Our Eastern Churches and the Ecumenical Concerns
By Noel Farman Sanaty – Calgary, Canada
Far from theorizing and clericalism tendencies, I learned a lot from our Eastern faithful people residing in the countries of the Diaspora, the western countries, whether they are from our apostolic Eastern denominations or from the non-Catholic Apostolic Churches. They taught me how Christian believers could live their ecumenical unity. Towards this observation, I happen to find myself wondering whether this or that person could canonically be a part of, or a member of, one of our official church activities. The answer was often, echoing either from inside or from outside, within the same type of superstitious seriousness and the same way of philosophizing.
Starting a parish in a city within several Christian denominations
When the ‘’Saint Mary Chaldean parish’’ was first established in Calgary (2007), it was a predominantly from Chaldean parishioners along with other Christian oriental affiliations. They had already coexisted and intermarried for a few decades. Obviously, it was natural to call the parish “Chaldean” parish, and to mention this name, on the inauguration ceremonies. But anticipating any possible denominational sensitization in a community marked with an oriental Christian mosaic, the Apostolic Visitor as a founding prelate, with a wise anticipation, was aware how to manage with this situation. So, he was caring to emphasize that the Chaldean parish in this city, with one sole priest in service, is a parish at the service of all. Therefore, bishop Mar Ibrahim Ibrahim, with an ecumenical spirit, took the initiative of visiting families from other churches with a loving evangelical spirit. This had a positive impact on the mentioned oriental mosaic of affiliations. Therefore, all were gathering under the devotion to the Saint-Mary Mother of Our Holy Redeemer, receiving different ecclesiastical services such as baptism, first communion and marriage preparation. This impression was extended to the visiting or designed bishops and priests, from our Eastern Churches, especially when several years after, new parishes were happily established.
Mutual visits
Many fraternal steps were taken from the Chaldeans, such as attending within a quite important delegation the funeral of the late Assyrian patriarch Mar Dinha IV (1935 – 26 March 2015). The delegation was cordially received, keeping towards its members at the same time a respectable distance like any other visiting delegation. The visits went on being reciprocal and interactive between the oriental churches. We were brotherly and generously welcomed by The Coptic orthodox churches. As for any active participation, we tried to respect the reserve they kept, justifying that to ourselves by any of their administrative and doctrinal rules.
Back to the roots of the 1990s
To further dive into this topic, I go back to the 1990s, during my years of service at the Christian Though (Al Fikr Al Massih) Magazine with Iraqi Dominican Fathers. It is regarding the relationship between the twin churches, Chaldean and Assyrian. On November 11, 1994, was signed the Christological Declaration by Pope John Paul II and Mar Dinha IV. By that declaration was lifted any excommunication between Catholics and the Assyrian Church of the East. On that time, we had a feeling that this historical event has not been sufficiently celebrated with due enthusiasm. In this matter, hereafter, are few reflections and observations.
The Vatican and the Catholic Churches of the East
Observers believe that there was a remarkable marginalization by the Vatican regarding the patriarchal absence of the Chaldean Catholic Church, as a sister church of the Assyrian Church of the East, in such a historic meeting: as if the Chaldean Church was not a close part, in full unity and communion with the Latin Catholic Church. Many were to believe that the Chaldean church should at least be represented in the framework of this historical doctrinal declaration. The declaration emphasized the understanding of each party’s terminology toward the divine nature of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Word Incantate. All this had left a sense or rather a taste of bitterness. it was even said that during those meetings, the late Patriarch Mar Raphael Bedawid was in Rome, or in a visit to some Administrative Vatican departments. This was about the Holy Apostolic See, how about the Holy Assyrian Church of the East?
Monopolizing the name of The Assyrian Church of the East
I had in my souvenirs as a journalist a quite significant hint. At that stage, this declaration was celebrated in an atmosphere of openness and ecumenism by our “Christian Thought – Al Fikr Al Massihi’’ magazine. I wrote an article in the “Spotlight on Events” section, co-signed with my Assyrian activist friend Rabbi Moushi Daoud Aurahim, entitled: The Labor of Unity between the Chaldean and Assyrian Churches of the East. Thereafter, I had the opportunity to present it, with a youthful enthusiasm, to a bishop of the Assyrian Church of the East. Knowing my closeness and familiarity towards his Excellency, he told me with a friendly smile: Yes, however I have my reserves towards the title… It is about the name of the Church of the East. In Fact, we are the Assyrian Church of the East, and the label for you is just “the Chaldean Church”.
Cardinal Roger Etchegaray’s justifications
In front of this spirit, beside the Vatican’s position toward the Chaldeans concerning the great event of the Christological Declaration, my enthusiasm at that time faced innocent or rather naif points of interrogations that remained perplexing. It was quite, by surprise, later on, that I found the answer, in a pure coincidence, not directly related to the relationship between our two “sister” churches:
This was when, at the end of the 1990s, when resonated the so-called cry of the Metropolitan Bishop of Baalbek (Lebanon) about what was qualified as a Vatican’s bureaucracy towards the churches affiliated with the Holy See. There was about this resonating topic, an interview from an international Catholic press agency with the French Cardinal Roger Etchegaray (1922-2017). He was a well-known president of the Pontifical Council “Justice and Peace” and then president of the Pontifical Council “One Heart” (1984-1995ٰ). He was also famous by his sense of humor and frankness. Asked about that, his answer was shocking: “Whenever there is a doctrinal agreement between the Holy See and the non-Catholic Churches, their sister Churches, linked to the Holy See will go their own way, using the French verb” (… se déraperont).
Nevertheless, the conditions of the Christological declaration and the Vatican position, instead of being a position of weakness from the side of the Chaldeans, they turned to become means of pressure on the Vatican authorities. How could someone reach out to this constatation? The reason is: Over the years, from here and there, I gathered different pertinent reactions: When there was any critical negotiation or difficult communication with the Vatican, for different administrative causes, the Chaldeans would be able to recall in response: Fortunately, we have no doctrinal difference with the Church we came from, and the bishops of our apostolic churches are the successors of the apostles; as for the Supreme Pontiff successor of Saint Peter, His Holiness is the servant in Charity of the servants of the Lord.
Tangible Episcopal Initiatives
As a result, this doctrinal communion between the Chaldean and Assyrian Churches has generally remained reassuring and a source of satisfaction for both sides. This, as perceived by observers, has naturally made the two churches perform the role of a common and spontaneous “communicative vases” in Arabic (الأواني المستطرقة) for their respective people, either by their options of moving according to their personal or geographical conditions, or to participate in various liturgical rites; the good reason was: they have a palpable commonality in faith tradition. In this I am giving credit, with gratitude to more than one priest or prelate, based on my personal experience, according to the following souvenirs:
I will never forget a situation when, years ago, I attended a service of the Assyrian Church of the East in Calgary, at its beginnings. I was sitting within the audience, and the pontiff who was about to celebrate the liturgy came down to me wearing his liturgical vestments. His Excellency patted me on the shoulder and said with a friendly smile: We need you to come upstairs with us, to participate with us in the hymns and prayers, especially that the sound system doesn’t help my weak voice.
Here is another experience, with a Syriac Orthodox Church. A brother priest, obviously confident on his Orthodox bishop pre-agreement, came down to me in a similar situation, and said, ” As I am a priest, so you are! come up with us! Then the most Rev. Bishop gave me more than one role in participating in the readings and rituals. Blessed be the Lord and Savior with His messengers who bless the joy of gathering together.
Pastoral ministry to believers equipped with a high sense of perspicacity!
In light of the above stories, the level of relations between brothers remains a call – a vocation that we are invited to live, humbly and even with human limitations. The rapprochement could be accompanied with failures or successes, not only between Catholic and non-Catholic churches, but, unfortunately, there are challenges facing our pastors at the level of the Catholic-Catholic relations, especially in our Middle Easter countries, when the positions might be affected by different factors or conflicts often by personal interests or ambitions.
Hence, our faithful people marked by an almost instinctive smell, remain a school for the ecumenical process; the clergy have to learn from them, with the relevant discernment and a wise and apostolic judgment; and thus, as far as it is not motivated by political temptations or dictates of the rich and influential people. This is what should be said about unprecedented initiatives that did not see the light of day due to the calculations of threshing and harvesting. This is the impression we have of Patriarch Mar Louis Sako’s ecumenical initiative and his steps towards unity.
In the diaspora, as in our home countries, we face challenges that could affect our faith. Therefore, there is a need of our new generations for shepherds, with an increasing lack of priesthood and religious vocations. The appropriate actual alternative is the joint service among our priests, whether in liturgical services or cultural meetings. To all this is added the advantage of intercultural improvement, away from dispersion and lack of spiritual fellowship. This would manage positively with the increasing lack of vocations, addressing the vital shortage of priests, as well as enriching the mutual benefit for different parishioners to be served as good as possible.
The doctrinal Christian commonality between the ecclesiastical denominations remains as a field of cooperation, between the clergy. As actually the churches of these denominations are so closely located that they are within a stone’s throw of each other.
