Declaration of Balamand
The Declaration of Balamand (also the Balamand Document ) is a joint ecumenical declaration of the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches . It was published on 23 March 2009 under the title "Uniatism, the former path to unity, and today's search for paths to unity" . June 1993 by the "Joint International Commission for theological dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church". The declaration emerged from its seventh plenary assembly, which met from June 17 to 24, 1993 in the Lebanese monastery of Balamand .
The Joint Commission and Prehistory
High-ranking officials and theologians who represent the Catholic and Orthodox Churches are sent to the Joint Commission . The commission was formed on the basis of a joint declaration by Pope John Paul II and the Patriarch of Constantinople Demetrios I , which was adopted on November 30, 1979 in Istanbul . In 1980 she began her work in the form of a meeting on Patmos and Rhodes . Since then, nine such meetings have been held: in 1982 in Munich , 1984 in Crete , 1986 and 1987 in Bari , 1988 in Valamo , 1990 in Freising , 1993 in Balamand, 2000 in Baltimore and 2007 in Ravenna .
Since the early 90s of the 20th century, the Orthodox participants discussed no longer strictly theological issues at the request, but looking for ways to achieve a Catholic-Orthodox unity. The Balamand Declaration is the fruit of these efforts. It was favored by the declaration of the meeting in Freising, at which uniatism was rejected as the path to the unity of the church. The Balamand Declaration was then prepared by a joint committee during the deliberations in Ariccia in June 1991 and then discussed in Balamand and finally adopted.
Content of the declaration
The Balamand Declaration is divided into three parts: Introduction , Dogmatic Foundations and Practical Principles . Based on earlier agreements, the text declares to strive for the unity of the general church, to recognize both churches as sister churches and to move away from the position that only one of the two is the only true church.
The Dogmatic Foundations contain a number of theses that relate to the history of relations between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. They also describe ways of achieving unity and agree to refrain from uniatism and proselytism . It is assured that the United Churches should continue to exist, since they are intended to act as a mediator in the dialogue between the two large churches.
The Practical Principles provide advice for clergymen of both denominations to use as a guide in their pastoral work. The principles relate to the implementation of the agreements to turn away from mutual enmity and to show mutual loyalty in cooperation. This is intended to reduce mutual distrust and prejudice. The declaration also calls on the bishops of both churches to coordinate charitable and pastoral activities, such as support with the liturgy, but not to interfere in the affairs of the believers in the respective church and to come to an amicable agreement on disputes.
- Text in German translation: The Eucharist of the One Church. Documents of the Catholic-Orthodox dialogue on the German and international level , 3., Erw. Edition, Secretariat of Dt. Bishops' Conference, Bonn 1995, 59–67 (Declaration by Balamand).
The meaning of the declaration
The content of the declaration represented an enormous step on both sides in the dialogue between the Catholic and Orthodox churches. The Catholic Church made concessions by moving away from uniatism, which was unacceptable to Orthodoxy. The mutual abandonment of exclusivism and the recognition of both denominations as bearers of salvation were also of great importance . An unification of the church can only be achieved through mutual “meeting in truth and love” and not through a union or union.
With the principles included in the declaration, there was a clear approach to unity. In spite of this, or perhaps because of it, the declaration also aroused controversy. Even if the Pope and the Patriarch, the main actors of the old, now settled conflict, agreed, there were dissenting votes in both denominations. In particular, the agreement on exclusivism was rejected by conservative circles. The Romanian Orthodox and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church felt disadvantaged because, unlike the other Orthodox churches, they were not recognized as sister churches.
On the Orthodox side, opinions on the Balamand Declaration were divided. In 1995 the Patriarchate of the Romanian Orthodox Church gave full support for the declaration. But the conservative monastic community from Mount Athos and with it the Greek Orthodox Church rejected it. The Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church took note of the declaration in July 1997, but did not take a clear position after internal discussions.
The publication of the declaration hampered ecumenical dialogue between the Orthodox Churches and the Catholic Church. This was particularly evident in the case of the Joint Commission, which only met again seven years later. The meeting in Baltimore in 2000 was unsuccessful after heated debates. Implementation of the Balamand Declaration will probably only be possible once the interdenominational conflicts and tensions in Eastern Europe that arose after the fall of communism have subsided.
literature
- Wacław Hryniewicz: Uniatism - then and now. Reflections on the Balamand document (1993) . In: Ostkirchliche Studien 43 (1994). ISSN 0030-6487 . Pp. 328-339.
- Hervé Legrand: Has the sister church ecclesiology, which supports the Balamand document, found "citizenship" in the Catholic Church? Some desirable clarifications within the Catholic Church and especially for our Orthodox partners . In: Ostkirchliche Studien 52 (2003). ISSN 0030-6487 . Pp. 281-315.