So near and yet so far — let that stand in summary of the present
situation of Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians in the quest for full
communion to which some of them, though apparently not all, are deeply
committed. As matters stand, there’s no saying when — or even whether — the
goal will finally be reached.
As is readily acknowledged on both sides, Catholics and Orthodox
already have much in common — acceptance of the teaching of the first seven
general councils of the church, the sacraments including the Eucharist, and the
apostolic succession of their bishops. It adds up to what Pope Francis, writing
to Orthodoxy’s Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew, recently
called “a profound closeness” between the two bodies.
But serious doctrinal differences remain, with papal primacy —
the universal jurisdiction of the pope — generally seen as most serious. Here,
Pope Francis’s vision of “synodality” — regional councils of bishops with some
jurisdiction over local churches in their regions — may point to a way of resolving
the difficulty.
Beyond doctrine, however, there’s also the existential reality of
much ugly history between East and West both before and since the definitive
split in the year 1054. The hard feelings and suspicions that have festered in
the millennium-plus since then won’t be overcome easily.
The key to progress beyond that already achieved during the last
half-century through dialogue and friendly gestures rests with the Russian
Orthodox Church, with slightly over 100 million members by far the largest body
among worldwide Orthodoxy’s 260 million. For that reason if no other, Roman
Catholics would do well to learn more about the Russian Orthodox than most
probably know now.
Here a new 30-minute documentary film called “Faces Among Icons”
offers an excellent introduction for parish and school groups trying to get up
to speed in the wake of two notable anniversaries in the year now drawing to a
close — the centenaries of the Bolshevik revolution in Russia and of the
apparitions of the Blessed Virgin at Fatima, Portugal in which Mary urged
prayers for Russia’s conversion.
Produced by Catholic News Service, the film features interviews
with church leaders and ordinary Russians who discuss the rebirth of faith in
Russia after decades of persecution — and sometimes coopting — by an officially
atheist regime. Information about the documentary is available from
GErlandson@catholicnews.com.
Another good source of information is a new Pew Research Center
study pulling together recent data on Orthodoxy gleaned from a variety of
surveys and sources. In brief, it’s a story of good news and bad news.
The good news is that the number of Orthodox Christians in the
world has more than doubled in the past century. The bad news — for the
Orthodox anyway — is that Orthodoxy’s growth lags far behind both Catholicism
and Protestantism, with the latter two owing much of their expansion to rapid
growth outside Europe while Orthodoxy, except for a significant presence in
Ethiopia, has remained a largely European entity.
Moreover, despite Russian Orthodoxy’s deep roots in Russian
history and culture, just 6 percent of its members say they attend church
weekly, while 15 percent say religion is “very important” in their lives, and
18 percent report praying daily. But 87 percent have icons in their homes.
Disappointing, too, is the finding that only 17 percent favor restored
communion with Roman Catholicism.
In sum, there’s work to do, and much of it can only be done by
the Orthodox themselves. There is not a great deal Catholics can do to make
that happen, except, of course, pray a lot harder for our separated Orthodox
brothers and sisters.