Pope John Paul II Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! == Relations with other Christian denominations == John Paul II travelled extensively and met with believers from many divergent faiths. At the [[Day of Prayer|World Day of Prayer for Peace]], held in [[Assisi]] on 27 October 1986, more than 120 representatives of different religions and [[Christian denomination|denominations]] spent a day of fasting and prayer.<ref name="Pace preventiva" /> ===Churches of the East=== {{unsourced section|date=October 2022}} Although the contact between the [[Holy See]] and many Christians of the East had never totally ceased, communion had been interrupted since ancient times. Again, the history of conflict in Central Europe was a complex part of John Paul II's personal cultural heritage which made him all the more determined to react so as to attempt to overcome abiding difficulties, given that relatively speaking the [[Holy See]] and the non-Catholic Eastern Churches are close in many points of faith. ==== Eastern Orthodox Church ==== {{Main|Pope John Paul II's relations with the Eastern Orthodox Church}} In May 1999, John Paul II visited Romania on the invitation from Patriarch [[Teoctist Arăpaşu]] of the [[Romanian Orthodox Church]]. This was the first time a pope had visited a predominantly Eastern Orthodox country since the [[East–West Schism|Great Schism]] in 1054.<ref name="Teoctist" /> On his arrival, the Patriarch and the [[President of Romania]], [[Emil Constantinescu]], greeted the pope.<ref name="Teoctist" /> The Patriarch stated, "The second millennium of Christian history began with a painful wounding of the unity of the Church; the end of this millennium has seen a real commitment to restoring Christian unity."<ref name="Teoctist" /> On 23–27 June 2001, John Paul II visited Ukraine, another heavily Orthodox nation, at the invitation of the [[President of Ukraine]] and bishops of the [[Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church]].<ref name="Ukraine" /> The Pope spoke to leaders of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organisations, pleading for "open, tolerant and honest dialogue".<ref name="Ukraine" /> About 200 thousand people attended the liturgies celebrated by the Pope in [[Kyiv]], and the liturgy in [[Lviv]] gathered nearly one and a half million faithful.<ref name="Ukraine" /> John Paul II said that an end to the Great Schism was one of his fondest wishes.<ref name="Ukraine" /> Healing divisions between the Catholic and [[Eastern Orthodox Churches]] regarding Latin and [[Byzantine]] traditions was clearly of great personal interest. For many years, John Paul II sought to facilitate dialogue and unity stating as early as 1988 in ''Euntes in mundum'', "Europe has two lungs, it will never breathe easily until it uses both of them."{{cn|date=October 2022}} During his 2001 travels, John Paul II became the first pope to visit Greece in 1291 years.<ref name="Macedonian" /><ref name="Associated" /> In [[Athens]], the pope met with [[Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens|Archbishop Christodoulos]], the head of the [[Church of Greece]].<ref name="Macedonian" /> After a private 30-minute meeting, the two spoke publicly. Christodoulos read a list of "13 offences" of the Catholic Church against the Eastern Orthodox Church since the Great Schism,<ref name="Macedonian" /> including the pillaging of [[Siege of Constantinople (1204)|Constantinople by crusaders]] in 1204, and bemoaned the lack of apology from the Catholic Church, saying "Until now, there has not been heard a single request for pardon" for the "maniacal crusaders of the 13th century".<ref name="Macedonian" /> The pope responded by saying "For the occasions past and present, when sons and daughters of the Catholic Church have sinned by action or omission against their Orthodox brothers and sisters, may the Lord grant us forgiveness", to which Christodoulos immediately applauded. John Paul II said that the sacking of Constantinople was a source of "profound regret" for Catholics.<ref name="Macedonian" /> Later John Paul II and Christodoulos met on a spot where [[Paul of Tarsus]] had once preached to Athenian Christians. They issued a common declaration saying, "We shall do everything in our power, so that the Christian roots of Europe and its Christian soul may be preserved.... We condemn all recourse to violence, [[proselytism]] and [[fanaticism]], in the name of religion."<ref name="Macedonian" /> The two leaders then said the [[Lord's Prayer]] together, breaking an Orthodox taboo against praying with Catholics.<ref name="Macedonian" /> The pope had said throughout his pontificate that one of his greatest dreams was to visit Russia,<ref>{{cite news |title=The Distance Between the First and Third Rome |url=https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/the-distance-between-the-first-and-third-rome?barrier=accesspaylog |work=[[Project Syndicate]] |date=12 January 2001}}</ref> but this never occurred. He attempted to solve the problems that had arisen over centuries between the Catholic and [[Russian Orthodox Church|Russian Orthodox]] churches, and in 2004 gave them a 1730 copy of the lost icon of [[Our Lady of Kazan]].{{cn|date=October 2022}} ==== Armenian Apostolic Church ==== John Paul II was determined to maintain good relations with the [[Armenian Apostolic Church]], whose separation from the [[Holy See]] dated to Christian antiquity. In 1996, he brought the Catholic Church and the [[Armenian Apostolic Church]] closer by agreeing with Armenian Archbishop [[Karekin II]] on Christ's nature.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://articles.latimes.com/1999/apr/24/local/me-30550 |title=Pope to Make First Visit to Armenia |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=24 April 1999 |access-date=6 December 2014|agency=Associated Press }}</ref> During an audience in 2000, John Paul II and [[Karekin II]], by then the [[Catholicos of All Armenians]], issued a joint statement condemning the [[Armenian genocide]]. Meanwhile, the pope gave Karekin the relics of [[Gregory the Illuminator|St. Gregory the Illuminator]], the first head of the Armenian Church that had been kept in [[Naples]], Italy, for 500 years.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.atour.com/~aahgn/news/20001111b.html |title=Pope John Paul II Recognises Armenian Genocide |publisher=Atour.com |date=10 November 2000 |access-date=6 December 2014}}</ref> In September 2001, John Paul II went on a three-day pilgrimage to [[Armenia]] to take part in an ecumenical celebration with [[Karekin II]] in the newly consecrated St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral in Yerevan. The two Church leaders signed a declaration remembering the victims of the Armenian genocide.<ref>George Weigel, ''The End and the Beginning: Pope John Paul II – The Victory of Freedom, the Last Years, the Legacy'', p. 283, Doubleday Religion (2010), {{ISBN|978-0-385-52480-3}}</ref> ===Protestantism=== Like his successors after him, John Paul II took a large number of initiatives to promote friendly relations, practical humanitarian cooperation and theological dialogue with a range of [[Protestant]] bodies. Of these the first in importance had to be with [[Lutheran]]ism, given that the contention with [[Martin Luther]] and his followers was the most significant historical split in Western Christianity.{{cn|date=October 2022}} ==== Lutheranism ==== {{Refimprove section|date=October 2022}} From 15 to 19 November 1980, John Paul II visited [[West Germany]]<ref name="Travels – Federal Republic of Germany 1980 – John Paul II – The Holy Father – The Holy See" /> on his first trip to a country with a large [[Lutheran]] [[Protestant]] population. In [[Mainz]], he met with leaders of the [[Protestant Church in Germany]], and with representatives of other Christian denominations.{{cn|date=October 2022}} On 11 December 1983, John Paul II participated in an ecumenical service in the [[Christuskirche, Rome|Evangelical Lutheran Church in Rome]],<ref name="Ökumenisches Treffen mit der evangelisch-lutherischen Gemeinde von Rom" /> the first papal visit ever to a Lutheran church. The visit took place 500 years after the birth of the German [[Martin Luther]], who was first an [[Order of Saint Augustine|Augustinian]] friar and subsequently a leading Protestant [[Reformation|Reformer]].{{cn|date=October 2022}} In his apostolic pilgrimage to Norway, Iceland, Finland, Denmark and Sweden of June 1989,<ref name="vatican" /> John Paul II became the first pope to visit countries with Lutheran majorities. In addition to celebrating Mass with Catholic believers, he participated in ecumenical services at places that had been Catholic shrines before the Reformation: [[Nidaros Cathedral]] in Norway; near St. Olav's Church at [[Þingvellir|Thingvellir]] in Iceland; [[Turku Cathedral]] in Finland; [[Roskilde Cathedral]] in Denmark; and [[Uppsala Cathedral]] in Sweden.{{cn|date=October 2022}} On 31 October 1999, (the 482nd anniversary of [[Reformation Day]], Martin Luther's posting of the [[The Ninety-Five Theses|95 Theses]]), representatives of the [[Catholic Church]]'s [[Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity]] and the [[Lutheran World Federation]] signed a [[Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification]], as a gesture of unity. The signing was a fruit of a theological dialogue that had been going on between the [[Lutheran World Federation]] and the [[Holy See]] since 1965.{{cn|date=October 2022}} ==== Anglicanism ==== John Paul II had good relations with the [[Church of England]], as also with other parts of the [[Anglican Communion]]. He was the first reigning pope to travel to the United Kingdom, in 1982, where he met [[Queen Elizabeth II]], the [[Supreme Governor of the Church of England]]. He preached in [[Canterbury Cathedral]] and received [[Robert Runcie]], the [[Archbishop of Canterbury]]. He said that he was disappointed by the Church of England's decision to [[Ordination of women in the Anglican Communion|ordain women]] and saw it as a step away from unity between the [[Anglican Communion]] and the Catholic Church.<ref name="Kirby" /> In 1980, John Paul II issued a [[Pastoral Provision]] allowing married former Episcopal priests to become Catholic priests, and for the acceptance of former [[Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopal Church]] parishes into the Catholic Church. He allowed the creation of a form of the [[Roman Rite]], known informally by some as the [[Anglican Use]], which incorporates selected elements of the Anglican [[Book of Common Prayer]] that are compatible with Catholic doctrine. He permitted Archbishop [[Patrick Flores]] of [[San Antonio]], Texas, to establish [[Our Lady of the Atonement Catholic Church]], together as the inaugural parish for the use of this hybrid liturgy.<ref name="Atonement" /> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page