Patriarchal Encyclical

Friends:

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew issued an Encyclical on the Sunday of Orthodoxy
[February 21, 2010].

I recommend it to you.
It can be found on the website of the Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain.
http://www.thyateira.org.uk/

I found two points struck me in particular:

"...Orthodoxy must be in constant dialogue with the world. The Orthodox Church does not fear dialogue because truth is not afraid of dialogue."

Our Consortium is certainly about dialogue between and among Christians.
Fear, as Archbishop Vsevolod once told me, is the prime obstacle to our relationships.

"It is not possible for the Lord to agonize over the unity of His disciples and for us to remain indifferent about the unity of all Christians. This would constitute criminal betrayal and transgression of His divine commandment." [see John 17.21]

These are strong words that indicate the great importance of the mission of our
Consortium.

Peace,
John