Pope and Patriarch Meet: Unity at “Crucial Stage”

Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople
Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I and Pope Benedict XVI

Pope Benedict XVI met with the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I in an effort to lead to greater unity for their churches:

Pope Praises Orthodox Commitment to Unity

Says Dialogue Is at “Crucial Point”
VATICAN CITY, JUNE 28, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI says that dialogue between Catholics and Orthodox is at a “crucial point” and invited heartfelt prayer to the Holy Spirit for progress to continue.

The Pope said this today when he addressed members of a delegation from Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I…He added that today’s visit, along with the “many meetings that have already taken place in the course of this year” show how the “relations between us are characterized by sentiments of mutual trust, esteem and fraternity.”

This, the Pontiff said, “gives grounds for hope that Catholic-Orthodox dialogue will also continue to make significant progress.”…

Benedict XVI highlighted the work of the Orthodox-Catholic mixed commission, saying it “is at a crucial point, having begun last October in Paphos to discuss ‘The Role of the Bishop of Rome in the Communion of the Church in the First Millennium.'” …

The Bishop of Rome went on to speak of the importance of the theme of unity for the synod on the Middle East, which will be held in Rome in October. http://www.zenit.org/article-29736?l=english

Patriarch Bartholomew I has already gone on record to support unity with the Vatican (Bartholomew I Patriarch of Constantinople Opposes Those Who Warn Against Catholic Unity). Most of the Eastern Orthodox that I have spoken with do not trust the Patriarch’s unification plans.

The same Zenit article also stated the following:

The visit reciprocates the habitual exchange of delegations for the respective patronal feasts in which the patriarch of Constantinople sends a delegation to Rome on June 29, the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, and the Pope sends a delegation to Istanbul, Turkey, on Nov. 30, the feast of St. Andrew. In November 2006, Benedict XVI led the delegation himself, and in June 2008, Bartholomew I led the Orthodox delegation to Rome…

The reason for bringing this up is that when I visited the offices of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, I was told by a Greek Orthodox Southern Californian who was assigned then assigned to Contantinople that one of the Pope’s representatives told Patriarch Bartholomew that if he would accept the Vatican’s authority, that the Vatican would compromise and accept all the doctrinal differences that the Eastern Orthodox have from the Church of Rome.

Thus, compromise from both sides is expected. Since both sides claim to be faithful to the original faith, how could either compromise?

One may wonder how this news has prophetic ramifications. There are several. But mainly, both biblical, Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox prophecies tell of a time when the Catholics of Rome and Constantinople will be unified. While the biblical prophecies and some of the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox prophecies seem to warn against this, there are other Catholic and Eastern Orthodox prophecies that seem to look forward to this.

Both Pope Benedict XVI and Patriarch Bartholomew I seem to be looking at the “prophecies” that encourage this, while not realizing how dangerous this will be for their churches and the entire world. And they keep taking steps to accomplish this, despite the real dangers to the world. These unification talks are one of the subjects that prophecy followers should “watch” (cf. Matthew 24:15; Luke 21:20).

Those who wish to learn why this is dangerous may wish to read the following articles:

Why Should American Catholics Should Fear Unity with the Orthodox? Are the current ecumenical meetings a good thing or will they result in disaster?
Orthodox Must Reject Unity with the Roman Catholics The talks for unification involve compromise and the apparent rising up of a changed religion that no one should accept.
Catholic Prophecies: Do They Mirror, Highlight, or Contradict Biblical Prophecies? People of all faiths may be surprised to see what various Roman and Orthodox Catholic prophets have been predicting as many of their predictions will be looked to in the 21st century.