Word: patriarchalism
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...Islam allowed him to make an implicit plea for allowing religious minorities in Muslim countries - and everywhere - to freely practice their religion. On his first day, the Pope told diplomats in Ankara that religions must "not seek to exercise direct political power." On Thursday, he and Bartholomew I, Patriarch of Constantinople, leader of the tiny Orthodox community in Turkey, delivered a joint statement that insisted that religious "minorities must be protected, with their cultural traditions and the distinguishing features of their religion...
...Benedict's original opposition (as a Cardinal in 2004) to Turkey's eventual entry into the European Union - alluded to both by Vatican officials and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan - was symbolically sealed like a gift on Thursday with the Pope's joint declaration with the Orthodox Patriarch that referred "positively" to European Union expansion. Notably the two Christian leaders cited the singular priority of religious freedom for any joining E.U. members...
...Words: "Scandal" is a strong word in any language, and that's how Benedict said he sees the millennial split between Catholics and Orthodox. And he pledged that "the Catholic Church is ready to do everything possible" to move closer to the world's quarter-million Orthodox believers. Patriarch Bartholomew I echoed the good will, citing "the unwavering journey toward the restoration of full communion among our churches." He even called the Pope "our brother, and bishop of the elder Rome." Their joint declaration touched on two of Benedict's favorite themes: secularization and the Christian roots of Europe...
...Gestures: Benedict's participation at the Orthodox liturgy on Thursday at the Phanar, the headquarters of the Patriarch of Constantinople, was yet another sign of how little actually stands between the Churches' spiritual unification. Afterwards, the Pope and the Patriarch appeared on a balcony overlooking a courtyard and joined hands and raised them, with the more gregarious Bartholomew triumphantly pumping the interlocked hands toward the worshipers below. The crowd of mostly Orthodox applauded in yet another sign of the diffused desire for unity...
...Another ongoing bone of contention between Turkey and the Orthodox community is Ankara's refusal to recognise the patriarch as ecumenical, meaning head of the Orthodox Christian community worldwide. Turkey believes acknowledging this would be one step towards the patriarchate eventually demanding some form of autonomy on its territory, much like the Vatican. "The title ecumenical has accompanied the Patriarch for 15 centuries, it's not a 20th century invention," says Archbishop Demetrios of America. "It refers to a spiritual function...