In the joint declaration signed by Francis and Kirill, the two express their common concern for Christians undergoing persecution and they ask the international community to help them. They also focus on migrants and refugees and announce a common commitment to combating poverty. They establish a clear distinction between family and other forms of cohabitation and make an appeal for life: “blood of the unborn cries out to God”. The two religious leaders also call for Christian unity for the good of humanity.
“Much of the future of humanity will depend on our capacity to give shared witness to the Spirit of truth in these difficult times,” reads one of the key passages of the joint declaration signed by Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill at the end of their two-hour meeting in a room at Havana airport. The Patriarch of Moscow and the Pope embraced and kissed one another after almost one thousand years of separation between their Churches.
The polished, long and clearly worded text is composed of 30 paragraphs, with finishing touches being made right up until the very last moment. It addresses the issue of persecuted Christians, calling on international community to stop them from being driven out of their respective countries and to put an end to violence and terrorism. But the text also expresses the concern of the two leaders about religious freedom and an “aggressive” secularism that represents a serious threat as it aims to push Christians onto the side lines of public life. One passage talks about the family being made up of a man and a woman and expresses regret at the fact that “other forms of cohabitation have been placed on the same level as this union”. The reference made to the “inalienable right” to life is very strong: “The blood of the unborn cries out to God”.
This was the first ever face-to-face meeting between a Pope and a Patriarch of Moscow. Francis and Kirill met “as brothers in the Christian faith” and their “heart-to-heart” conversation took place in Cuba, “at the crossroads of North and South, East and West”, an island that is “the symbol of the hopes of the “New World” and the dramatic events of the history of the twentieth century”. Meeting “far from the longstanding disputes of the “Old World”, the two religious leaders “experience with a particular sense of urgency the need for the shared labour of Catholics and Orthodox,” overcoming the differences and wounds caused by old conflicts and inherited discord. Their ultimate goal is “the re-establishment of unity”, a path that is to be pursued without remaining “passive in the face of challenges requiring a shared response”.
At the top of their list of concerns are “regions of the world where Christians are victims of persecution”. “In many countries of the Middle East and North Africa whole families, villages and cities of our brothers and sisters in Christ are being completely exterminated.” In Syria, Iraq and other Middle Eastern countries, “It is with pain that we call to mind the situation in Syria, Iraq and other countries of the Middle East, and the massive exodus of Christians” from these lands. Hence, Francis and Kirill call on “the international community to act urgently in order to prevent the further expulsion of Christians from the Middle East”. At the same time, they express their awareness of the suffering endured by followers of other faiths , who are also “victims of the civil war, chaos and terrorist violence”. The two leaders urge the international community “to seek an end to violence and terrorism” in Syria and Iraq, contributing to peace and ensuring “large-scale” humanitarian aid.
Francis and Kirill ask for the release of Aleppo’s metropolitans, who were kidnapped in April 2013. “lift our prayers to Christ, the Saviour of the world, asking for the return of peace in the Middle East”. The declaration also endorses negotiating tables and a fight against terrorism.
The two leaders then go on to talk about what Francis likes to refer to as “ecumenism of blood: ‘we bow before the martyrdom of those who, at the cost of their own lives, have given witness to the truth of the Gospel, preferring death to the denial of Christ”. We believe that these martyrs of our times, who belong to various Churches but who are united by their shared suffering, are a pledge of the unity of Christians.” “No crime may be committed in God’s name,” the Pope and the Patriarch reiterate in their declaration.
After speaking about the great renewal of the Christian faith that is underway in Russia, Francis and Kirill expressed their concerns regarding restrictions to religious freedom. “In particular, we observe that the transformation of some countries into secularized societies, estranged from all reference to God and to His truth, constitutes a grave threat to religious freedom.” Another “source of concern” “is a current curtailment of the rights of Christians, if not their outright discrimination, when certain political forces, guided by an often very aggressive secularist ideology, seek to relegate them to the margins of public life”.
The two leaders call for “vigilance against an integration that is devoid of respect for religious identities. While remaining open to the contribution of other religions to our civilization, it is our conviction that Europe must remain faithful to its Christian roots.” We cannot be indifferent “to the destinies of millions of migrants and refugees knocking on the doors of wealthy nations,” the joint declaration goes on to say. The two leaders also warn against the “unrelenting consumerism witnessed of some developed countries,” which “is gradually depleting our planet’s resources”. “The Christian Churches,” the Pope and Kirill go on to say “are called to defend the demands of justice, the respect for peoples’ traditions, and an authentic solidarity towards all those who suffer”.
The text sends out some very clear messages on family and life. “We are concerned about the crisis in the family in many countries”: the family “is based on marriage, an act of freely given and faithful love between a man and a woman… We regret that other forms of cohabitation have been placed on the same level as this union, while the concept, consecrated in the biblical tradition, of paternity and maternity as the distinct vocation of man and woman in marriage is being banished from the public conscience.”
Francis and the Patriarch of Moscow ask “everyone to respect the inalienable right to life. Millions are denied the very right to be born into the world. The blood of the unborn cries out to God”. They also express their concern regarding “the emergence of so-called euthanasia leads elderly people and the disabled begin to feel that they are a burden on their families and on society in general”. And also “about the development of biomedical reproduction technology, as the manipulation of human life represents an attack on the foundations of human existence, created in the image of God”.
So Orthodox and Catholics are not just united by the shared tradition of the first millennium, “but also by the mission to preach the Gospel of Christ in the world today”. “This mission entails mutual respect for members of the Christian communities and excludes any form of proselytism. We are not competitors but brothers, and this concept must guide all our mutual actions as well as those directed to the outside world.” “Consequently, it cannot be accepted that disloyal means be used to incite believers to pass from one Church to another”.
Francis and Kirill are hopeful that the meeting will also contribute to reconciliation “wherever tensions exist between Greek Catholics and Orthodox”. “It is today clear,” the declaration reads, “that the past method of “uniatism”, understood as the union of one community to the other, separating it from its Church, is not the way to re–establish unity. Nonetheless, the ecclesial communities which emerged in these historical circumstances have the right to exist and to undertake all that is necessary to meet the spiritual needs of their faithful, while seeking to live in peace with their neighbours.”
The reference to and deploration of the hostilities in Ukraine is significant: “We invite all the parts involved in the conflict to prudence, to social solidarity and to action aimed at constructing peace. We invite our Churches in Ukraine to work towards social harmony, to refrain from taking part in the confrontation, and to not support any further development of the conflict.” The greatest concerns regarding the Pope’s meeting with the Patriarch had centred around Eastern rite Catholics in Ukraine.
