"Unto
the Churches of Christ everywhere"
"Love
one another earnestly from the heart."
(I Peter 1. 22)
Our own
church holds that rapprochement between the various Christian Churches and
fellowship between them is not excluded by the doctrinal differences which
exist between them. In our opinion such a rapprochement is highly desirable and
necessary. It would be useful in many ways for the real interest of each
particular church and of the whole Christian body, and also for the preparation
and advancement of that blessed union which will be completed in the future in
accordance with the will of God. We therefore consider that the present time is
most favorable for bringing this important question and studying it together.
Even if in this case, owing to antiquated prejudices, practices or
pretensions, the difficulties which have so often jeopardized attempts at
reunion in the past may arise or be brought up, nevertheless, in our view,
since we are concerned at this initial stage only with contacts and
rapprochement, these difficulties are of less importance. If there is good will
and intention, they cannot and should not create an invincible and insuperable
obstacle. Wherefore, considering such an endeavor to be both possible and timely
especially in view of the hopeful establishment of the League of Nations we
venture to express below in brief our thoughts and our opinion regarding the
way in which we understand this rapprochement and contact and how we consider
it to be realizable; we earnestly ask and invite the judgment and the opinion
of the other sister churches in the East and of the venerable Christian
churches in the West and everywhere in the world. We believe that the two
following measures would greatly contribute to the rapprochement ' which is so
much to be desired and which would be so useful, and we believe that they would
be both successful and fruitful: First, we consider as necessary
and indispensable the removal and abolition of all the mutual mistrust and
bitterness between the different churches which arise from the tendency of some
of them to entice and proselytize adherents of other confessions. For nobody
ignores what is unfortunately happening today in many places, disturbing the
internal peace of the churches, especially in the Exist. So many troubles and
sufferings are caused by other Christians and great hatred and enemity are
aroused, with such insignificant results, by this tendency of some to
proselytize and entice the followers of other Christian confessions.After this
essential reestablishment of sincerity and confidence between the churches, we
consider, Secondly, that above all love should be rekindled and
strengthened among the churches, so that they should no more consider one
another as strangers and foreigners, but as relatives, and as being a part of
the household of Christ and "fellow heirs, members of the same body and
partakers of the promise of God in Christ" (Eph. 3. 6). For if the
different churches are inspired by love and place it before everything else in
their judgments of others and their relationships with them, instead of
increasing and widening the existing dissensions, they should be enabled to
reduce and diminish them. By stirring up a right brotherly interest in the
condition, the well-being and stability of the other churches; by readiness to
take an interest in what is happening in those churches and to obtain a better
knowledge of them,and by willingness to offer mutual aid and help, many good
things will be achieved for the glory and the benefit both of themselves and of
the Christian body. In our opinion, such a friendship and kindly disposition
towards each other can be shown and demonstrated particularly in the following
ways: By the acceptance of a uniform calendar for the celebration of the great
Christian feasts at the same time by all the churches.
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Ο/Η Δημήτριος Χατζηνικολάου είπε...
« ... above all love should be rekindled and strengthened among the churches, so that they should no more consider one another as strangers and foreigners, but as relatives, and as being a part of the household of Christ and "fellow heirs, members of the same body and partakers of the promise of God in Christ" (Eph. 3. 6)».
This is the heresy of Ecumenism in a nutshell! Jesus Christ established only ONE Church, the Orthodox one, which has the Truth in full. There do not exist many churches, each of which preaches a different version of the Truth, as there is only ONE Christ, and hence only ONE Truth. The other "churches" are simply pseudo-churches. Thus, for example, the "pope of Rome" is a pseudo-bishop, a clown! Unfortunately, these days, it is difficult to see where the True Church of Christ is, because almost all of the bishops of the Orthodox Church are either ecumenists or have adopted other heresies. This is an extremely disturbing fact, as it is a strong sign that the Antichrist is on his way to rule the World. Therefore, we must prepare ourshelves spiritually, so that we can face what is to come as true Christians. The lives and the teachings of the Holy Church Fathers must guide us. Amen.
By the exchange of
brotherly letters on the occasion of the great feasts of the churches' year as
is customary, and on other exceptional occasions. By close relationships
between the representatives of all churches wherever they may be. By
relationships between the theological schools and the professors of theology;
by the exchange of theological and ecclesiastical reviews, and of other works
published in each church. By exchanging students for further training between
the seminaries of the different churches. By convoking pan-Christian
conferences in order to examine questions of common interest to all the
churches. By impartial and deeper historical study of doctrinal differences both
by the seminaries and in books. By mutual respect for the customs and practices
in different churches. By allowing each other the use of chapels and cemeteries
for the funerals and burials of believers of other confessions dying in foreign
lands. By the settlement of the question of mixed marriages between the
confessions. Lastly, by wholehearted mutual assistance for the churches in
their endeavors for religious advancement, charity and so on. Such a sincere
and close contact between the churches will be all the more useful and
profitable for the whole body of the Church, because manifold dangers threaten
not only particular churches, but all of them. These dangers attack the very
foundations of the Christian faith and the essence of Christian life and society.
For the terrible world war which has just finished brought to light many
unhealthy symptoms in the life of the Christian peoples, and often revealed
great lack of respect even for the elementary principles of justice and
charity. Thus it worsened already existing wounds and opened other new ones of
a more material kind, which demand the attention and care of all the churches.
Alcoholism, which is increasing daily; the increase of unnecessary luxury under
the pretext of bettering life and enjoying it; the voluptuousness and lust
hardly covered by the cloak of freedom and emancipation of the flesh; the
prevailing unchecked licentiousness and indecency in literature, painting, the
theater, and in music, under the respectable name of the development of good
taste and cultivation of fine art; the deification of wealth and the contempt
of higher ideals; all these and the like, as they threaten the very essence of
Christian societies are also timely topics requiring and indeed necessitating
common study and cooperation by the Christian churches. Finally, it is the duty
of the churches which bear the sacred name of Christ not to forget or neglect
any longer his new and great commandment of love. Nor should they continue to
fall piteously behind the political authorities, who, truly applying the spirit
of the Gospel and of the teaching of Christ, have under happy auspices already
setup the so-called League of Nations in order to defend justice and cultivate
charity and agreement between the nations. For all these reasons, being
ourselves convinced of the necessity for establishing a contact and league
(fellowship) 1 between the churches and believing that the other churches share
our conviction as stated above, at least as a beginning we request each one of
them to send us in reply a statement of its own judgment and opinion on this
matter so that common agreement or resolution having been read, we may proceed
together to its realization, and thus "speaking the truth in love; may
grow up into Him in all things, which is the head, even Christ; from whom the
whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint
supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part,
maketh increase of the body unto the working in the measure of every part,
maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love." (Eph.4:
15,16).
In the
Patriarchate of Constantinople in the
month of January in the year of grace 1920.
