With the exception of the current pope, there is a dearth of Christian voices on the global stage that assume to speak for Christianity in a religiously polarized world, writes Raymond de Souza in the Catholic Eyenewsletter (Nov. 30). De Souza thinks it strange that the recent visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Turkey was widely viewed as a critical test of Christian-Muslim relations.
“Given that the [Orthodox] patriarch lives in Turkey, it might be thought that there is no need to await the arrival of Rome for that interreligious encounter…the fact that Turkey is no longer considered a place of Christian-Muslim encounter is evidence of how far Orthodoxy has been pushed to the margins,” with the Turkish government not even recognizing the patriarch’s international status.
The Archbishop of Canterbury and world Anglicanism has likewise been sidelined, due to the fragmentation of the Anglican communion over such issues as gay rights. De Souza adds that the current Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, confirmed this marginal status when he was recently permitted to visit China on the condition that he only met with people approved by the government.
“That the Chinese government, still a ferocious persecutor of religion, would consider Canterbury harmless enough for a visit speaks volumes.” This situation was not anticipated 40 years ago. “While it was thought Rome would always have a certain primacy, the hope was that ecumenism would produce a stronger Christian voice, a joint voice of evangelical witness. The contrary has happened; over the course of four decades Rome has declared itself irrevocably committed to the ecumenical path, and has found itself increasingly the only voice on the global stage.”
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