Pope Francis and Patriarch
Kirill of Moscow and All Russia met today in Cuba in an historic first
meeting between the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches since
1054 when the "Great Schism" began. The religious leaders issued a joint declaration that declared, "It
is with joy that we have met like brothers in the Christian faith who
encounter one another "to speak face to face" (2 Jn 12), from heart to
heart, to discuss the mutual relations between the Churches, the
crucial problems of our faithful, and the outlook for the progress of
human civilization."
The
30 point declaration discussed past history and faith while looking at
the challenges of the contemporary world and the need for the Church to
respond stating, "Human
civilization has entered into a period of epochal change. Our Christian
conscience and our pastoral responsibility compel us not to remain
passive in the face of challenges requiring a shared response."
Three
areas of mutual concern listed in the declaration are ones that
pro-life and pro-family organizations engage on a daily basis-- threats
to the inalienable right to life, to the family, and to marriage. In
regards to abortion, Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill exhorted, "We
call on all 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 (cf. Gen 4:10)."
They
raised concern over the emergence of "so-called euthanasia" which they
stated, "leads elderly people and the disabled... to feel that they are
a burden on their families and on society in general."
Biomedical
reproduction technology was presented as "the manipulation of human
life" with the religious leaders stating that it "represents an attack
on the foundations of human existence, created in the image of God."
The three sections on family, marriage and respect for life follow:
19.
The family is the natural centre of human life and society. We are
concerned about the crisis in the family in many countries. Orthodox and
Catholics share the same conception of the family, and are called to
witness that it is a path of holiness, testifying to the faithfulness of
the spouses in their mutual interaction, to their openness to the
procreation and rearing of their children, to solidarity between the
generations and to respect for the weakest.
20.
The family is based on marriage, an act of freely given and faithful
love between a man and a woman. It is love that seals their union and
teaches them to accept one another as a gift. Marriage is a school of
love and faithfulness. 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.
21.
We call on all 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 (cf. Gen 4:10). 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. We are also
concerned 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. We believe
that it is our duty to recall the immutability of Christian moral
principles, based on respect for the dignity of the individual called
into being according to the Creator's plan.
The
joint declaration began by stating their pressing mutual concern for
the religious persecution of Christians in the world today:
"Our
gaze must firstly turn to those 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. Their churches are
being barbarously ravaged and looted, their sacred objects profaned,
their monuments destroyed. 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 the land in which our faith was
first disseminated and in which they have lived since the time of the
Apostles, together with other religious communities."
PNCI
is thankful for the Declaration by Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill
which recognizes the challenges to life, marriage and family that
confront our world today and the need for a united response. May their
words help to unite efforts around the world among people of all
religious faiths.