The Message of His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, addressed to the World Council of Churches Faith and Order plenary Commission meeting, the Social and Pastoral Centre Holy Cross, Caraiman Monastery, Buşteni, Romania, 17-24 June 2015:
Dear General Secretary of the World Council of Churches,
Dear Moderator of Faith and Order Commission,
Your Eminences and Graces, esteemed members of Faith and Order Commission,
Dear Director of Faith and Order and esteemed members of staff,
Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,
It is a great joy to greet you all here in the Social and Pastoral Centre “Holy Cross” at Caraiman Monastery, on this special occasion of the meeting of the Commission on Faith and Order!
We are aware that this is the first meeting of the Commission on Faith and Order following the renewal of its membersin the period after the last General Assembly of the World Council of Churches and we are aware too that you are going to take important decisions regarding the work of the Commission in the next years. The Commission on Faith and Order has a special place in the life of the World Council of Churches and of the ecumenical movement in general. This special place is given both by its areas of work and reflection and by its constituency.
Being a Commission whose origins are placed at the beginning of 20th Century and are interconnected with the first attempts to shape and develop the modern efforts for Christian unity, the Commission on Faith and Order is dealing with questions related to faith and doctrine, canon law and discipline, Christian practices and moral values. Throughout its history, the Commission hasapproached all these doctrinal and ethical questions, highlighting what churches can express together, but also pointing out our differences in order to be discussed and further reflected on inan irenic spirit. The constituency of the Faith and Order Commission is particular because it is wider and more inclusive than the constituency of the World Council of Churches. The presence of the Roman Catholic Church as a full member of this Commission enriches it significantly. Also, the fact that some other newly established Christian groups which emerged in the last decades in different parts of the world are represented in the Commission makes it more representative for Global Christianity.
The Faith and Order Commission enjoys a great reputation in the Orthodox Church, due to its theological contribution to the issue of Christian unity. We appreciate also the courage that the Commission has shown, through its membership and secretariat in its history, to address questions of particular importance for Christianity, but also to deal with delicate issues that divide us as Christians. We appreciate the efforts of the leadership of the World Council of Churches and of the Faith and Order Commission in reorganising and reshaping the structure of the Commission in order to respondto its financial difficulties, but also to work more efficiently in order to achieve its goals.
We would like to use this occasion to congratulate the newly appointed Director of Faith and Order, Rev. Dr Odair Pedroso Mateus and bless this new beginning for Faith and Order. We trust that he, as a staff member of Faith and Order for many years and as a professor at the Ecumenical Institute of Bossey, will provide the appropriate leadership for the staff of the Faith and Order so that they can complete their important mission.
I wish you all a successful Commission meeting! May the spiritual environment of Caraiman Monastery inspire you all in your common work!
† DANIEL
Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church
