Glory to Jesus Christ!
On June 7, the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue
between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church ratified a document called “Synodality and Primacy in the Second Millennium and Today”. And it’s a pretty big deal.
Ultimately, the reason East and West have not reunited comes down to the question of papal supremacy. No reunion is possible unless and until two criteria are met: Catholics must admit that, historically, we’ve tended to overstate papal authority, while Orthodox must admit that the pope’s primacy is more than purely symbolic. “Synodality and Primacy” checks both of these boxes.
First, Rome admits that, historically, Catholics have tended to overestimate papal authority.
Take this striking little ‘graph here:
The 14th and 15th centuries witnessed a radical change in the political sphere, putting an end to papal temporal predominance. The attempt of Pope Boniface VIII (1294-1303) to reaffirm papal supremacy in the temporal order in the bull Unam Sanctam (1302) was violently opposed by the king of France, so putting an end to the papal pretension to rule the world politically.
Now, the Commission is just stating the obvious. The pope is not, by virtue of his office, the supreme temporal authority—not in any meaningful way, at least. This isn’t how any pope thought of himself in the first millennium. Boniface’s theory, known as hierocracy, only flourished for about three hundred years. And, as the document points out, Rome quickly decided not to die on that particular hill.
Still, it’s extremely heartening to see Latin Christians—papal delegates, no less!—admitting that the papacy’s self-identity can change over time. It’s possible for one pope (like Boniface) to overstate his authority; it’s also possible for another pope (like Francis) to adopt a more modest position.
Towards the end, the document recalls John Paul II’s offer to reconsider the nature of papal authority in dialogue with his Orthodox counterparts, for the sake of achieving true reconciliation. It also makes clear that Francis’s emphasis on “synodality” is an attempt to reconcile Catholic and Orthodox ecclesiologies:
Pope Francis has emphasized that synodality is “a constitutive element of the Church”. His desire for “an entirely synodal Church” strongly encourages the search for a more effective synodality in the Roman Catholic Church. He has said that, “in the dialogue with our Orthodox brothers and sisters, we Catholics have the opportunity to learn more about the meaning of episcopal collegiality and their experience of synodality.”
So, you might say that Francis’s “synodality” is a middle-way between Catholic papalism and Orthodox conciliarism. To be sure, it’s only that: a way, not a final destination. But at least there’s movement.
Second, Constantinople admits that the pope’s primacy is more than purely symbolic.
The document concludes with two mutual concessions: “For Roman Catholics synodality is not merely consultative, and for Orthodox primacy is not merely honorific.”
You often hear Orthodox insist that Rome’s leadership is purely symbolic. Why? Because this would suggest that the Orthodox churches are impoverished by the schism, that they lack something which Catholics possess. But it’s true: the Orthodox are poorer for not having the Pope. Of course, we’re poorer for not having the Patriarch of Constantinople! But it’s not the same. And, thank God, the Orthodox can see that now.
Like I said, this is huge. Rome and Constantinople are both willing to move beyond toxic, triumphalistic narratives. Both are ready to embrace a more ancient (and more coherent) ecclesiology. At this point, it’s only a matter of time before Rome and Constantinople re-establish intercommunion.
So, what’s holding them up? Believe it or not, I have a theory.
A report from The Pillar pointed out that the Patriarch of Moscow (among others) did not send delegates to this latest meeting of the Commission. That means the Russian Orthodox Church isn’t party to the statement on “Synodality and Primacy.” This put me in mind of the so-called Holy and Great Council.
It’s no secret that the Orthodox are divided against themselves—especially the Greeks and the Russians. So, in 2014, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I requested that all the Orthodox patriarchs and presiding bishops gather at his residence in Constantinople (Istanbul). Each of the canonical Orthodox churches accepted his request. The synod was scheduled to convene in 2016.
However, after insisting that the Council meet in Greece rather than Turkey, the Russian Orthodox Church announced that they would not participate. Moscow pointed out that Antioch and Bulgaria had also withdrawn, and so the synod couldn’t be called “pan-Orthodox” in any meaningful way. What’s curious is that the Bulgarians withdrew for highly specious reasons. Bulgaria’s bishops also happen to be aligned closely with Moscow. Some have speculated that Moscow was working behind-the-scenes to undermine the Council.
Then came the Constantinopolitan-Muscovite schism. In 2018, Bartholomew officially recognized the autocephaly of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU). For those who don’t know, the OCU is the larger, state-backed rival to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The UOC is far older, having been planted by Russian missionaries in the 10th century.
Kirill, the Patriarch of Moscow, was angry that Bartholomew established a rival church in Ukraine. Contrary to Western media claims, the UOC has no connection whatsoever to the Russian Orthodox Church. Still, Constantinople has officially recognized Ukraine as part of Moscow’s sphere of influence since the 1600s. This was clearly a power-play between the two patriarchates, and ended with Kirill breaking communion with Bartholomew.
To date, Moscow has also broken communion with the primates of Greece and Crete, as well as the Patriarch of Alexandria, for joining Bartholomew in recognizing the OCU.
Then, last year, in a surprising twist, Moscow announced that it would be creating new “exarchates” in Turkey and Africa. As you know, Turkey is the official jurisdiction of the Patriarch of Constantinople, while Africa is the official jurisdiction of the Patriarch of Alexandria. These are two of the “big five” sees—along with Rome, Antioch, and Jerusalem—which have been held in highest honor since the Early Church.
Moscow has insisted that the rupture is only between bishops, and should not affect the laity. And yet, explaining Kirill’s decision to establish the Turkish exarchate, Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) said, “The Russian Orthodox Church cannot refuse to nurture the Orthodox in Turkey.” Apparently, the Greeks aren’t just abusing their authority: they’re not even Orthodox.
Now, does Moscow really believe that the Greeks are heretics? Or are they just bluffing? I don’t know. And maybe Kirill doesn’t know, either. There’s a lot going on in Russia at the moment. He might be shooting from the hip.
Either way, we’re left with this colossal irony: Greek Orthodox get along better with Catholics than they do with Russian Orthodox. Catholics also have more respect—both theological and ecclesiological—for the Greek Orthodox than do the Russian Orthodox Church.
Most likely, Francis and Bartholomew would declare intercommunion tomorrow, if only they could get the Russians on board. Bartholomew won’t to act without them, for two reasons. First, he wants there to be corporate reunion. Of course! He’s the Ecumenical Patriarch. Second, he doesn’t want to give Kirill ammo in his bid to become Supreme Pontiff of the Orthodox Church. But if Moscow keeps alienating the other patriarchs by excommunicating and (effectively) deposing them, both points may become moot.
So, here’s my prediction: within the next five years, Latins and the Greeks will establish intercommunion, with or without the Russians—though probably without them.
That’s my big idea. And, by the bye, I sincerely don’t mean to offend any of my Orthodox readers. I’m not trying to cast aspersions on Kirill, or Bartholomew, or anyone else. Hopefully by now you all know that I long for Catholic-Orthodox reunion more than anything in the world. And that day is coming. It’s coming much sooner than we think.
For peace in the whole world, the well-being of the holy Churches of God and the union of all, let us pray to the Lord:
Lord, have mercy!
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