This is a brief reaction to the new  Dialogue Statement drafted and adopted by the North American Joint Committee of Orthodox and Catholic Bishops during their October 2-4 meeting at Chania, Crete.

At first there seems to be little new.  There is a reaffirmation of the agreement by Patriarch Athenagoras I and Pope Paul VI to lift the anathemas of 1054.  That agreement is still a point of contention among Orthodox, but this issue is nothing new.

The statement goes on to discuss the bloody conflicts which have arisen between the Roman Catholics and the Orthodox, and says there is an "urgent need to present the true nature of ecumenical dialogue, not as a betrayal of anyone's faith, but as an effort to understand what we truly have in common at a level deeper than our divisions and theological formulae".

What is the deepest level, the simplest expression of the Faith as stated by Christ Himself? "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind.  This is the greatest and the first commandment. And the second is like to this: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."  Furthermore Jesus says: "But I say to you, Love your enemies: do good to them that hate you: and pray for them that persecute and calumniate you: That you may be the children of your Father who is in heaven, who maketh his sun to rise upon the good, and bad, and raineth upon the just and the unjust. For if you love them that love you, what reward shall you have? Do not even the publicans this? And if you salute your brethren only, what do you more?
Do not also the heathens this? Be you therefore perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect."

This is the deepest level of the Faith, and what we must hold in common if we follow Christ.  Conflicts, whether political or religious, must be resolved in obedience to Christ's Commandment.

We are supposed to love everyone without question of their beliefs. All of us are created in God's image and likeness, regardless of what we believe. Anyone who thinks that slaying their neighbor is pleasing to God or valuable for their salvation, does not understand the very clear commandments of the Lord to "love thy neighbor." It is obvious that church leaders have not been heard if their flock engage in such acts.  No matter what agreements church leaders may make, there will be no change in the attitude of the communities they serve if the laity will not hear Christ first.  If those engaged in war in the name of Jesus Christ will not hear the words of Jesus Christ, how can church leaders who are mere men think that their agreements will have any influence?

It is hoped that all who confess Christ may be united by common Faith in the Body of Christ. Sadly, this will not be a means of establishing peace between various groups.  Those who deliberately reject Christ's commandment, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself," already set themselves in opposition to Christ, and we need to make efforts within our churches to correct their thinking.

Let us return to the first part of Christ's short statement of the Law: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind."  "Whole mind" refers to the definitions of the faith. The term used in the October statement, "theological formulae" is a reference to the definitions of the Faith.  Specifically, "theological formulae" means the Creed and Roman alterations of the Creed and other statements of the Faith.

The enthusiasm of the signatories has caused an ill-considered decision. Because it contains this one string of words: "theological formulae," this Crete Statement says that in the future, differences of theological formulae will not be treated as important.  It is doubtful that the Orthodox participants really meant to say this.

The introduction of the idea that theological formulae are not important is very dangerous. It is an affront to the "whole mind" of the Church, since those theological formulae include the Creed as it was set down inalterably by the first two Ecumenical Councils.  The Creed is the product of the Holy Spirit speaking through those Councils of the entire Church.  WHAT can be deeper than the utterances of the Holy Spirit?  This October Statement is actually worse than the oft-repeated phrase, "emphasize what we hold in common" of the average ecumenist, because while it seems to say very little, this one sentence will be used as an agreement to ignore Doctrine.  The commandment to "love God... with our whole mind" will be forgotten.  There are no levels of the Faith that can be conveniently ignored. There is only the one True Faith that we have received from the Father, the Son our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.  To claim there is a "level deeper" is to say that there is something that is deeper than the complete Faith.  There is no Church without the True Faith: all of the True Faith.

If Christians truly follow Christ and love our neighbor as ourselves, there would be no excuse to modify the "whole mind" of the Church in the name of diplomacy.  We must love our neighbor as ourselves if we are to love the Lord our God with our "whole heart," and with our "whole soul," and with our "whole mind."

Pray for peace in Bosnia.  Pray for peace in Serbia.  Pray for peace in Northern Ireland.  Pray for peace in America.  Pray for peace throughout the Lord's creation.

Pray that Christians may always live according to the teachings of Christ and never provide excuse to change His teachings.

May Christ's Peace be ever with you.
Abbot-Bishop +Maelruain, Cele De

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