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OL X West, June 2006 -
San Diego, CA
"Structure of the Church East and West"
Archbishop Hovnan Derderian - "We cannot separate the preaching from practice. Preaching the word of God should be deeply rooted in our daily actions and reflected in our relationship with our faithful and our unconditional love, care and compassion for our brothers and sisters. It is not permissible for a Christian to say "I can pray for you, but cannot pray with you."
Bishop Kallistos - "I see a group such as Orientale Lumen as fulfilling an important task in this mutual knowledge and mutual love. Part of the function of Orientale Lumen is to build up ecumenical friendships. And if we are to make progress in the ecumenical movement we do need personal friendships, not simply reports by experts, but human contact."
Bishop John Michael Botean - "How can you be "catholic" with the Pope, and "orthodox" at the same time? When you are a "Greek Catholic" or an "Eastern Catholic" of some kind, it calls into question a whole lot of things, beginning with the very nature, or function, or purpose, or vocation, or destiny of the Church. It calls people to reflect on their own religious positions individually and communally, the position of their Church, their Church's loyalties, and their own personally loyalties. When you are an Eastern Catholic, you find out very quickly that what you assumed, if you've chosen this, is to be a lightening rod for hatred."
Father George Gallaro - "We are ever more aware that since the early attempts at reconciliation among Christians, the subsequent realization that the Spirit of the Lord is always at work, the Spirit of Unity, Indeed the ecumenical movement has its origins as the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit imparts strength by His presence, comforts and enlightens in every difficult moment. The Spirit is always active in the movement precisely because He inspired and made the movement of unity, all the work toward that goal."
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