ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS SHENOUDA III
6 May 1973
After the celebration of Holy Mass, His Holiness Shenouda III went to the main altar of the basilica where he was greeted by Pope Paul VI. He then delivered the following address.
Dear Brother in the Lord,
Your Holiness Pope Paul VI,
The Lord Jesus Christ said to the Father: “That they may all be one, even as Thou, Father, art in me and I in Thee, that they also may be one in us” (Jn. 17, 21), “...that they may be one, even as we are one” (Jn. 17, 11). Jesus Christ, who so said, undoubtedly leads with His Holy Spirit every action that tends to unity, whether of heart, mind or faith. For the Church is Christ’s body; and He has but one body.
We fully believe that He has disposed for this meeting so that we may take a step forward in strengthening the relations between our two apostolic Churches which were two among the four great apostolic Churches of early Christianity. We have a responsibility, we believe, to work for the unity of faith, not only between us but all over Christendom.
We dare say our differences were for the sake of Christ’s love, through which we love each other regardless of the differences. We meet today so that we may deepen our mutual love. Talks guided by the Holy Spirit in such an atmosphere should lead to unity of heart, mind and faith.
However, we have to declare there are between us many points of agreement in the principles of faith. We all believe in the One God, the Divine Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Ghost. The Lord’s Incarnation, act of Redemption, Resurrection, Ascension and Second Coming to judge the living and the dead are our common belief. Yea, we believe that the human soul is everlasting, we believe in the resurrection of the dead and the life hereafter, the intercession of the Virgin Mary, the angels and the saints, the seven sacraments and the work of the Holy Ghost in them. We believe in one way for salvation and we condemn the heresies of Arius, Nestorius, Euthyches, Sabelius, Macedonios and the others.
As for points of difference, there is no doubt that after fifteen centuries of study, examination and controversy both on theological and public levels we are undoubtedly on much nearer grounds than our ancestors of the fifth and sixth centuries. We all are readier and more intensive to reach solutions for the differences and attain simpler and more practical forms of expression for the conceptions of faith that all would welcome. We are mindful that the tension of old philosophic and linguistic understandings together with the political implications connected with the days of schism and the following centuries have been considerably reduced.
Your Holiness, the world of today, suffering from movements of atheistic, materialistic, sceptic or immoral natures is in drastic need for the cooperation of all Churches so that proper human conscience would find support in the twentieth century. Hence, fully conscious of its duty of witnessing to Christ, the Church is committed to unite so that it would proclaim its spiritual message more effectively. Only through communion in the mystery of the One Christ would it achieve its mission of reconciliation, between God and man, the spirit and the flesh.
Your Holiness, the friendly relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the Coptic Orthodox Church have become stronger and more expansive in this generation, particularly through meetings, visits and messages. Coptic delegates attended the sessions of the Vatican Council since 1962. Catholic representatives attended the celebration of the inauguration of St. Mark’s Cathedral in Cairo, June 1968. The friendly gift of Your Holiness at that time of the relic of St. Mark now laid in his See in Cairo has met with feelings of deep regard and gratitude on behalf of the Copts. Later we attended the celebrations of St. Mark in Venice. We shared together in many conferences, to mention in particular the theological Consultation in Vienna, September 1971, between theologians of the Oriental Orthodox Churches and the Roman Catholic Church, where a tentative formula of faith about the nature of Christ was achieved and approved by both sides. This was a positive successful and hopeful step which proved that theological discussions with friendly attitudes lead to proper and useful results.
Through this present personal meeting we are driving on to more promotion of this movement. May we, through His Providence, the work of the Holy Spirit and for the sake of His Kingdom find a proper place for Him in every heart and exert the expansion of love, goodness, peace and justice in His world.
Your Holiness, as we celebrate the sixteenth Centenary of St. Athanasius the Apostolic, who played the greatest role in editing the Christian Creed at the Council of Nicea and defended the right faith with all power and persistence bestowed upon him by the Almighty, we remember that St. Athanasius the Copt is Father of both us as the same time. He is father of the Church in the East as well as in the West. In him we meet as we meet at the feet of our Lord. We unite in his dogmas and faith.
In his steps proceeded St. Cyril the Great, the Alexandrian who became a pillar and a hero of Christian faith. As St. Athanasius had struggled against Arianism, so St. Cyril did for the defence of faith against Nestorianism and professed the faith of Western and Eastern Christianity. Like Athanasius he became a point of agreement not only in his faith but also in the proper and definite expression of faith which exemplify clearly the word of truth precisely and effectively.
The common traditional theology of Athanasius and Cyril stands as solid centre for the dialogue that we commit to a considerable number of theologians to go through in a spirit of faithful love. We expect them to agree on proper belief expressed in clear and uncomplicated language that all minds understand and consciences approve with comfort.
Your Holiness, at this historic moment of this blessed day we lift our hearts to Heavenly Jerusalem where we all hope to have lodging. Round the Sacred Throne of the One God gather the angels and human saints as one Family headed by one Lord and Father whom we all worship, serve and feel happy to watch. We also remember the earthly Jerusalem, the city of our God in whose streets He strode and taught, where He was crucified, died and rose back from the dead, and ascended to the Sky. We cannot forget the sufferings of the Holy Land and the Middle East which was blessed by Christ’s work and life during the period of incarnation.
May Christ’s love move us to exert more common effort for the return of peace of the Land of Peace ‒ a peace based on justice and truth! May He ever be blessed in us. May we worship Him with righteousness all our life. We humbly beg for Your Holiness and the Catholic Church all peace from the Lord to whom glory and reverence be forever. Amen.
(Information Service 22 (1973/IV) pp.5‒6. Reproduced in special issue of Information Service 76 (1991/I) pp.4‒6).