. This is no mere theoretical exercise, but an exercise in truth   and love that demands an ever deeper knowledge of each other’s traditions in   order to understand them and to learn from them. Thus we affirm once again   that the theological dialogue does not seek a theological lowest common   denominator on which to reach a compromise, but is rather about deepening   one’s grasp of the whole truth that Christ has given to his Church, a truth   that we never cease to understand better as we follow the Holy Spirit’s   promptings. Hence, we affirm together that our faithfulness to the Lord   demands fraternal encounter and true dialogue. Such a common pursuit does not   lead us away from the truth; rather, through an exchange of gifts, through the   guidance of the Holy Spirit, it will lead us into all truth.

5.   Yet even as we make this journey towards full communion we already have the   duty to offer common witness to the love of God for all people by working   together in the service of humanity, especially in defending the dignity of   the human person at every stage of life and the sanctity of family based on   marriage, in promoting peace and the common good, and in responding to the   suffering that continues to afflict our world. We acknowledge that hunger,   poverty, illiteracy, the inequitable distribution of resources must   constantly be addressed. It is our duty to seek to build together a just and   humane society in which no-one feels excluded or marginalised.

6.   It is our profound conviction that the future of the human family depends   also on how we safeguard – both prudently and compassionately, with justice   and fairness – the gift of creation that our Creator has entrusted to us.   Therefore, we acknowledge in repentance the wrongful mistreatment of our   planet, which is tantamount to sin before the eyes of God. We reaffirm our   responsibility and obligation to foster a sense of humility and moderation so   that all may feel the need to respect creation and to safeguard it with care.   Together, we pledge our commitment to raising awareness about the stewardship   of creation; we appeal to all people of goodwill to consider ways of living   less wastefully and more frugally, manifesting less greed and more generosity   for the protection of God’s world and the benefit of His people.

7.   There is likewise an urgent need for effective and committed cooperation of   Christians in order to safeguard everywhere the right to express publicly   one’s faith and to be treated fairly when promoting that which Christianity   continues to offer to contemporary society and culture. In this regard, we   invite all Christians to promote an authentic dialogue with Judaism, Islam   and other religious traditions. Indifference and mutual ignorance can only   lead to mistrust and unfortunately even conflict.

8.   From this holy city of Jerusalem, we express our shared profound concern for   the situation of Christians in the Middle East and for their right to remain   full citizens of their homelands. In trust we turn to the almighty and   merciful God in a prayer for peace in the Holy Land and in the Middle East in   general. We especially pray for the Churches in Egypt, Syria, and Iraq, which   have suffered most grievously due to recent events. We encourage all parties   regardless of their religious convictions to continue to work for   reconciliation and for the just recognition of peoples’ rights. We are   persuaded that it is not arms, but dialogue, pardon and reconciliation that   are the only possible means to achieve peace.

9.   In an historical context marked by violence, indifference and egoism, many   men and women today feel that they have lost their bearings. It is precisely   through our common witness to the good news of the Gospel that we may be able   to help the people of our time to rediscover the way that leads to truth,   justice and peace. United in our intentions, and recalling the example, fifty   years ago here in Jerusalem, of Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras, we   call upon all Christians, together with believers of every religious   tradition and all people of good will, to recognise the urgency of the hour   that compels us to seek the reconciliation and unity of the human family,   while fully respecting legitimate differences, for the good of all humanity   and of future generations.

10.   In undertaking this shared pilgrimage to the site where our one same Lord   Jesus Christ was crucified, buried and rose again, we humbly commend to the   intercession of the Most Holy and Ever Virgin Mary our future steps on the   path towards the fullness of unity, entrusting to God’s infinite love the   entire human family.

‚May   the Lord let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! The Lord look   upon you kindly and give you peace!’”.

Jerusalem,   25 May 2014.