The Pope and the Patriarch：Overcoming the Wall of Eastern and Western Civilizations?
UENO Kagefumi / Professor (non-tenured), Kyorin University
April 22, 2016
Two months ago, a meeting between the Pope and the Russian Orthodox Patriarch finally came true. While there were many comments describing the meeting as a "historic feat" and a "surprise," in my view, the groundwork had been laid long ago, which made the latest encounter only a matter of course and involved no element of surprise.
Let me explain. Reconciliation between the Eastern and Western Churches began in 1964, when the Pope met the Patriarch of Constantinople, who ranks first among the fourteen Orthodox Christian Patriarchs and resides in Istanbul, Turkey. The purpose of that meeting was to put an end to the "Great Schism" between the "Western" Catholic Church and the "Eastern" Orthodox Church that had continued for over nine hundred years. In the half-century since that meeting, Orthodox Churches excluding the Russian Church, such as the Greek and Rumanian Churches, had already mended their relationships with Rome, which included holding top-level meetings. Even Moscow – while avoiding such a meeting between the heads – had in fact maintained close contact with Rome. In other words, more than ninety percent of the process of reconciliation between the Eastern and Western Churches had already been completed. Now that the perceived difficulties have been overcome to bring about the meeting between the Pope and the Russian Patriarch, the level of reconciliation has reached ninety-five percent.
What would it take to raise this to a hundred percent? In fact, the Vatican and the fourteen Orthodox Churches including the Russian Church have been engaged in a series of theological dialogues over the past two decades, and have reached a consensus on eighty to ninety percent of the themes. The last remaining obstacle concerns the authority of the Pope – Rome insists on the "primacy" of the Pope, while the Orthodox Churches advocate "equal standing" between the East and West. Settling this issue would truly be a remarkable feat, representing a hundred percent reconciliation.
The Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church are "two of a kind," sharing the same conservative ideology. Over the past ten years, each time the Vatican was criticized by progressive Western media on issues such as life and family ethics or the separation of church and state, Moscow has issued a declaration in support of the Vatican. If these two powerful churches could combine forces to form a common front against secular Christians or radical Muslims, it would have a considerable impact.
Even so, Moscow had been reluctant to hold a top-level meeting with Rome. Standing in its way was a "wall" that had its origins in a historical issue. Moscow had long resented an event that took place several centuries ago, when Rome advanced into Russia - particularly into today's Ukraine, and "proselytized" many Orthodox believers to Catholicism. In the latest development, Rome paid due care to assuage Moscow's grudge by expressing its "regret" in the joint declaration. This was a move that raised hopes of better relations between the two churches, thereby significantly lowering
the "wall of religion."
Of greater concern now is the "wall of civilization." The Russian Orthodox Church takes particular pride in being the "leader of the East" and is characterized by its strong sense of rivalry with the West and anti-West sentiment. How will this obstacle be overcome?
Historically, in Europe the Eastern Roman Empire and its successors built a civilization of the "East" within the sphere of the Orthodox Church. In parallel, the Western Roman Empire and its successors built a separate civilization of the "West" within the Catholic sphere of influence. The two civilizations continued to confront each other across the civilizational divide known as the "velvet curtain" for over 1,600 to 1,800 years.
Supposing that the western side of this "curtain," or the "Western" civilization, is symbolized by the Pope, we could also say that the "Eastern" civilization is symbolically represented by the Byzantine Emperor – and in later years by the Russian Emperor and by President Vladimir Putin. The Russian Emperor in particular declared himself the successor of the Byzantine Emperor and played the role of protector of the Orthodox Church based in Moscow, which was the "Third Rome." The idea of Eastern leadership has been retained not only by Putin, but also by the Patriarch of Moscow. This is an aspect that should not be overlooked. In recent years, Western diplomacy seems to have lacked consideration for this Eastern mentality. For a change, the West could show Putin the kind of respect shown recently by the Pope towards the Patriarch of Moscow. It may actually bring some relief to the East-West relationship.
It was pleasing that the latest meeting between the "leaders" of the "First Rome" and the "Third Rome" proved intellect-stimulating , bringing to mind the grand framework of a confrontation between the "Eastern" and "Western" civilizations that sprang from the disintegration of the Roman Empire.
Kagefumi Ueno is a civilizational essayist and Japan's former Ambassador to the Holy See. This article was originally published on March 25, 2016 in the evening edition of the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper. Reproduced here with some additional comments.
Let me explain. Reconciliation between the Eastern and Western Churches began in 1964, when the Pope met the Patriarch of Constantinople, who ranks first among the fourteen Orthodox Christian Patriarchs and resides in Istanbul, Turkey. The purpose of that meeting was to put an end to the "Great Schism" between the "Western" Catholic Church and the "Eastern" Orthodox Church that had continued for over nine hundred years. In the half-century since that meeting, Orthodox Churches excluding the Russian Church, such as the Greek and Rumanian Churches, had already mended their relationships with Rome, which included holding top-level meetings. Even Moscow – while avoiding such a meeting between the heads – had in fact maintained close contact with Rome. In other words, more than ninety percent of the process of reconciliation between the Eastern and Western Churches had already been completed. Now that the perceived difficulties have been overcome to bring about the meeting between the Pope and the Russian Patriarch, the level of reconciliation has reached ninety-five percent.
What would it take to raise this to a hundred percent? In fact, the Vatican and the fourteen Orthodox Churches including the Russian Church have been engaged in a series of theological dialogues over the past two decades, and have reached a consensus on eighty to ninety percent of the themes. The last remaining obstacle concerns the authority of the Pope – Rome insists on the "primacy" of the Pope, while the Orthodox Churches advocate "equal standing" between the East and West. Settling this issue would truly be a remarkable feat, representing a hundred percent reconciliation.
The Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church are "two of a kind," sharing the same conservative ideology. Over the past ten years, each time the Vatican was criticized by progressive Western media on issues such as life and family ethics or the separation of church and state, Moscow has issued a declaration in support of the Vatican. If these two powerful churches could combine forces to form a common front against secular Christians or radical Muslims, it would have a considerable impact.
Even so, Moscow had been reluctant to hold a top-level meeting with Rome. Standing in its way was a "wall" that had its origins in a historical issue. Moscow had long resented an event that took place several centuries ago, when Rome advanced into Russia - particularly into today's Ukraine, and "proselytized" many Orthodox believers to Catholicism. In the latest development, Rome paid due care to assuage Moscow's grudge by expressing its "regret" in the joint declaration. This was a move that raised hopes of better relations between the two churches, thereby significantly lowering
the "wall of religion."
Of greater concern now is the "wall of civilization." The Russian Orthodox Church takes particular pride in being the "leader of the East" and is characterized by its strong sense of rivalry with the West and anti-West sentiment. How will this obstacle be overcome?
Historically, in Europe the Eastern Roman Empire and its successors built a civilization of the "East" within the sphere of the Orthodox Church. In parallel, the Western Roman Empire and its successors built a separate civilization of the "West" within the Catholic sphere of influence. The two civilizations continued to confront each other across the civilizational divide known as the "velvet curtain" for over 1,600 to 1,800 years.
Supposing that the western side of this "curtain," or the "Western" civilization, is symbolized by the Pope, we could also say that the "Eastern" civilization is symbolically represented by the Byzantine Emperor – and in later years by the Russian Emperor and by President Vladimir Putin. The Russian Emperor in particular declared himself the successor of the Byzantine Emperor and played the role of protector of the Orthodox Church based in Moscow, which was the "Third Rome." The idea of Eastern leadership has been retained not only by Putin, but also by the Patriarch of Moscow. This is an aspect that should not be overlooked. In recent years, Western diplomacy seems to have lacked consideration for this Eastern mentality. For a change, the West could show Putin the kind of respect shown recently by the Pope towards the Patriarch of Moscow. It may actually bring some relief to the East-West relationship.
It was pleasing that the latest meeting between the "leaders" of the "First Rome" and the "Third Rome" proved intellect-stimulating , bringing to mind the grand framework of a confrontation between the "Eastern" and "Western" civilizations that sprang from the disintegration of the Roman Empire.
Kagefumi Ueno is a civilizational essayist and Japan's former Ambassador to the Holy See. This article was originally published on March 25, 2016 in the evening edition of the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper. Reproduced here with some additional comments.
The English-Speaking Union of Japan
「東西文明の壁」越えるか ローマ法王とモスクワ総主教が会談
上野 景文 / 杏林大学特任教授
2016年 4月 22日
先々月ついにローマ法王とモスクワ総主教の会談が実現した。「歴史的快挙だ」、「サプライズだ」など多くのコメントが聞かれたが、私は、「流れ」はとっくに出来ており、今回の出会いは「起きるべくして起き」たもので、意外性はなかったと見る。
どう言うことか。ローマ法王と（１４ある正教会中序列１位の）コンスタンチノープル（トルコ・イスタンブール）の総主教とが、９５０年続いたカトリック教会（西方教会）と正教会（東方教会）の「別離」に終止符を打つべく会見した１９６４年に、東西教会関係の修復は始まった。以降半世紀の間に、ロシアを除く正教会（ギリシャ正教会、ルーマニア正教会など）は、トップレベルの会見実施を含め、ローマとの関係を修復済みだ。加えて、モスクワも、トップの会談こそ避けて来たものの、ローマとの交流を密に行っている。つまり、東西の教会関係修復は、既に９０％以上達成されていた。困難視されてきたトップ会談を今回実現させたことで、修復率は９５％に達した。
では、１００％達成には何が必要か。実は、バチカンと、ロシアを含む１４の正教会は、２０年前から神学対話を重ねて来ており、既に８-９割のテーマにつき意見一致を見ている。残る最大の難物は、「ローマ法王の位置づけ」の問題（法王の「首位性」に固執するローマに対し、正教会は「東西の対等性」を主張）だ。もし決着できれば快挙（修復率１００％）と言えよう。
加えて、カトリック教会と正教会は、保守的思想を共有する「似た者」同士だ。この１０年を振り返ると、生命家族倫理や政教分離の問題で、西側の進歩的メディアがバチカンを叩くたびに、モスクワは、バチカン擁護の声明を発出している。強力な両教会が、キリスト教世俗派やイスラム過激派に対抗するべく共同戦線を組めれば、インパクトは大きいはずだ。
にもかかわらず、モスクワはローマとのトップ会談実現に消極的だった。それは、歴史問題の「壁」があったからだ。数世紀昔、ローマがロシア（特に現在のウクライナ）に手を突っ込み、多くの正教会信徒をカトリックに改宗させたことへの怨念が、モスクワには強い。今回ローマはモスクワの怨念に配慮し、共同宣言で「反省」を表明した。両教会の関係改善を期待させる動きだ。かくして「宗教の壁」は概して低くなった。
今後気になるのはむしろ「文明の壁」だ。特にロシア正教会は、「我々は『東』の代表だ」との自負心や「西への対抗心」、「嫌西感」が強いだけに、どう乗り越えるか。
ところで、欧州では、東ローマ帝国ないしその後継者が、正教会圏に「東」の文明圏を築いて来た。並行して、「西」では、西ローマ帝国ないしその後継者が、カトリック圏に別の文明圏を築いて来た。両文明圏は、「ビロードのカーテン」と呼ばれる文明境界線を挟んで、１６００-１８００年にわたり睨みあって来た。
この「カーテン」の西側、つまり「西」の文明を象徴する人物がローマ法王だとすれば、「東」の象徴は、敢えて言えば、ビザンチン皇帝（後年は、ロシア皇帝、プーチン大統領）と言うことになる。特にロシア皇帝は、ビザンチン皇帝の継承者を自任、「第三のローマ」たるモスクワを拠点に正教の守護者を演じた。この代表者意識は今日、プーチンだけでなく、モスクワ総主教にも引き継がれている。見逃がしてはならない側面だ。近年の西側外交は、東側のかかる意識への慮りが欠けていたように思える。西側は、今回法王がモスクワ総主教に示したのと同様の気遣いを、プーチンにも示してみたらいい。東西関係、幾許かは明るくなるかも知れない。
「第一のローマ」と「第三のローマ」の「代表」による今回の会談、ローマ帝国分裂を源流とする「東西二つの文明」の対峙というスケールの大きな構図を想起させてくれるところが、刺激的で、うれしい。
(筆者は文明論考家、元バチカン大使。本稿は、２０１６年３月２５日毎日新聞夕刊に掲載された記事に加筆したものである。）
どう言うことか。ローマ法王と（１４ある正教会中序列１位の）コンスタンチノープル（トルコ・イスタンブール）の総主教とが、９５０年続いたカトリック教会（西方教会）と正教会（東方教会）の「別離」に終止符を打つべく会見した１９６４年に、東西教会関係の修復は始まった。以降半世紀の間に、ロシアを除く正教会（ギリシャ正教会、ルーマニア正教会など）は、トップレベルの会見実施を含め、ローマとの関係を修復済みだ。加えて、モスクワも、トップの会談こそ避けて来たものの、ローマとの交流を密に行っている。つまり、東西の教会関係修復は、既に９０％以上達成されていた。困難視されてきたトップ会談を今回実現させたことで、修復率は９５％に達した。
では、１００％達成には何が必要か。実は、バチカンと、ロシアを含む１４の正教会は、２０年前から神学対話を重ねて来ており、既に８-９割のテーマにつき意見一致を見ている。残る最大の難物は、「ローマ法王の位置づけ」の問題（法王の「首位性」に固執するローマに対し、正教会は「東西の対等性」を主張）だ。もし決着できれば快挙（修復率１００％）と言えよう。
加えて、カトリック教会と正教会は、保守的思想を共有する「似た者」同士だ。この１０年を振り返ると、生命家族倫理や政教分離の問題で、西側の進歩的メディアがバチカンを叩くたびに、モスクワは、バチカン擁護の声明を発出している。強力な両教会が、キリスト教世俗派やイスラム過激派に対抗するべく共同戦線を組めれば、インパクトは大きいはずだ。
にもかかわらず、モスクワはローマとのトップ会談実現に消極的だった。それは、歴史問題の「壁」があったからだ。数世紀昔、ローマがロシア（特に現在のウクライナ）に手を突っ込み、多くの正教会信徒をカトリックに改宗させたことへの怨念が、モスクワには強い。今回ローマはモスクワの怨念に配慮し、共同宣言で「反省」を表明した。両教会の関係改善を期待させる動きだ。かくして「宗教の壁」は概して低くなった。
今後気になるのはむしろ「文明の壁」だ。特にロシア正教会は、「我々は『東』の代表だ」との自負心や「西への対抗心」、「嫌西感」が強いだけに、どう乗り越えるか。
ところで、欧州では、東ローマ帝国ないしその後継者が、正教会圏に「東」の文明圏を築いて来た。並行して、「西」では、西ローマ帝国ないしその後継者が、カトリック圏に別の文明圏を築いて来た。両文明圏は、「ビロードのカーテン」と呼ばれる文明境界線を挟んで、１６００-１８００年にわたり睨みあって来た。
この「カーテン」の西側、つまり「西」の文明を象徴する人物がローマ法王だとすれば、「東」の象徴は、敢えて言えば、ビザンチン皇帝（後年は、ロシア皇帝、プーチン大統領）と言うことになる。特にロシア皇帝は、ビザンチン皇帝の継承者を自任、「第三のローマ」たるモスクワを拠点に正教の守護者を演じた。この代表者意識は今日、プーチンだけでなく、モスクワ総主教にも引き継がれている。見逃がしてはならない側面だ。近年の西側外交は、東側のかかる意識への慮りが欠けていたように思える。西側は、今回法王がモスクワ総主教に示したのと同様の気遣いを、プーチンにも示してみたらいい。東西関係、幾許かは明るくなるかも知れない。
「第一のローマ」と「第三のローマ」の「代表」による今回の会談、ローマ帝国分裂を源流とする「東西二つの文明」の対峙というスケールの大きな構図を想起させてくれるところが、刺激的で、うれしい。
(筆者は文明論考家、元バチカン大使。本稿は、２０１６年３月２５日毎日新聞夕刊に掲載された記事に加筆したものである。）
一般社団法人 日本英語交流連盟