Joint Declaration of Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God the Father
and the fellowship of the holy Spirit be with all of you” (2 Cor 13:13).
1. By God the Father’s will, from which all gifts
come, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the help of the
Holy Spirit Consolator, we, Pope Francis and Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow
and All Russia, have met today in Havana. We give thanks to God,
glorified in the Trinity, for this meeting, the first in history.
It is with joy that we have met like brothers in the Christian faith
who encounter one another “to speak face to face” (2 Jn 12), from heart
to heart, to discuss the mutual relations between the Churches, the
crucial problems of our faithful, and the outlook for the progress of
human civilization.
2. Our fraternal meeting has taken place in Cuba, at
the crossroads of North and South, East and West. It is from this
island, the symbol of the hopes of the “New World” and the dramatic
events of the history of the twentieth century, that we address our
words to all the peoples of Latin America and of the other continents.
It is a source of joy that the Christian faith is growing here in a
dynamic way. The powerful religious potential of Latin America, its
centuries–old Christian tradition, grounded in the personal experience
of millions of people, are the pledge of a great future for this region.
3. By meeting far from the longstanding disputes of
the “Old World”, we experience with a particular sense of urgency the
need for the shared labour of Catholics and Orthodox, who are called,
with gentleness and respect, to give an explanation to the world of the
hope in us (cf. 1 Pet 3:15).
4. We thank God for the gifts received from the
coming into the world of His only Son. We share the same spiritual
Tradition of the first millennium of Christianity. The witnesses of this
Tradition are the Most Holy Mother of God, the Virgin Mary, and the
saints we venerate. Among them are innumerable martyrs who have given
witness to their faithfulness to Christ and have become the “seed of
Christians”.
5. Notwithstanding this shared Tradition of the
first ten centuries, for nearly one thousand years Catholics and
Orthodox have been deprived of communion in the Eucharist. We have been
divided by wounds caused by old and recent conflicts, by differences
inherited from our ancestors, in the understanding and expression of our
faith in God, one in three Persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We
are pained by the loss of unity, the outcome of human weakness and of
sin, which has occurred despite the priestly prayer of Christ the
Saviour: “So that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I
in you … so that they may be one, as we are one” (Jn 17:21).
6. Mindful of the permanence of many obstacles, it
is our hope that our meeting may contribute to the re–establishment of
this unity willed by God, for which Christ prayed. May our meeting
inspire Christians throughout the world to pray to the Lord with renewed
fervour for the full unity of all His disciples. In a world which
yearns not only for our words but also for tangible gestures, may this
meeting be a sign of hope for all people of goodwill!
7. In our determination to undertake all that is
necessary to overcome the historical divergences we have inherited, we
wish to combine our efforts to give witness to the Gospel of Christ and
to the shared heritage of the Church of the first millennium, responding
together to the challenges of the contemporary world. Orthodox and
Catholics must learn to give unanimously witness in those spheres in
which this is possible and necessary. Human civilization has entered
into a period of epochal change. Our Christian conscience and our
pastoral responsibility compel us not to remain passive in the face of
challenges requiring a shared response.
8. Our gaze must firstly turn to those regions of
the world where Christians are victims of persecution. In many countries
of the Middle East and North Africa whole families, villages and cities
of our brothers and sisters in Christ are being completely
exterminated. Their churches are being barbarously ravaged and looted,
their sacred objects profaned, their monuments destroyed. It is with
pain that we call to mind the situation in Syria, Iraq and other
countries of the Middle East, and the massive exodus of Christians from
the land in which our faith was first disseminated and in which they
have lived since the time of the Apostles, together with other religious
communities.
9. We call upon the international community to act
urgently in order to prevent the further expulsion of Christians from
the Middle East. In raising our voice in defence of persecuted
Christians, we wish to express our compassion for the suffering
experienced by the faithful of other religious traditions who have also
become victims of civil war, chaos and terrorist violence.
10. Thousands of victims have already been claimed
in the violence in Syria and Iraq, which has left many other millions
without a home or means of sustenance. We urge the international
community to seek an end to the violence and terrorism and, at the same
time, to contribute through dialogue to a swift return to civil peace.
Large–scale humanitarian aid must be assured to the afflicted
populations and to the many refugees seeking safety in neighbouring
lands.
We call upon all those whose influence can be brought to bear upon
the destiny of those kidnapped, including the Metropolitans of Aleppo,
Paul and John Ibrahim, who were taken in April 2013, to make every
effort to ensure their prompt liberation.
11. We lift our prayers to Christ, the Saviour of
the world, asking for the return of peace in the Middle East, “the fruit
of justice” (Is 32:17), so that fraternal co–existence among the
various populations, Churches and religions may be strengthened,
enabling refugees to return to their homes, wounds to be healed, and the
souls of the slain innocent to rest in peace.
We address, in a fervent appeal, all the parts that may be involved
in the conflicts to demonstrate good will and to take part in the
negotiating table. At the same time, the international community must
undertake every possible effort to end terrorism through common, joint
and coordinated action. We call on all the countries involved in the
struggle against terrorism to responsible and prudent action. We exhort
all Christians and all believers of God to pray fervently to the
providential Creator of the world to protect His creation from
destruction and not permit a new world war. In order to ensure a solid
and enduring peace, specific efforts must be undertaken to rediscover
the common values uniting us, based on the Gospel of our Lord Jesus
Christ.
12. We bow before the martyrdom of those who, at the
cost of their own lives, have given witness to the truth of the Gospel,
preferring death to the denial of Christ. We believe that these martyrs
of our times, who belong to various Churches but who are united by
their shared suffering, are a pledge of the unity of Christians. It is
to you who suffer for Christ’s sake that the word of the Apostle is
directed: “Beloved … rejoice to the extent that you share in the
sufferings of Christ, so that when his glory is revealed you may also
rejoice exultantly” (1 Pet 4:12–13).
13. Interreligious dialogue is indispensable in our
disturbing times. Differences in the understanding of religious truths
must not impede people of different faiths to live in peace and harmony.
In our current context, religious leaders have the particular
responsibility to educate their faithful in a spirit which is respectful
of the convictions of those belonging to other religious traditions.
Attempts to justify criminal acts with religious slogans are altogether
unacceptable. No crime may be committed in God’s name, “since God is not
the God of disorder but of peace” (1 Cor 14:33).
14. In affirming the foremost value of religious
freedom, we give thanks to God for the current unprecedented renewal of
the Christian faith in Russia, as well as in many other countries of
Eastern Europe, formerly dominated for decades by atheist regimes.
Today, the chains of militant atheism have been broken and in many
places Christians can now freely confess their faith. Thousands of new
churches have been built over the last quarter of a century, as well as
hundreds of monasteries and theological institutions. Christian
communities undertake notable works in the fields of charitable aid and
social development, providing diversified forms of assistance to the
needy. Orthodox and Catholics often work side by side. Giving witness to
the values of the Gospel they attest to the existence of the shared
spiritual foundations of human co–existence.
15. At the same time, we are concerned about the
situation in many countries in which Christians are increasingly
confronted by restrictions to religious freedom, to the right to witness
to one’s convictions and to live in conformity with them. In
particular, we observe that the transformation of some countries into
secularized societies, estranged from all reference to God and to His
truth, constitutes a grave threat to religious freedom. It is a source
of concern for us that there is a current curtailment of the rights of
Christians, if not their outright discrimination, when certain political
forces, guided by an often very aggressive secularist ideology, seek to
relegate them to the margins of public life.
16. The process of European integration, which began
after centuries of blood–soaked conflicts, was welcomed by many with
hope, as a guarantee of peace and security. Nonetheless, we invite
vigilance against an integration that is devoid of respect for religious
identities. While remaining open to the contribution of other religions
to our civilization, it is our conviction that Europe must remain
faithful to its Christian roots. We call upon Christians of Eastern and
Western Europe to unite in their shared witness to Christ and the
Gospel, so that Europe may preserve its soul, shaped by two thousand
years of Christian tradition.
17. Our gaze is also directed to those facing
serious difficulties, who live in extreme need and poverty while the
material wealth of humanity increases. We cannot remain indifferent to
the destinies of millions of migrants and refugees knocking on the doors
of wealthy nations. The unrelenting consumerism of some more developed
countries is gradually depleting the resources of our planet. The
growing inequality in the distribution of material goods increases the
feeling of the injustice of the international order that has emerged.
18. The Christian churches are called to defend the
demands of justice, the respect for peoples’ traditions, and an
authentic solidarity towards all those who suffer. We Christians cannot
forget that “God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and
God chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for
nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are something, that no human
being might boast before God” (1 Cor 1:27–29).
19. The family is the natural centre of human life
and society. We are concerned about the crisis in the family in many
countries. Orthodox and Catholics share the same conception of the
family, and are called to witness that it is a path of holiness,
testifying to the faithfulness of the spouses in their mutual
interaction, to their openness to the procreation and rearing of their
children, to solidarity between the generations and to respect for the
weakest.
20. The family is based on marriage, an act of
freely given and faithful love between a man and a woman. It is love
that seals their union and teaches them to accept one another as a gift.
Marriage is a school of love and faithfulness. We regret that other
forms of cohabitation have been placed on the same level as this union,
while the concept, consecrated in the biblical tradition, of paternity
and maternity as the distinct vocation of man and woman in marriage is
being banished from the public conscience.
21. We call on all to respect the inalienable right
to life. Millions are denied the very right to be born into the world.
The blood of the unborn cries out to God (cf. Gen 4:10).
The emergence of so-called euthanasia leads elderly people and the
disabled begin to feel that they are a burden on their families and on
society in general.
We are also concerned about the development of biomedical
reproduction technology, as the manipulation of human life represents an
attack on the foundations of human existence, created in the image of
God. We believe that it is our duty to recall the immutability of
Christian moral principles, based on respect for the dignity of the
individual called into being according to the Creator’s plan.
22. Today, in a particular way, we address young
Christians. You, young people, have the task of not hiding your talent
in the ground (cf. Mt 25:25), but of using all the abilities God has
given you to confirm Christ’s truth in the world, incarnating in your
own lives the evangelical commandments of the love of God and of one’s
neighbour. Do not be afraid of going against the current, defending
God’s truth, to which contemporary secular norms are often far from
conforming.
23. God loves each of you and expects you to be His
disciples and apostles. Be the light of the world so that those around
you may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father (cf. Mt
5:14, 16). Raise your children in the Christian faith, transmitting to
them the pearl of great price that is the faith (cf. Mt 13:46) you have
received from your parents and forbears. Remember that “you have been
purchased at a great price” (1 Cor 6:20), at the cost of the death on
the cross of the Man–God Jesus Christ.
24. Orthodox and Catholics are united not only by
the shared Tradition of the Church of the first millennium, but also by
the mission to preach the Gospel of Christ in the world today. This
mission entails mutual respect for members of the Christian communities
and excludes any form of proselytism.
We are not competitors but brothers, and this concept must guide all
our mutual actions as well as those directed to the outside world. We
urge Catholics and Orthodox in all countries to learn to live together
in peace and love, and to be “in harmony with one another” (Rm 15:5).
Consequently, it cannot be accepted that disloyal means be used to
incite believers to pass from one Church to another, denying them their
religious freedom and their traditions. We are called upon to put into
practice the precept of the apostle Paul: “Thus I aspire to proclaim the
gospel not where Christ has already been named, so that I do not build
on another’s foundation” (Rm 15:20).
25. It is our hope that our meeting may also
contribute to reconciliation wherever tensions exist between Greek
Catholics and Orthodox. It is today clear that the past method of
“uniatism”, understood as the union of one community to the other,
separating it from its Church, is not the way to re–establish unity.
Nonetheless, the ecclesial communities which emerged in these historical
circumstances have the right to exist and to undertake all that is
necessary to meet the spiritual needs of their faithful, while seeking
to live in peace with their neighbours. Orthodox and Greek Catholics are
in need of reconciliation and of mutually acceptable forms of
co–existence.
26. We deplore the hostility in Ukraine that has
already caused many victims, inflicted innumerable wounds on peaceful
inhabitants and thrown society into a deep economic and humanitarian
crisis. We invite all the parts involved in the conflict to prudence, to
social solidarity and to action aimed at constructing peace. We invite
our Churches in Ukraine to work towards social harmony, to refrain from
taking part in the confrontation, and to not support any further
development of the conflict.
27. It is our hope that the schism between the
Orthodox faithful in Ukraine may be overcome through existing canonical
norms, that all the Orthodox Christians of Ukraine may live in peace and
harmony, and that the Catholic communities in the country may
contribute to this, in such a way that our Christian brotherhood may
become increasingly evident.
28. In the contemporary world, which is both
multiform yet united by a shared destiny, Catholics and Orthodox are
called to work together fraternally in proclaiming the Good News of
salvation, to testify together to the moral dignity and authentic
freedom of the person, “so that the world may believe” (Jn 17:21). This
world, in which the spiritual pillars of human existence are
progressively disappearing, awaits from us a compelling Christian
witness in all spheres of personal and social life. Much of the future
of humanity will depend on our capacity to give shared witness to the
Spirit of truth in these difficult times.
29. May our bold witness to God’s truth and to the
Good News of salvation be sustained by the Man–God Jesus Christ, our
Lord and Saviour, who strengthens us with the unfailing promise: “Do not
be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give
you the kingdom” (Lk 12:32)!
Christ is the well–spring of joy and hope. Faith in Him transfigures
human life, fills it with meaning. This is the conviction borne of the
experience of all those to whom Peter refers in his words: “Once you
were ‘no people’ but now you are God’s people; you ‘had not received
mercy’ but now you have received mercy” (1 Pet 2:10).
30. With grace–filled gratitude for the gift of
mutual understanding manifested during our meeting, let us with hope
turn to the Most Holy Mother of God, invoking her with the words of this
ancient prayer: “We seek refuge under the protection of your mercy,
Holy Mother of God”. May the Blessed Virgin Mary, through her
intercession, inspire fraternity in all those who venerate her, so that
they may be reunited, in God’s own time, in the peace and harmony of the
one people of God, for the glory of the Most Holy and indivisible
Trinity!
Francis
Bishop of Rome
Pope of the Catholic Church
Kirill
Patriarch of Moscow
and all Russia
