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The Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches: Taking Steps To Overcome Division - Controversy Over The Balamand Report
The Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches: Taking Steps To Overcome Division - Controversy Over The Balamand Report
For the past fifteen years, the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church
have been discussing on the international level how to overcome their almost one-thousand-
year division. The most recent statement to come out of their dialogue, the Balamand
Statement, has created controversy on both sides. Some understand it as an important step
forward toward overcoming the division between them, while others of both Churches have
raised the alarm, seeing it as a dangerous development.
What is the reality? The members of the Orthodox/Roman Catholic Consultation in the
United States, an official dialogue body of representatives from both Churches, addressed this
question and published its response to the Balamand document. This message is an effort to
share the reflections of this Consultation with the clergy and the people of both Churches in
order to explain the Balamand Statement. The U.S. Consultation understands the Balamand
Statement as a step in the right direction, leading toward the eventual overcoming of division
between the Roman Catholic and the Orthodox Churches.
UNDERSTANDING THE BACKGROUND
An international joint commission, established officially by the Orthodox Church and the
Roman Catholic Church, has been meeting since 1980 to discuss possible ways of overcoming
the division between them.
This division has many different aspects. There are differences in the Orthodox and Roman
Catholic beliefs about the Christian Faith, such as the teaching about the Holy Spirit and about
the organization of the Church, in particular, the place of the Pope of Rome and his relationship
with other bishops and the body of the Church. There are differences in practice, in worship,
and in the style of expressing belief and in the way of living the Christian Faith. There are also
differences that arose in history in which one or the other side feels it was wrongly treated.
But these discussions remain hopeful because there are many more things that are held in
common by both Churches that form a good foundation for overcoming our disunity and
working toward eventual full unity. Beliefs about Jesus Christ, the Sacraments, the priesthood
and the laity, and a long common history are shared more fully by Roman Catholics and
Orthodox Christians than with many other church groups. In many ways they share a common
tradition. Yet, difficulties remain.
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UNIATE/EASTERN CATHOLIC CHURCHES
One of the biggest problems between the two Churches has been the existence for about
400 years of Churches under the Pope of Rome who originally were Eastern Orthodox. The
Orthodox have referred to these Churches as Uniate Churches and the Roman Catholic Church
calls them Eastern Catholic Churches. In some places they are also known as Greek Catholic
Churches. These Churches exist in varying numbers in Ukraine, Romania, Russia, and other
Central and Eastern European countries, the Middle East, and the United States. In their
worship and practice of Christianity they are like the Orthodox. In their way of Church order
and governance, they are members of the Roman Catholic Church.
For many centuries, the Roman Catholic Church thought of these Churches as the way the
two Churches might be reunited. The Orthodox Churches, in contrast, held that the Uniate
Churches not only could not serve as a unifying link, but remained a serious obstacle to any
progress in working toward unity.
The situation in Eastern Europe became a great problem, when the political situation
changed radically with the fall of Communism. During the period of Soviet dominance many
of the Uniate Churches were disbanded or put under Orthodox control. While many former
Eastern Catholics accepted the new situation, many did not, maintaining themselves as an
"underground Church." With the change in the political situation, the Eastern Catholic
Churches were legally restored. Many conflicts arose, often with church property at the center
of the disputes.
Many Orthodox responded bitterly to the revival of the Uniate Churches, seeing them as a
continuation of Roman Catholic attempts to undermine and destroy the Orthodox Church.
Many in the Roman Catholic Church saw the change as an act of justice, returning to normal
existence an unjustly repressed Church.
IMPACT ON THE DIALOGUE
Practical and theological disputes based on this new situation halted the dialogue between
the Churches on other matters until the Uniate/Eastern Catholic situation could be addressed
by the international commission. These discussions produced a joint statement known as the
Balamand Document. It was issued in June of 1993 with the title "Uniatism, Method of Union
of the Past and the Present Search for Full Communion." It was the result of meetings held in
Freising, Germany (1990) and Arriccia, Italy (1991). Balamand is an Orthodox Monastery and
Seminary in Lebanon.
THE METHOD OF DIALOGUE
Many people, clergy and laity alike, do not understand what ecumenical dialogue is. Often,
ecumenical dialogue is confused with decisions of church councils which are binding upon the
members of the Church issuing them. Unlike such ecumenical decisions, statements like the
Balamand Statement are understood to be reports on how members of the Dialogue or
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Consultation are developing their understanding of the problems they are addressing. Their
reports are referred to the heads of their Churches and to the clergy and people for their
consideration and reflection. It is expected that there will be thoughtful reflection, response,
and examination before any official decisions can be or should be made.
THE RESPONSE OF THE U.S. ORTHODOX/ ROMAN CATHOLIC
CONSULTATION
An example of a response to an ecumenical document was the work of the U.S.
Orthodox/Roman Catholic Consultation. This body is sponsored jointly by the organization of
the canonical Orthodox Churches in the U.S.A. and Canada known as SCOBA (Standing
Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas) and the U.S. Conference of
Bishops of the Roman Catholic Church. The U.S. Orthodox/Roman Catholic Consultation
celebrated its thirtieth year and fiftieth meeting in October 1995.
In 1994 this longest continuously functioning Roman Catholic/Orthodox dialogue studied
and responded to the Balamand Statement. It raised questions about what was said at
Balamand, while affirming much of what was included in the document. The American
"Response" did with the Balamand Statement exactly what is supposed to be done with
ecumenical dialogue statements — it responded.
THE BALAMAND STATEMENT
The Balamand Statement expressed some very important new understandings arising out
of the dialogue between the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches. One of the reasons it
caused heated discussions was that it looked at the Uniate/Eastern Catholic controversy in a
new way.
Most readers of the Balamand Statement agree that it said three important things:
1) Uniatism as a way of achieving unity between the Orthodox and the Roman Catholic
Churches is wrong and should be abandoned;
2) The existing Eastern Catholic Churches have a right to continue to exist and to pastorally
serve their members;
3) The Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches in a special — though not fully defined —
way remain "sister Churches" so that the goal of achieving unity between them does not mean
the conversion of one to the other.
The U.S. Orthodox/Roman Catholic Consultation, in its Response, studied some of the
questions Balamand raised. Here are some of the issues it saw and how it answered them.
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Doesn't the Balamand Statement support the continued existence of Uniatism?
This is a criticism raised by some Orthodox. Depending on what is understood by the word
"Uniatism" the answer could be either "yes" or "no." If what is meant by "Uniatism" is the
continued existence under the Pope of Rome of churches which use the Eastern liturgical,
theological and spiritual traditions, Eastern Catholics would continue to exist until the time of
the restoration of full communion between the Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Churches.
But in the negative sense of the word "Uniatism" which in the mind of the Orthodox is
identified with proselytism, the Balamand document repudiates Uniatism so that if its
conclusions are followed, Uniatism as a method designed to make Orthodox Christians
members of the Roman Catholic Church will be ended.
If implemented, wouldn't the Eastern Catholic Church cease to exist?
Again, the answer is "yes" and "no." The Eastern Catholic Church would cease to exist as
a method of proselytizing Eastern Orthodox Christians either as individuals or as Church
bodies away from the Orthodox Church into membership in the Roman Catholic Church. It
would not, however, violate the self-identity of Eastern Catholics, formed over hundreds of
years and affirmed by their experiences under the Communist regimes. Nevertheless, Eastern
Catholicism would no longer function to the detriment of the Orthodox Church.
BALAMAND: A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
There is a good reason why the Balamand Document has opened up discussion and
controversy. It has broken through some of the stereotypes Orthodox and Roman Catholics
have had about themselves and about the other. It points both Churches to their common and
shared history and seeks to help us recover the vision of an earlier tradition where local
Churches understood their unity in terms of their communion in faith and sacraments with
Christ and among themselves. For both Orthodox and Roman Catholics including Eastern
Catholics, this demands a willingness to pardon and a willingness to overcome our disunity.
If Christians can allow Christ's prayer "that all may be one" to move them to take gradual
and tentative steps toward that visible unity, the Balamand document has served its purpose in
eliminating a serious stumbling block in Orthodox - Roman Catholic relations.
The Balamand Document is a step in the right direction.