Catholics, Orthodox in Belarus celebrate Christian unity week

Catholic leaders in Belarus renowned the annual week devoted to Christian unity by meeting and breaking bread with local heads of Orthodox, Lutheran and other other Christian denominations.

From January 18 – 25, Christians around the globe noticeable the Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity, a time when members from various denominations usually meet to pray together for union efforts among the faithful.

In Minsk, the capital of Belarus, Catholic Archbishop Kondrusiewicz and Orthodox Metropolitan Filaret of Minsk and Sluzk hosted a variety of initiatives, including daily prayer with Belarusians from frequent Christian backgrounds and traditions.

At a joint celebration on Jan. 22, at the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Minsk, Catholics, Orthodox, Eastern Catholics, Lutherans and Christians of other denominations gathered to pray, preach and representatively share a great loaf of bread.

In a Jan. 20 dialogue with global charity Aid to the Church in Need, Archbishop Kondrusiewicz remembered the words of Pope John Paul II, who said the churches in East and West were like two divide “lungs” and that "Europe must breathe again with both lungs."

The archbishop said that not only do all the Christian denominations “share the wish for unity,” but that they also seek conversation with the Jewish and Muslim communities as well.

Archbishop Kondrusiewicz said that the association between the Orthodox and the Catholic Churches is very peaceful and cordial. The Orthodox Church accounts for approximately 80 percent of the citizens of Belarus, while 14 percent or around 300,000 are Catholics.

Patriarch Kirill Calls for Catholics and Orthodox to Work Together

There is a growing with recognition that there is more that joins with theologically faithful Catholics and theologically faithful Orthodox than that which separates us. Patriarch Kirill fuels the growing Catholic and the Orthodox collaboration to stem the decline of moral values and the hostility of the West toward the Church.

We welcomed with great hope the selection of the Patriarch Kirill as the 16th Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia (See New Russian Patriarch Kirill Elected in Moscow Synod ) The election of Patriarch Kirill was the first election of a Patriarch since the fall of the atheist Communist and regime which governed the former Soviet Union for so many years. It was a sign of the hope for the revitalization of the ancient faith in this critical time in history.

Patriarch Kirill is theologically and doctrinally solid - a man of deep faith and with courage. He is a champion of the authentic Orthodox Christian Tradition and a stalwart defender of the doctrine of the ancient Faith of all. He is outspoken in his concern over the moral decline of the Russians, European and the broader western culture.He is also dedicated to doing something about it by leading a resurgence of the authentic Christianity in a new missionary undertaking to the culture.

In an insightful analysis written for the Catholic Online entitled Patriarch Kirill & Pope Benedict: A Tale of Two Leaders for a new Missionary Age Orthodox priest Fr Johannes L. Jacobse, and the editor of Orthodoxy Today and President of the American Orthodox Institute opined " Patriarch Kirill is a theological conservative in the mold of the Pope Benedict. Both see religion as the wellspring of the culture. Both understand that Europe cannot escape a final capitulation to tyranny if it does not rediscover their Christian roots."

Patriarch Kirill has not ceased to offer his voice of clarity and the authority to the growing Catholic and Orthodox critique of the decline of moral values and the hostility of the contemporary culture toward the Church. He is a fervent and the prophetic figure these days, exposing the growing rejection of the Christian influence throughout the world and warning of the the dangers such a rejection presents.