The Visit

As of this writing Pope +Benedict XVI has safely returned to Rome (Deo Gratias) after his trip to Turkey and the seat of the Ecumenical Patriarch. Just a few quick thoughts on the trip.

First, as expected the real reason for the trip received negligible attention in the mainstream media. As far as they were concerned this was all about the Muslims. To some degree that was probably unavoidable given the Pope's comments at Regensburgh and the violent reaction from the Islamic world. Turkey is 99% Muslim and there were some cool feelings towards a Pope who had dared to sharply criticize their religion and also who was on record opposing their country's admission to the EU. But I must confess to my profound disappointment at the blinders that the MSM wore in covering this story. It really was all about how Muslims were offended by this Pope. In yesterday's NY Times article on the papal visit there was all of one sentence about the plight of the Orthodox Church in Turkey.

Turkey’s small population of Orthodox Christians complains of official harassment and bureaucratic obstacles that have prevented its members from operating freely.

This out of a two page story on their website. No mention or discussion of how this country became 99% Muslim nor of its treatment of religious and ethnic minorities. The above complaints aside the trip did go off more or less without major incident even if the MSM declined to spend any time discussing what it was really about.

Those of us who pay attention to what's going on however were gratified to witness only the third visit by a Roman Catholic Pope to the seat of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Nothing really dramatic came of it. No announcement of restored communion or some major breakthrough in the theological discussions that have been ongoing. But the symbolism alone was very powerful. People in many parts of the world were able to witness live a Roman Pope being received at the Phanar with the ceremonial normally reserved for an Orthodox hierarch and seated in a place of honor during the celebration of the Divine Liturgy which was also broadcast live. That alone was worth the trip. (On a side note many comments on Roman Catholic blogs by those who watched the liturgy on EWTN made rather unfavorable comparisons between the current Roman liturgy and the Orthodox one. See comments by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf and also comments on Rorate Caeli)

What is important here are not the documents issued, but the mere presence of the Pope in Constantinople, a city where the bishop who preceded the future Pope John XXIII as the Catholic hierarch there had a sign nailed over the door to his residence that read "qui ex Patre Filoque procedit." There are some on Catholic blogs who have made snide comments about the Pope meeting with the EP. And I have read equally snarky comments on some Orthodox e-lists about "black Bart's meeting with the Roman heretic." These are people who have apparently never read the scriptural injunctions against schism. Yes these do occur. But they are to be deplored. And every effort must be made to heal wounds in the Church of Christ.

This did not heal those wounds. Still, it was a step in that direction. This division is unnatural and deeply offensive to God. And I firmly believe it is a positive duty for all Christians (at least those belonging to the apostolic churches), to do all that can be done to restore unity not just in photo ops but where it counts, in the recitation of the same creed and the sharing of the cup.

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Update: It would appear that there is at least one mainstream news publication which seems to have noted whats going on. Time Magazine has a brief but good article on the Pope's objectives in Turkey in relationship to the Orthodox Church.