Catholic-Orthodox Pilgrimage Fosters Unity

Venerdì 02 Novembre 2007

Boston Prelates Lead Faithful to Rome, Istanbul

ROME, SEPT. 21, 2007

Going on a pilgrimage with an ecumenical group helps Christians draw closer together as they draw closer to God, says an organizer of the 2007 Boston Orthodox-Catholic Pilgrimage.

Cardinal Sean O'Malley, archbishop of Boston, and Metropolitan Methodios, the Greek Orthodox leader of Boston, are leading 100 pilgrims this month on an ecumenical pilgrimage to venerate the holy places of Rome, Istanbul, Turkey, and St. Petersburg, Russia.

Benedict XVI greeted both prelates Wednesday at the general audience before they departed for Istanbul.

Vito Nicastro, associate director of the Office for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the Boston Archdiocese, told ZENIT that the idea of a Catholic-Orthodox pilgrimage is the fruit "deep-rooted decades-long relationship including all sorts of visits, common witness, collaboration for good, and theological dialogue."

"For years," he said, "we have practiced standing together, speaking together, praying together.

"It is a process led by our bishops and undertaken in total adherence to our bishops -- that's a necessity. This pilgrimage, like many ecumenical endeavors, represents the strictest conformity with the magisterium."

When asked why a pilgrimage, Nicastro responded: "Pilgrims have always known that pilgrimage is an act of devotion, penance and purification, as well as spiritual enrichment.

"Pilgrimage is about journeying, as is ecumenism, but journeying with God as the destination. This is a particularly apt metaphor for ecumenism since we Christians draw closer to each other by all drawing closer to God."

Reconciliation

Nicastro said one aspect of the pilgrimage is reconciliation. "This pilgrimage is two Churches doing exactly what this wounded world needs: modeling the love that reconciles, striving to follow Christ closely. It's life-giving encouragement to Christians. It's compellingly hopeful for everyone."

He said that the pilgrimage also helps to resolve the division that "runs right through the middle of millions of communities, families, and human hearts."

"This pilgrimage is part of the solution because it deepens a local relationship which holds hope for a movement that involves hundreds of millions," he said. "Catholics and Orthodox are the two largest segments of Christianity. Unite them and there is a force for good in the world like none we now experience."

"We have relentlessly sought to go deeper in love, build more trust, never satisfied until the day the goal will be met," Nicastro continued. "We hope this relationship which has been truly one of the treasures of our Churches can provide leadership, moving us all forward.

"This pilgrimage opens a window on a hidden treasure with relevance far beyond its local roots. We hope it will encourage many other places to show their flourishing cooperation, prayer life and gestures of Christian love."

Orthodox Patriarch Greets Boston Pilgrims

ISTANBUL, Turkey, SEPT. 30, 2007

A group of Catholic and Orthodox pilgrims led by their respective leaders journeyed from Rome to Istanbul in a 10-day ecumenical pilgrimage.

The 100 pilgrims, led by Catholic Cardinal Sean O'Malley and Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Methodios, left Boston on Sept. 16.

Details of the entire pilgrimage can be found on Cardinal O'Malley's blog, complete with pictures of the prelate's conversation with Benedict XVI.

In Istanbul -- formerly Constantinople -- the pilgrims participated in a celebration of great vespers with Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople.

In his greeting to the patriarch, Cardinal O'Malley affirmed that there is a close relationship between Boston's Catholic and Orthodox communities, both of whom are working toward the goal of Christian unity.

"It is my pleasure to come here with my esteemed brother, his Eminence Metropolitan Methodios of Boston, to manifest in this pilgrimage the fruition of a deeper relationship between the sister churches in Boston," Cardinal O'Malley said. "Dialogue needs to be in the context of such relationships in order to bear fruit."