Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday praised the late leader of the Romanian Orthodox Church for his efforts to overcome divisions among Christians.Patriarch Teoctist died July 30 after two decades of leadership that included a historic visit by Pope John Paul II in 1999.
Benedict expressed "respect and affection" for Teoctist, saying he was "a noble ... shepherd who loved his church and gave a positive contribution to relations between Catholics and Orthodox."
Benedict recalled the 1999 visit to Romania by John Paul, the first time a pope had visited an Orthodox country since the Great Schism of 1054 prompted by a dispute over papal supremacy.
Benedict made his remarks during his Sunday prayer from Castel Gandolfo, a papal retreat south of Rome.
The pontiff has been promoting efforts to improve relations among Christians, especially with the Orthodox. He sent Cardinal Walter Kasper, who heads the Vatican office for relations with other Christians, to Teoctist's funeral on Friday.
However, a Vatican document released last month and reasserting the primacy of the Roman Catholic Church drew criticism from other Christians. Teoctist had criticized the document, saying it made inter-church dialogue difficult.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Disclaimer
No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to either myself or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.
The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.
Sotto Voce
Disclaimer
No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to either myself or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.
The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.
Sotto Voce