{"id":24919,"date":"2009-09-04T11:23:14","date_gmt":"2009-09-04T15:23:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/2009\/09\/build-together-the-city-of-god\/"},"modified":"2009-09-04T11:23:14","modified_gmt":"2009-09-04T15:23:14","slug":"build-together-the-city-of-god","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/2009\/09\/build-together-the-city-of-god\/","title":{"rendered":"Build Together the City of God, Pope says to Catholic & Orthodox"},"content":{"rendered":"

The
\nfollowing is the text Benedict XVI sent to Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of
\nthe Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, on the occasion of the
\n11th Inter-Christian Symposium, which began today in Rome.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Through you,
\nvenerable brother, in your capacity as president of the Pontifical Council for
\nPromoting Christian Unity, I have the pleasure and joy of sending a warm and
\nauspicious greeting to the organizers and participants of the 11th
\nInter-Christian Symposium, promoted by the Franciscan Institute of Spirituality
\nof the Pontifical University Antonianum and by the Aristotle Orthodox
\nTheological Faculty of Thessalonica, planned in Rome from Sept. 3-5.<\/span><\/p>\n

I am happy
\nfirst of all for this initiative of fraternal encounter and exchange on the
\ncommon aspects of spirituality, which is beneficial for a closer relationship
\nbetween Catholics and Orthodox. In fact, these Symposiums, which began in 1992,
\naddress important and constructive topics for reciprocal understanding and unity
\nof intention. The fact that it takes place alternatively in a territory of
\nCatholic or Orthodox majority also allows for real contact with the concrete,
\nhistorical, cultural and religious life of our Churches.<\/span><\/p>\n

In particular, this
\nyear you wished to organize the Symposium in Rome, city that offers all
\nChristians indelible testimonies of history, archaeology, iconography,
\nhagiography and spirituality, strong stimulus to advance toward full communion
\nand above all, the memory of the Apostles Peter and Paul, Protothroni, and of
\nso many martyrs, ancient witnesses of the faith. Of them, St. Clement of Rome
\nwrote that “suffering … many insults and torments, they became a most
\nbeautiful example for us” (Cf. Letter to the Corinthians, VI,1).<\/span><\/p>\n

\"St<\/a><\/p>\n

The topic
\nchosen for the next meeting: “St. Augustine in the Western and Eastern
\nTradition” — argument intended to be developed in collaboration with the
\nPatristic Institute Augustinanum — is most interesting to reflect further on
\nChristian theology and spirituality in the West and in the East, and its
\ndevelopment. The Saint of Hippo, a great Father of the Latin Church, is, in
\nfact, of fundamental importance for theology and for the West’s very culture,
\nwhereas the reception of his thought in Orthodox theology has revealed itself
\nto be rather problematic<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hence, to know with historical objectivity and
\nfraternal cordiality the doctrinal and spiritual riches that make up the
\npatrimony of the Christian East and West, is indispensable not only to
\nappreciate them, but also to promote better reciprocal appreciation among all
\nChristians<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Therefore, I express cordial wishes that your Symposium is fruitful
\nin that it discovers doctrinal and spiritual convergences that are useful to
\nbuild together the City of God, where his children can live in peace and in
\nfraternal charity, based on the truth of the common faith<\/span>. I assure you of my
\nprayer for this end, asking the Lord to bless the organizers and the
\ninstitutions they represent, the Catholic and Orthodox speakers and all the participants.
\nMay the Grace and peace of the Lord be in your collaborators and in your minds!<\/span><\/p>\n

In Castel Gandolfo,<\/span><\/p>\n

August 28, 2009<\/span><\/p>\n

Benedictus PP. XVI<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The following is the text Benedict XVI sent to Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, on the occasion of the 11th Inter-Christian Symposium, which began today in Rome. Through you, venerable brother, in your capacity as president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, I have the pleasure … Continue reading Build Together the City of God, Pope says to Catholic & Orthodox<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[57,7],"tags":[1908,1773,2176,1980,2103],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24919"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24919"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24919\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24919"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24919"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24919"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}