Joint declaration of Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill.
Francis ; Kirill
12 February 2016
Pope Francis and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and
All Russia met in Havana, Cuba, on Friday, 12 February 2016, to sign a
historic joint declaration. The official English translation of the full
joint declaration follows.
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God the
Father and the fellowship of the holy Spirit be with all of you" (2
Cor. 13:13).
1. By God the Father's will, from which all gifts come, in the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the help of the Holy Spirit
Consolator, we, Pope Francis and Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All
Russia, have met today in Havana. We give thanks to God, glorified in
the Trinity, for this meeting, the first in history.
It is with joy that we have met like brothers in the Christian
faith who encounter one another "to speak face to face" (2
John 12), from heart to heart, to discuss the mutual relations between
the Churches, the crucial problems of our faithful, and the outlook for
the progress of human civilization.
2. Our fraternal meeting has taken place in Cuba, at the crossroads
of North and South, East and West. It is from this island, the symbol of
the hopes of the "New World" and the dramatic events of the
history of the twentieth century, that we address our words to all the
peoples of Latin America and of the other continents.
It is a source of joy that the Christian faith is growing here in a
dynamic way. The powerful religious potential of Latin America and its
centuries-old Christian tradition, grounded in the personal experience
of millions of people, are the pledge of a great future for this region.
3. By meeting far from the longstanding disputes of the "Old
World" we experience with a particular sense of urgency the need
for the shared labour of Catholics and Orthodox, who are called, with
gentleness and respect, to give an explanation to the world of the hope
in us (cf. 1 Peter 3:15).
4. We thank God for the gifts received from the coming into the
world of His only Son. We share the same spiritual Tradition of the
first millennium of Christianity. The witnesses of this Tradition are
the Most Holy Mother of God, the Virgin Mary, and the saints we
venerate. Among them are innumerable martyrs who have given witness to
their faithfulness to Christ and have become the "seed of
Christians."
5. Notwithstanding this shared Tradition of the first ten
centuries, for nearly one thousand years Catholics and Orthodox have
been deprived of communion in the Eucharist. We have been divided by
wounds caused by old and recent conflicts, by differences inherited from
our ancestors, in the understanding and expression of our faith in God,
one in three Persons--Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We are pained by the
loss of unity, the outcome of human weakness and of sin, which has
occurred despite the priestly prayer of Christ the Saviour: "So
that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you ... so
that they may be one, as we are one" (John 17:21).
6. Mindful of the permanence of many obstacles, it is our hope that
our meeting may contribute to the re-establishment of this unity willed
by God, for which Christ prayed. May our meeting inspire Christians
throughout the world to pray to the Lord with renewed fervour for the
full unity of all His disciples. In a world which yearns not only for
our words but also for tangible gestures, may this meeting be a sign of
hope for all people of goodwill!
7. In our determination to undertake all that is necessary to
overcome the historical divergences we have inherited, we wish to
combine our efforts to give witness to the Gospel of Christ and to the
shared heritage of the Church of the first millennium, responding
together to the challenges of the contemporary world. Orthodox and
Catholics must learn to give unanimously witness in those spheres in
which this is possible and necessary. Human civilization has entered
into a period of epochal change. Our Christian conscience and our
pastoral responsibility compel us not to remain passive in the face of
challenges requiring a shared response.
8. Our gaze must firstly turn to those regions of the world where
Christians are victims of persecution. In many countries of the Middle
East and North Africa whole families, villages and cities of our
brothers and sisters in Christ are being completely exterminated. Their
churches are being barbarously ravaged and looted, their sacred objects
profaned, their monuments destroyed. It is with pain that we call to
mind the situation in Syria, Iraq and other countries of the Middle
East, and the massive exodus of Christians from the land in which our
faith was first disseminated and in which they have lived since the time
of the Apostles, together with other religious communities.
9. We call upon the international community to act urgently in
order to prevent the further expulsion of Christians from the Middle
East. In raising our voice in defence of persecuted Christians, we wish
to express our compassion for the suffering experienced by the faithful
of other religious traditions who have also become victims of civil war,
chaos and terrorist violence.
10. Thousands of victims have already been claimed in the violence
in Syria and Iraq, which has left many other millions without a home or
means of sustenance. We urge the international community to seek an end
to the violence and terrorism and, at the same time, to contribute
through dialogue to a swift return to civil peace. Large-scale
humanitarian aid must be assured to the afflicted populations and to the
many refugees seeking safety in neighbouring lands.
We call upon all those whose influence can be brought to bear upon
the destiny of those kidnapped, including the Metropolitans of Aleppo,
Paul and John Ibrahim, who were taken in April 2013, to make every
effort to ensure their prompt liberation.
11. We lift our prayers to Christ, the Saviour of the world, asking
for the return of peace in the Middle East, "the fruit of
justice" (Is. 32:17), so that fraternal co-existence among the
various populations, Churches and religions may be strengthened,
enabling refugees to return to their homes, wounds to be healed, and the
souls of the slain innocent to rest in peace.
We address, in a fervent appeal, all the parts that may be involved
in the conflicts to demonstrate good will and to take part in the
negotiating table. At the same time, the international community must
undertake every possible effort to end terrorism through common, joint
and coordinated action. We call on all the countries involved in the
struggle against terrorism to responsible and prudent action. We exhort
all Christians and all believers of God to pray fervently to the
providential Creator of the world to protect His creation from
destruction and not permit a new world war. In order to ensure a solid
and enduring peace, specific efforts must be undertaken to rediscover
the common values uniting us, based on the Gospel of our Lord Jesus
Christ.
12. We bow before the martyrdom of those who, at the cost of their
own lives, have given witness to the truth of the Gospel, preferring
death to the denial of Christ. We believe that these martyrs of our
times, who belong to various Churches but who are united by their shared
suffering, are a pledge of the unity of Christians. It is to you who
suffer for Christ's sake that the word of the Apostle is directed:
"Beloved ... rejoice to the extent that you share in the sufferings
of Christ, so that when his glory is revealed you may also rejoice
exultantly" (1 Peter 4:12-13).
13. Interreligious dialogue is indispensable in our disturbing
times. Differences in the understanding of religious truths must not
impede people of different faiths to live in peace and harmony. In our
current context, religious leaders have the particular responsibility to
educate their faithful in a spirit which is respectful of the
convictions of those belonging to other religious traditions. Attempts
to justify criminal acts with religious slogans are altogether
unacceptable. No crime may be committed in God's name, "since
God is not the God of disorder but of peace" (1 Cor. 14:33).
14. In affirming the foremost value of religious freedom, we give
thanks to God for the current unprecedented renewal of the Christian
faith in Russia, as well as in many other countries of Eastern Europe,
formerly dominated for decades by atheist regimes. Today, the chains of
militant atheism have been broken and in many places Christians can now
freely confess their faith. Thousands of new churches have been built
over the last quarter of a century, as well as hundreds of monasteries
and theological institutions. Christian communities undertake notable
works in the fields of charitable aid and social development, providing
diversified forms of assistance to the needy. Orthodox and Catholics
often work side by side. Giving witness to the values of the Gospel they
attest to the existence of the shared spiritual foundations of human
coexistence.
15. At the same time, we are concerned about the situation in many
countries in which Christians are increasingly confronted by
restrictions to religious freedom, to the right to witness to one's
convictions and to live in conformity with them. In particular, we
observe that the transformation of some countries into secularized
societies, estranged from all reference to God and to His truth,
constitutes a grave threat to religious freedom. It is a source of
concern for us that there is a current curtailment of the rights of
Christians, if not their outright discrimination, when certain political
forces, guided by an often very aggressive secularist ideology, seek to
relegate them to the margins of public life.
16. The process of European integration, which began after
centuries of blood-soaked conflicts, was welcomed by many with hope, as
a guarantee of peace and security. Nonetheless, we invite vigilance
against an integration that is devoid of respect for religious
identities. While remaining open to the contribution of other religions
to our civilization, it is our conviction that Europe must remain
faithful to its Christian roots. We call upon Christians of Eastern and
Western Europe to unite in their shared witness to Christ and the
Gospel, so that Europe may preserve its soul, shaped by two thousand
years of Christian tradition.
17. Our gaze is also directed to those facing serious difficulties,
who live in extreme need and poverty while the material wealth of
humanity increases. We cannot remain indifferent to the destinies of
millions of migrants and refugees knocking on the doors of wealthy
nations. The unrelenting consumerism of some more developed countries is
gradually depleting the resources of our planet. The growing inequality
in the distribution of material goods increases the feeling of the
injustice of the international order that has emerged.
18. The Christian churches are called to defend the demands of
justice, the respect for peoples' traditions, and an authentic
solidarity towards all those who suffer. We Christians cannot forget
that "God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God
chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing,
to reduce to nothing those who are something, that no human being might
boast before God" (1 Cor. 1:27-29).
19. The family is the natural centre of human life and society. We
are concerned about the crisis in the family in many countries. Orthodox
and Catholics share the same conception of the family, and are called to
witness that it is a path of holiness, testifying to the faithfulness of
the spouses in their mutual interaction, to their openness to the
procreation and rearing of their children, to solidarity between the
generations and to respect for the weakest.
20. The family is based on marriage, an act of freely given and
faithful love between a man and a woman. It is love that seals their
union and teaches them to accept one another as a gift. Marriage is a
school of love and faithfulness. We regret that other forms of
cohabitation have been placed on the same level as this union, while the
concept, consecrated in the biblical tradition, of paternity and
maternity as the distinct vocation of man and woman in marriage is being
banished from the public conscience.
21. We call on all to respect the inalienable right to life.
Millions are denied the very right to be born into the world. The blood
of the unborn cries out to God (cf. Gen. 4:10).
The emergence of so-called euthanasia leads elderly people and the
disabled begin to feel that they are a burden on their families and on
society in general.
We are also concerned about the development of biomedical
reproduction technology, as the manipulation of human life represents an
attack on the foundations of human existence, created in the image of
God. We believe that it is our duty to recall the immutability of
Christian moral principles, based on respect for the dignity of the
individual called into being according to the Creator's plan.
22. Today, in a particular way, we address young Christians. You,
young people, have the task of not hiding your talent in the ground (cf.
Matt. 25:25), but of using all the abilities God has given you to
confirm Christ's truth in the world, incarnating in your own lives
the evangelical commandments of the love of God and of one's
neighbour. Do not be afraid of going against the current, defending
God's truth, to which contemporary secular norms are often far from
conforming.
23. God loves each of you and expects you to be His disciples and
apostles. Be the light of the world so that those around you may see
your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father (cf. Matt. 5:14, 16).
Raise your children in the Christian faith, transmitting to them the
pearl of great price that is the faith (cf. Matt. 13:46) you have
received from your parents and forbears. Remember that "you have
been purchased at a great price" (1 Cor. 6:20), at the cost of the
death on the cross of the Man-God Jesus Christ.
24. Orthodox and Catholics are united not only by the shared
Tradition of the Church of the first millennium, but also by the mission
to preach the Gospel of Christ in the world today. This mission entails
mutual respect for members of the Christian communities and excludes any
form of proselytism.
We are not competitors but brothers, and this concept must guide
all our mutual actions as well as those directed to the outside world.
We urge Catholics and Orthodox in all countries to learn to live
together in peace and love, and to be "in harmony with one
another" (Rom. 15:5). Consequently, it cannot be accepted that
disloyal means be used to incite believers to pass from one Church to
another, denying them their religious freedom and their traditions. We
are called upon to put into practice the precept of the apostle Paul:
"Thus I aspire to proclaim the gospel not where Christ has already
been named, so that I do not build on another's foundation"
(Rom. 15:20).
25. It is our hope that our meeting may also contribute to
reconciliation wherever tensions exist between Greek Catholics and
Orthodox. It is today clear that the past method of
"uniatism," understood as the union of one community to the
other, separating it from its Church, is not the way to re-establish
unity. Nonetheless, the ecclesial communities which emerged in these
historical circumstances have the right to exist and to undertake all
that is necessary to meet the spiritual needs of their faithful, while
seeking to live in peace with their neighbours. Orthodox and Greek
Catholics are in need of reconciliation and of mutually acceptable forms
of co-existence.
26. We deplore the hostility in Ukraine that has already caused
many victims, inflicted innumerable wounds on peaceful inhabitants and
thrown society into a deep economic and humanitarian crisis. We invite
all the parts involved in the conflict to prudence, to social solidarity
and to action aimed at constructing peace. We invite our Churches in
Ukraine to work towards social harmony, to refrain from taking part in
the confrontation, and to not support any further development of the
conflict.
27. It is our hope that the schism between the Orthodox faithful in
Ukraine may be overcome through existing canonical norms, that all the
Orthodox Christians of Ukraine may live in peace and harmony, and that
the Catholic communities in the country may contribute to this, in such
a way that our Christian brotherhood may become increasingly evident.
28. In the contemporary world, which is both multiform yet united
by a shared destiny, Catholics and Orthodox are called to work together
fraternally in proclaiming the Good News of salvation, to testify
together to the moral dignity and authentic freedom of the person,
"so that the world may believe" (John 17:21). This world, in
which the spiritual pillars of human existence are progressively
disappearing, awaits from us a compelling Christian witness in all
spheres of personal and social life. Much of the future of humanity will
depend on our capacity to give shared witness to the Spirit of truth in
these difficult times.
29. May our bold witness to God's truth and to the Good News
of salvation be sustained by the Man God Jesus Christ, our Lord and
Saviour, who strengthens us with the unfailing promise: "Do not be
afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you
the kingdom" (Luke 12:32)!
Christ is the well-spring of joy and hope. Faith in Him
transfigures human life, fills it with meaning. This is the conviction
borne of the experience of all those to whom Peter refers in his words:
"Once you were 'no people' but now you are God's
people; you 'had not received mercy' but now you have received
mercy" (1 Pet. 2:10).
30. With grace-filled gratitude for the gift of mutual
understanding manifested during our meeting, let us with hope turn to
the Most Holy Mother of God, invoking her with the words of this ancient
prayer: "We seek refuge under the protection of your mercy, Holy
Mother of God." May the Blessed Virgin Mary, through her
intercession, inspire fraternity in all those who venerate her, so that
they may be reunited, in God's own time, in the peace and harmony
of the one people of God, for the glory of the Most Holy and indivisible
Trinity!
DOI: 10.1111/erev.12205
Francis
Bishop of Rome
Pope of the Catholic Church
Kirill
Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia
