METROPOLITAN OF VOLOKOLAMSK
ILARION MEETS WITH POPE FRANCIS IN VATICAN
In accordance with the blessing
of Patriarch Kirill, the chairman of the Department for External
Church Relations of the Moscow patriarchate [OVTsSMP],
Metropolitan of Volokolamsk Ilarion, made a working visit to
Rome on 14-15 June, the website of the OVTsSMP reports.
In the evening of 14 June, the
hierarch met with the president
of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, Kurt
Koch. The sides discussed various aspects of relations between
the Moscow patriarchate and the Holy See. Also participating in
the meeting was an employee of the Pontifical Council for
Promoting Christian Unity, priest Jakinf Destivel.
On 15
June, Metropolitan Ilarion was received by Roman Pope Francis in
the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican. The RPTsMP archbishop
delivered to the head of the Roman Catholic Church greetings
from Patriarch Kirill. The interlocutors discussed a wide circle
of questions, including the poor plight of the Christian
population of the Middle East and northern Africa, and also the
necessity of joint actions for defense of the traditional
understanding of the family in modern secular society. The topic
of cooperation of the Roman Catholic Church and RPTsMP in the
sphere of culture was touched upon.
At the
conclusion of the audience, Metropolitan of Volokolamsk Ilarion
introduced to Pope Francis the persons accompanying him, a
secretary for the administration of parishes of the Moscow
patriarchate in Italy, Archimandrite Antony, and an employee of
the secretariat of OVTsMP for affairs of the far abroad, Migel
Palasio.
In
remembrance of the meeting, Pope Francis presented to
Metropolitan Ilarion and members of the RPTsMP delegation a
medal minted in honor of his pontificate. In his turn, the
chairman of OVTsMP presented to the head of the Roman Catholic
Church a copy of an ancient Russian icon of the Savior, painted
by a cleric of the Moscow church in honor of the icon of the
Mother of God "Joy of all the Sorrowing" on Bolshaia Ordinka,
Archdeacon Aleksei Trunin.
Before
the start of the audience, Metropolitan of Volokolamsk Ilarion,
accompanied by personnel of the prefecture of the papal home,
viewed the exhibits located there, including pictures by Raphael
and el Greco. The attention of the guests from the Moscow
patriarchate was called to a crucifix made from malachite and
precious stones that was presented in December 1845 by Emperor
Nicholas I to Pope Gregory XVI during the only visit in history
by a Russian monarch to the Vatican.
On the
same day, Metropolitan Ilarion returned to Moscow. (tr. by PDS,
posted 19 June 2015)
RPTsMP HAPPY WITH POPE FRANCIS' IDEA FOR A SINGLE DAY FOR EASTER
But awaits clarification by the Vatican, declares Archpriest Nikolai Balashov
The Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow patriarchate welcomes the intention by the Roman pope to return to a single tradition for calculating the celebration of Easter; however the words of the pontiff quoted by news media are insufficient for a proper understanding of the essence of the idea. This was stated in an interview with TASS by a vice-chairman of the OVTsSMP, Archpriest Nikolai Balashov, NEWSru.com reports.
"I would prefer first to learn the exact statement by Pope Francis, which has been transmitted variously by different news sources," he noted. "If the Roman Catholic Church intends to renounce the Gregorian paschalia that it introduced in the 16th century and return to the ancient Alexandrian paschalia, which was used in the period when the church of the East and the West was united and which is still used by Orthodox, then such an intent could only be welcomed," the representative of RPTsMP declared. "If some journalists have accurately transmitted the pope's words that the date of Paskha should become 'fixed' and not be connected with the first full moon after the spring equinox, as established back in 325 by the first ecumenical council, which is respected by both East and West, such a suggestion is certainly completely unacceptable for the Orthodox church. So, as is said, we are waiting for articles in official Vatican sources."
He also noted that "in Constantinople and in Moscow, which, as journalists reported, were mentioned by the pope, there are no disagreements over the date of Paskha; and, despite some reports in news media, a review of the date for Paskha has so far not been proposed for the agenda of the planned Pan-Orthodox sobor."
"However, the suggestion that seems most likely to me, is that the pope really wanted to make a step toward meeting the Orthodox. That is a good desire. It is another matter that such a convergence cannot be achieved by means of a radical departure from the tradition of the first millennium of Christianity that is common for us. Therefore it is important first of all to determine what the pope actually had in mind" the representative of the Russian church added.
We recall that Roman Pope Francis, on 14 June, called for the establishment of a single, fixed date of Easter so that Catholics and Orthodox would observe it on one and the same day. The pope stated this while speaking in the basilica of San Giovani en Laterano at the world council of Catholic clergy. "A Catholic and an Orthodox meet and ask one another: 'Has your Christ already risen? Mine will next Sunday,'" Francis recalled an anecdote illustrating the consequences of different approaches to establishing the date of the principal Christian feast.
"Since the time of Paul VI the church has been ready to establish a fixed date for celebrating Easter, which would be marked on one day both in Rome and in Constantinople and in Moscow," Francis also declared. The pontiff said that the Catholic Church "is prepared to renounce" the method for calculating the date of Easter that is now used.
Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the spring full moon, which occurs after the day of the spring equinox. In Roman Catholic and protestant churches, the date of Easter is calculated according to the Gregorian paschalia. According to eastern tradition, Paskha is calculated according to the Alexandrine paschalia. This has caused frequent differences in dates. The date of Paskha for Catholic and Orthodox has fallen on the same day in 2010, 2011, and 2014. This year Catholics celebrated Easter on 5 April and the Orthodox on 12 April, Cosmonaut Day. The next year when the dates coincide will be 2017. (tr. by PDS, posted 19 June 2015)
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