Catholic World News

Encyclical manifests Pope’s strong relations with Ecumenical Patriarch, says theologian

July 08, 2015

L’Osservatore Romano has published an Eastern Orthodox theologian’s reflection on Pope Francis’s second encyclical, Laudato Si’.

Father John Chryssavgis, who advises Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew on environmental issues, said that “if commitment to communion is what attracts Francis and Bartholomew to a joint witness in a world otherwise divided by political and economic tensions, as well as by religious and racial conflicts, responsibility for compassion is undoubtedly what impels them to a shared concern for the exploitation of people and of the planet as the body of Christ.”

In his reflection, which original appeared in First Things, Father Chryssavgis added:

I believe that it is indeed providential that these two bishops are leading their respective churches at this critical moment in time. And it is also a unique blessing that they relate so comfortably and confidently with each other. There is no doubt in my mind that the favorable reception—but at the same time I would also venture to add: the adverse reaction to and harsh criticism—of their advancing and advocating for the care of God’s creation is arguably the greatest testimony and evidence that they are most definitely on the right track. For this reason alone, they deserve our prayer and praise, while their enlightened example and instruction deserve our attention and promulgation.

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