XI DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE ORTHODOX CHURCH AND THE GROUP OF THE EUROPEAN PEOPLE’S PARTY (CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATS) AND EUROPEAN DEMOCRATS



XI DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE ORTHODOX CHURCH AND THE GROUP OF THE EUROPEAN PEOPLE’S PARTY (CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATS) AND EUROPEAN DEMOCRATS

16-17 OCTOBER 2008, IASI, ROMANIA


INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE BASED ON COMMON VALUES AS A TOOL FOR PEACE AND PROSPERITY IN EUROPE


Intervention by Latchezar Toshev, MP, Bulgaria

Union of Democratic Forces


There is no Christianity without Christ



Your Beatitude,
Eminences,
Reverend Fathers,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Members of the European Parliament
and of National Parliaments from EPP,
Ladies and Gentlemen,


I am honored to participate for the fifth time in this Dialogue between the Group of EPP-ED in the European Parliament and the Orthodox Church.

I would like to express my thanks for the invitation to His All Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I and the President of the EPP-ED Group in European parliament Mr. Joseph Daul, The Romanian Orthodox Church and His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel I, the Romanian hosts-specially to Mr. Marian Marinescu-MEP, which invited us here in the city of   Iasi where there are the relics of St. Paraskeva - deeply respected by all Bulgarians too. Her Holy relics have been mostly respected and glorified in then Bulgarian capital Veliko Turnovo during the Second Bulgarian Kingdom (12-14 Century A.D.).

Let me first underline the importance of this Dialogue and to wish its further continuation and even a development into a network of National Dialogues in these states of EU in which the Orthodox Churches are the predominant religion. Why not to do the same also in the applicant states and the New Neighborhood where there are also influential Orthodox Churches? According to me, it would be appropriate to have additional publications in these countries on the themes of the Dialogue, and in this way to have this Dialogue not only on annual base, but also as a permanent initiative.

And these National Dialogues should stay under the umbrella of the European Dialogue organized by EPP-ED Group and the Ecumenical Patriarchate, which will give the opportunity to exchange ideas between the National Dialogues. I sincerely hope that, His All Holiness Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I-st will bless the continuation of the Dialogue and its enlargement, as well as to participate actively in it, as it was until now. His All Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch has not had administrative power over the autocephalic orthodox churches. 

He has had a right to arbitrate some complaints of the Orthodox Community in accordance with Art.9 and Art.17 of the Rules of the Church adopted by IV-th Ecumenical Synod (Assembly), held in Chalcedon in the year 451 A.D. But he is deeply respected and first in dignity among the all-equal Orthodox Bishops of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. That is why he has the opportunity to promote discussions within the whole Orthodox Community.
The Process for mutual respect and tolerance which was initiated in His Monastery Vlatadon in Thessaloniki and His participation in the Dialogue with EPP-ED Group, which would not be possible without Him, are excellent examples in this respect and that we all highly appreciate.
This is the appropriate place to say that Turkey has no right to contest the title of the Ecumenical Patriarch, because the styles of the Orthodox Church and of any other churches are church's affair and the state has no right to intervene in it!
The European People's Party is a secular party, which advocates that the Christian values should be guiding principles in the formation of the European society seeing EU as a Union of Values!
The Christian Democrats in Europe has often had as their opponents in the field of bioethics, medical ethics and family related issues, education, etc. socialists, liberals and supporters of utilitarianisms.

But the principle of tolerance between the religious and ethnical groups is important almost for all political parties. In particular for Europe, the Dialogue “Christianity – Islam”, which purpose is to achieve tolerance between these two worldwide religions and respect for the commonly accepted principles, is under public attention today.
To be all one with Christ is the principle of the Church.
And such a Dialogue is not an apostasy from this principle, because it has no the purpose to change the faith. It aims to achieve normal, tolerant relations into the society.
 To be one with(in) Christ” neither can be replaced by “To be one even without Christ”, nor to replace Christ with the imagination about Him. It is obviously that there is no Christianity without Christ! There is no Religion without God. 
Moral values of society take their legitimacy from the God and the whole moral system of values would be ruined and destroyed without God. Religion is in the ground of morals and values of the society.
That is why it is important education on religion as secular discipline to be introduced in the school curricula. It would give cognition on faith, but would not give faith. The second part - faith has to be cultivated and developed by the Church itself, but not by the state.
An Orthodox Christian, for example, cannot hate anyone else due to the fact that he or she is ethnically different, because God was who created men - all men - and this particular person is his brother or sister. To hate someone because he or she was born different, it means to accuse God.

 And the Christian could not take such anti-Christian position.
Ethnophilethism is a Heresy in the Orthodox Church! The Church is not an ethnocentric community! 

The Orthodox Church has never imposed its faith! There have never been crusades! It has never burned heretics! Because the imposed choice has been considered as not valid! The personal freedom has been respected as a core value in the Orthodox doctrine, and today it implements as a core principle in EU, too.
Here it comes the example with the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.
During the Middle Ages it condemned, but never persecuted the heretics, after 1915 it cordially accepted the 20 000 Armenian refugees from Turkey, and during the Holocaust – in 1943 it rescued nearly 50 000 Bulgarian Jews from their deportation to the death camps. By active deeds - not by a declaration! 

This act of humanity was very risky and was demonstrated towards people who are ethnically and religiously different.
That is why it is so important these values to be made known in society and to be commonly accepted as universal principles.

The Orthodox Christianity is able to contribute to the society spreading its values between the United Europe and the whole world.
Let’s build together in this way our world and our society with greater tolerance and social cohesion, thanks to the Christian values!