Apology drawing praise

The Pope made the historic apology during a visit to Greece May 4-5. In part, he told Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens, the primate of Greece: "For the occasions past and present, when sons and daughters of the Catholic Church have sinned by action or omission against their Orthodox brothers and sisters, may the Lord grant us the forgiveness we beg of Him."

The Pope called some actions by the Church "especially painful," particularly "the disastrous sack of the imperial city of Constantinople, which was for so long the bastion of Christianity in the East. It is tragic that the assailants, who had set out to secure free access for Christians to the Holy Land, turned against their own brothers in the faith. The fact that they were Latin Christians fills Catholics with deep regret."

The apology "was a very, very good idea," responded Rev. Gregory Dudash of St. Basil's Russian Orthodox Church in Watervliet. Father Dudash noted that the Pope delivered the apology after a speech by Archbishop Christodoulos critical of the Western Church, when "the normal reaction would be to counter with something. But the Pope had the Christianity to acknowledge it and apologize."

He was equally impressed that "given his age and incapacity," Pope John Paul chose to go to Greece even though his visit was controversial.

Rev. Igor Burdikoff of Christ the Savior Orthodox Church of Saratoga County said that "from the Orthodox perspective, anything which fosters a mutual respect and consideration is always helpful."

However, he cautioned, "apologies are nice, but what are you going to do about it? Rapprochement of the churches, which would eventually lead to unity, requires a whole lot more work. [The apology] shouldn't hypnotize people into thinking everything is nice."

Father Dudash agreed that the apology was simply a first step toward better relations. "The news media oversimplified things," he said. "The Orthodox aren't just angry because of the sacking of Constantinople; that's not even an issue. There are issues which still divide us which are really profound."

Initiative

"It is always good for one to take the initiative in terms of seeking reconciliation," he remarked. "In the split between East and West, there was fault on both sides, but that doesn't matter."

Father Kane called the Pope a "great role model" for both ecumenical relations and people's personal relationships, saying: "For him to take the initiative to apologize for the part we played in the schism between East and West is a model of how we should behave toward one another. It's a wonderful message."

'Overdue'

Father Mickiewicz wasn't surprised that the Pope chose to apologize, since that's been a recurring theme during his papacy. In a different perspective than Father Dudash's, he said he was "impressed because [the Pope] mentioned the sack of Constantinople. For the Orthodox, it is very much present to them."

When Pope John Paul has apologized to other faiths, said Father Mickiewicz, he spoke in more general terms; but "here, he names a very specific event. I was very glad to hear him be as specific as he was."

'Real effort'

Father Phelan noted that there has historically been "painful hostility" between the Eastern and Western Churches, calling the Crusades "the quintessential example" of this.

"When one thinks of the way our Western crusaders devastated the capital of the Eastern world at Constantinople, this relationship of hostility becomes vivid in the minds of all Eastern peoples," he said. "An apology is necessary if you've offended someone else. At this time, we have a pope who can rise to the occasion. It would be better if we could work together."

'Noble' act

"Yes, there was injustice on both sides," he said of the history between East and West, "but it's time to put a stop to it."

Several leaders expressed hope for a positive response from the Orthodox side. "The Orthodox are not a very pro-active Church," Father Burdikoff told The Evangelist. "We'll react to how we're approached. In Greece, the old-world antagonisms have remained more than in this country."

While "the Catholic Church unites its people under the Pope, the Orthodox Church unites its people under common doctrine," he added. "That's what must be dealt with."

Father Dudash said the Orthodox "have a certain amount of xenophobia and an inferiority complex because they were captive for so long." However, he said Archbishop Christodoulos was "won over by the Pope. His reaction to the apology was positive."

'Sincerity'

Ms. Mazloom said the apology was "in good taste," since Pope John Paul "is not assuming personal guilt; but we all regret hurtful actions against anyone."

Some of those interviewed would like to see the Orthodox Church take its turn in apologizing.

"It's easy to say `I'm sorry' after 1,000 years," Father Burdikoff said, "but hopefully, we'll react to good will with good will. We'll see where this leads us. Only time will tell."

Father Dudash went further, stating: "It's obvious that the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches are meant to be together. Their dialogue could strengthen both Churches."

The apology, he said, has had positive effects because "what it comes down to is that love works -- and love is an effective, practical thing to do."

(05-17-01) [[In-content Ad]]