September 26, 1995
“Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honour and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen” (Rev. 7:12).
1. Glory, praise and thanksgiving we offer to our Triune God for again deeming us worthy, the Primates of the local Most Holy Orthodox Churches by His mercy and grace, to convene at this time “on the island called Patmos” (Rev. 1:9) in order to celebrate together the completion of 1900 years since Saint John wrote the sacred book of Revelation, the conclusion of the Church’s Holy Scriptures.
Radiantly solemnising together and concelebrating to the Lord the sacred commemoration of the holy glorious Apostle and Evangelist John, and partaking of the Bread and the Cup of our common faith, hope, and love, we desire to direct a message of peace and love to the faithful of our Most Holy Orthodox Church, to all those who believe in Christ, as well as to every person of good will so that we may unite with them in listening to “what the Spirit says to the Churches” (Rev. 2:11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22) during these crucial times.
2. Because these are critical times indeed, making the responsibility of the Church of Christ a somber and multifaceted matter not only towards her children, but also to all of humanity in general and before all of God’s creation. The apostasy of man from God and the effort of deification of human power and happiness, the altar upon which everything is sacrificed – fellow man and all the rest of material creation – prompt and intesify this crisis which many characterise as “apocalyptic.”
During these times we believe it is our duty to underscore what revelation in Christ means for the progress of humanity, peace and the brotherhood of peoples. It is the responsibility of the Orthodox Churches to contribute in every way possible to the realization and prevalence of these principles throughout the world, by becoming bearers and messengers of the spirit and the ethos of this Revelation. Therefore, from this sacred place sanctified by the Evangelist of love we make an appeal to all – foremost to those who exercise power on earth and those who live in the regions of conflicts and wars – for peace and justice for all. To this end, we ourselves as Churches are ready to offer our spiritual and moral contribution wherever necessary.
3. Through this appeal we desire to make clear to all – and especially to all those who deliberately or out of ignorance present an inaccurate or distorted image of the Orthodox Church – that the Orthodoxperception of “nation” in no way contains any element of aggression and conflict among peoples. Rather, it refers to the particularity of each to maintain and cultivate the wealth of their tradition. In this way, they contribute toward the progress, the peace and the reconciliation of all peoples. For this reason, we condemn all nationalistic fanaticism, as it is capable of leading to division and hatred among peoples; the alteration or extinction of other peoples’ cultural and religious particularities; and to the repression of the sacred rights of freedom and dignity of the human person and minorities everywhere.
4. This message is addressed during a pivotal point in human history which signals the coming end of the second millenium after Christ and the dawning of the 21st century. The Orthodox Church should not leave this to pass without notice, although certainly she does not ignore that the measuring of time in increments of a thousand years or other units of time, in essence, constitutes an act of convenience. The fact that historical time is measured in reference to Christ calls all those who believe in Christ to notice this historical hinge and use it as an opportunity to evaluate the great events of this closing century and to discern the problems and the possibilities of the new century dawning.
For these reasons, the Orthodox Church intends to plan pan-Orthodox celebrations for the jubilee of the year 2000 A.D. During these celebrations the Church will offer doxology to the Lord of history for all that he has given the Church and his world this fading century. Thus glorifying God “in all things,” according to the saying of a holy Father of the Church, cognizant that his grace, enlightenment and help will be invoked upon the Church and upon His people at the beginning of the coming millenium.
5. In recollection, we observe that for the Orthodox Church the closing century was full of important events. In various lands Orthodox Christians suffered cruel and prolonged persecutions. This martydom encouraged the Orthodox ethos of an evangelical humility and “the endurance and faith of the saints” (Rev. 13:10), to trust in Him who “went out conquering and to conquer” (Rev. 6:2) with the assurance that along with the life of the Cross of Christ the experience of the Resurrection. The blood of these known and unknown martyrs connects our Church in a special way with the Apostolic age.
6. This experience of martydom accompanied the theological witness through which patristic theology was renewed and the teaching of the Fathers on the world and humankind, as was well as that on the sacraments and the Church was affirmed. The rediscovery and creative presentation of the teaching of the Greek Fathers of the Church; the “language” and spiritual beauty of icons; the awakening of the missionary conscience; the flourishing of the monastic life; and the rediscovery and appreciation of the spirit of the Desert Fathers in conjunction with a fertile dialogue with the contemporary currents of philosophy and science; all these things have made Orthodox theology alive and respected internationally. It is for this reason that we must honour the pioneers of this theological florescence, who through their diligent endeavours led Orthodox theology to a common witness to the modern world, which witness goes beyond racial distinctions and national boundaries.
7. This creative revival of the spirit of the Church Fathers has helped the contemporary theological and ecclesiastical world not only to renew the life of our local churches in general, but also to offer to the various organizations of the contemporary Ecumenical Movement and the relative bi-lateral and multi-lateral theological dialogues the witness of “the one holy, catholic and apostolic Church.” The Ecumenical Movement, whose presence toward the end of the concluding millennium has been intense and has revived sacred hopes among divided Christians, constituted a wide and significant ground of witness, promotion and contribution of Orthodox theology. Unfortunately, the crises and deviations observed during the last decades in the bosom of the Ecumenical Movement impose upon the Orthodox Church the need to resist such deviations and to promote the genuine tradition of the Church. We also consider that Uniatism and proselytism are serious obstacles to the progress of our dialogue with the Roman Catholics and Protestants.
8. During these times of rampant secularisation there is an even greater need to point out and underscore the significance of the holiness of life in view of the spiritual crisis which characterises the modern world. The misunderstanding of freedom as permissiveness leads to increased crime and the lack of respect for the freedom of one’s neighbour as well as for the sanctity of life; and what’s more, it leads to the violation of the natural world and to ecological destruction. The Orthodox Tradition is the bearer of a spiritual ethos which must be pointed out particularly in our times.
9. This Orthodox experience and witness is offered in humility, fully conscious of our responsibility to the Oikoumene, to all persons and peoples without exception and with respect for the freedom and particularity of everyone, in obedience to Him who “was slain and by His own blood did ransom men for God from every tribe and tongue and people and nation” (Rev. 5:9). The horizon of the Orthodox mission in spite of temporal difficulties remains universal and its direction and expectation eschatological.
10. Most especially with regard to the ecological crisis which for all of us is crucial and threatening, we reiterate through this present message the vigorous concern of the Orthodox Church for the right use of the environment. Already during our previous meeting at the See of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, we expressed this conviction while recording that, by the initiative of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, conferences related to this issue were organized and the September 1 of each year was designated as a day of prayer for the protection of the natural environment. Once more, we affirm that we consider this issue eminently threatening and we call upon all to be vigilant and to take every necessary avenues to save and protect God’s creation. The Orthodox Church considers humankind to be a steward and not the owner of material creation. This perception is particularly expressed in the tradition and experience of the ascetic life and worship, and above all in the Eucharist. It is imperative today that we all display love and keep an ascetic attitude towards nature.
11. Thus, the meaning and significance of the Divine Eucharist as the center and as a criterion for the entire life of the Church is obvious. All the Holy Sacraments and the whole of Church life are centered on the Divine Eucharist and lead to it. Each Divine Liturgy, celebrated under the presidency or in the name of the local canonical bishop, constitutes the axis and the criterion of the entire life of the Church; it reveals the deeper and final meaning of the existence of the whole of creation, which is its communion with the life of the Triune God.
It is therefore apparent that on the one hand the Divine Eucharist must always be celebrated in the name of the canonical bishop and with his permission, so that it is valid and salvific for the participants. On the other hand, the manner of celebration must be proper to its nature and character as an icon of the Kingdom and the final meaning of all that exists. This is necessary because serious deviations are observed at times with regard to the permission given by, and commemoration of, the canonical bishop in the Holy Anaphora, while the manner of celebrating the Divine Liturgy and worship occasionally show signs of influences alien to the Orthodox tradition.
12. And now, looking forward in faith and hope to the coming millenium, we call all people to prayer and vigilance in view of the grave problems as well as the great possibilities appearing on the horizon. The achievements of science in almost all areas, particularly in biology, entail incredible successes, but also dangers. The Church cannot remain indifferent to these prospective developments since the survival of the human person as “the image of God” is at stake.
13. In the field of broader political changes, the Orthodox Church remains steadfast to the fundamental principle of non-interference in politics. To be sure, the Church cannot remain indifferent when political decisions affect the very existence of the Orthodox Churches, in which case she expects that her position will be heard and be taken seriously into account. We consider one such case to be the issue of the future of the Holy Land, its holy places and living community, which concerns the entire Orthodox Church and the Patriarchate of Jerusalem in particular. Therefore, any discussion concerning the status quo of the Holy Land, which has been secured by international decisions and conventions throughout the centuries, cannot and should not take place without the knowledge or the presence of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which resides there for centuries.
14. In the broader field of culture many have expressed the view that the coming century will bring humanity before “a clash of civilisations” in which the religious elements will be dominant. Such a possibility obliges all religious leaders to use wisdom, prudence and courage so that every element of fanaticism and hatred may be eliminated, thereby safeguarding peace in a world which has been tried so severely in wars and conflicts during the terminating century.
15. In a world confronted by all kinds of sects and terrifying interpretations of the book of Revelation, all of us, especially the younger generation, are called to learn and bear witness, in word and deed, to the fact that only the love of God, of our fellow man and His creation offers meaning and salvation to our lives, even during the most difficult periods of history. In spite of dramatic events, the book of Revelation contains in its depth the Gospel of Christ which reveals to us that man’s sin and the demonic destructive forces have been, and will be, defeated by Jesus Christ, the Lord of history, who is “the Alpha and the Omega … who is and who was and who is to come, the pantocrator” (Rev. 1:8).
From this sacred island of Patmos we address this message to you, beloved ones in Christ, embracing you in His name and bringing to you and all the world the voice of the sacred author of the Apocalypse, a voice of faith, hope, and love:
“Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will be with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away” (Rev. 21: 3-4).
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God the Father and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.
