Communiqué
From 12 to 15 October 2005, the third conference in a series of Orthodox-Catholic discussions on Christian anthropology was held at Vienna by the Foundation PRO ORIENTE (Vienna) in cooperation with the Johann-Adam-Moehler-Institute for Ecumenics (Paderborn) and the Russian Orthodox University St John (Moscow). Subject of the conference was: “Aim and limits of human freedom”.Amongst the mainly young lecturers from different universities and other academic institutions there were, as well, the Dean of the Faculty of Psychology of the co-organizing Moscow University, Rev. Andrej Lorgus, and the Director of the Paderborn Moehler-Institute, Dr Johannes Oeldemann. The also present Rector of the Russian Orthodox University, Archimandrite Ioann Ekonomzev, gave public lectures for PRO ORIENTE at Vienna and Graz on the theme “The Russian Orthodox Church after 1989”.
Christian understanding of freedom was discussed in a dogmatic and theological-historical perspective, yet also in view of its biblical roots and pastoral consequences. By this it became clear that, starting from the common roots in the Holy Scriptures and the Scriptures of the Church Fathers, the theologies of East and West have drifted in the course of Church history. In recent times, the things which Orthodox and Catholics have in common regarding their understanding of faith and freedom have increasingly been rediscovered.
The alienation between East and West lasting centuries was caused by the disputes between Augustinus and Pelagius and their successors which in the Western Church led to consider the grace of God and the freedom of man to be two competing principles, whereas the Eastern theology emphasized more intensively the need of cooperation between God and man. The alienation was deepened by the methodology of the Western Scholasticism working more with ontological categories, whereas the Eastern theology mainly thought in relational categories.
Modern Catholic theology, taking up contemporary philosophical starting points, also uses relational categories so that God and man are no longer considered to be two competing quantities: the bigger the grace the bigger the freedom. Grace is given freedom, i.e. inner and outer liberation from sin (G. Greshake). By this a remarkable convergence between contemporary Catholic theology and the Orthodox understanding of freedom is shown.
At first glance, the methods to realize freedom seem to be different: from the Western point of view man should find his real human existence, in view of the Eastern theology he should strive for divinization (theosis). However, both approaches do not contradict each other because they base on the common conviction that man is made in God’s image.
Differences appeared regarding the use of the Holy Scriptures, being interpreted on the part of the Orthodox in a literal and allegorical manner, and concerning the proportional determination of the relationship of the Christian and the modern secular concept of freedom. In view of the latter, the Catholic side notices points of contact whereas the Orthodox give a more critical assessment of modern understanding of freedom. They consider the Western thinking of human rights to be a consequence of an excessive individualism to which – in accordance with Catholic theology – they oppose an integral, personal view of man.
Freedom, understood as inconsiderate arbitrariness or random selection, finally leads to a lack of freedom: To those mistaking Christendom for being an utmost restriction of freedom it should be replied that freedom is only restricted by love. Love and freedom are the core messages of the Teaching of Christ. Therefore, Christian faith does not restrict the freedom of man, moreover Christianity is the religion of freedom. On this Orthodox and Catholic traditions of faith agree. In this context, the Orthodox participants took notice with interest of the inner Catholic debates on the understanding of religious freedom before and during the Second Vatican Council.
Furthermore, a consent was achieved concerning the fact that freedom cannot be defined as freedom “of something”, but that, according to Christian understanding, it is a freedom “for something”: a freedom to love. Today, in Catholic as well as in Orthodox theology personality, love and communion are key terms of theological anthropology, on whose basis we can speak of ”harmony” between divine and human freedom. Christians are therefore advocates of freedom – a freedom which, of course, should not be confused with random selection, but which emphasizes the responsibility of man before God and his neighbours.
Both parties considered the conference to be exceptionally fruitful and valuable. The discussions on Christian anthropology should be continued.
Vienna, 15 October 2005
