ArchBishop Minnerath to EF+: All Christians+ United in front of ISIL Terrorism + other Challenges !?

*Strasbourg/EU Parliament/Angelo Marcopolo/- A New phenomenon, of an almost "Total Solidarity" between various Christian Minorities of the Middle East area, has practicaly United recently, as never before in recent History, all the Christians living there, (some among the Most Ancient Churches of the World), while Facing harsh Persecution and other Dangers now, mainly from several Threats and/or Attacks, Oppression, etc., by the Islamistic Extremists' Terrorism of ISIL, etc., told EU Parliament's "PanEuropa" Working Group meeting the Experienced ArchBishop of Dijon (France), Mgr Roland Minnerath, who holds also several Important Missions at the Vatican (See Infra).

Mgr Minnerath, who comes from Strasbourg's Region and holds a Double PhD both on Theology and Canonic Law in addition to Paris' University Studies in History, has served as Special Secretary at the Vatican's Worldwide Bishops' Synod already on 2005, and is, until now, Member of its International Commission on Theology, while, since 2011, he has been elected President of France's Council for Canonic Law, during the currently Emeritus Pope Benedict, as well as New Member of the Holy See's prestigious Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, where he was appointed since May 2015 by new Pope Francis.

The "PanEuropa" WG at EU Parliament is currently Chaired by Experienced, Long-time MEP Paul Ruebig from Austria, a mainstream Member of the Biggest Political Group of MEPs, that of ChristianDemocrats/EPP.

Historicaly, Christians used to be essentialy United for more than a Millenary, until 1.054, and it was during that period that Byzantine Empire's World-Famous Monks Cyril and Method helped Russians acquire a Written Alphabet for their Language, (which became the Cyrilic), and be Christianized since the 9th Century AC, starting from Kiev (nowadays Ukraine), and extended afterwards to Moscow, etc.

On 1453, (i.e. when the Ottoman Turcs, coming from a far away Central Asian area near Mongolia, notoriously Invaded and occupied Byzance's overMillenary Capital Constantinople, massacrating its last defensors, including its Last Emperor Constantin Paleologis, who had Married with a Roman Latin Wife of Catholic confession - while that Historic City was renamed "Istanbul" after a 1955 "Pogrom" against Christians fueled on Pretext of Cyprus' National Independence Movement developments), almost all former "Eastern" Christian Orthodox Churches had reportdly SIgned, at Florence (Italy), an Exceotional Agreement to immediately Re-establish European Christians' Unity, Mgr. Minnerath reminded, but this was, then, finaly Refused to be Ratified, later-on, mainly by the Russian ArchiBishop, Orthodox Patriarch of Moscow, afterwards followed in that also by the older, Greek-Orthodox Patriarche of Constantinople (Istanbul).  

However, after various Efforts during the Following Centuries, (including, more recently, under former Popes Jean-Paul II, who was the 1st Catholic Pope in History to ever make an Official Visit to predominantly Orthodox Greece, back on 2001, just after a landmark Ecumenial Declaration, agreed and signed by Top Representatives/Emmissaries of the Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox Confessions in Strasbourg, including a Meeting held then at the PanEuropean CoE's Headquarters here : Comp. "Eurofora" co-Founder's relevant NewsReports from those Historic Events, published then at Other Media, including "StraCy", "EWEM", "TCW", etc, as well as current Emeritus Pope Benedict's welcome of then Russia's Patriarch Alexis, who had made an Historic Visit at the CoE in Strasbourg, Paris and Rome, etc., back on 2007 : Comp. f.ex. "Eurofora" Co-Founder's Publication of a Statement that Patriarch Alexis gave us then on Cultural Heritage, at "Cyprus Weekly", etc), Recently, on February 2016, New Pope Francis and Russian Patriarch Cyril met and signed a landmark Joint Declaration on the Rapprochment of Catholic and Orthodox Christian, last February 2016 in Cuba, (See relevant "Eurofora"s NewsReport at ....).

That exceptionaly important, Top Declaration of February 2016 at Cuba, (which includes also crystal-clear References even to Modern BioEthical Concerns of Christians vis a vis some BioTechnology Moral Issues of Vital Interest for all Humanity : Comp. related Abstracts from the Original Text and observatins by "Eurofora" at the above-mentioned NewsReport), is "certainly a valuable Sign given by the Religious Leaders", but, afterwards, in real Practice, it depends, in fact, from the Competent collegial Commissions of each Church, who regularly meet Together each 2 Years, to Try to Translate all that more Concrete Terms in order to Start to be Really Applied in Everyday Life of all Priests and faithful : Something which hasn't been always Easy, but still remained a quite Delicate matter to solve better in the foreseable Future, realisticaly observed Mgr. Minnerath.
In these Conditions, another Step Forward is the Latest Joint Text adopted by a Top Ecumenical Collective Gathering, just a Few Months Earlier this Year (2016) in Rome, he anounced moreover.

 

=> Speaking, later-on, to "Eurofora", at the Conclusion of that exceptional Meeting in EU Parliament, ArchBishop Minnerath, agreed on the Double Point that, Nowadays, at least 2 Different but Both Topical Challenges of ISIS' Deadly Terrorism (which notoriously Kills and Threatens even many Innocent and Defenseless Civilian People, recently both in Europe and even in the USA, in addition to the Middle-East area near Turkey's borders and later-on also in some African areas),  as well as  Recently Growing "BioEthical" Concerns, raised by some Controversial aspects on certain Crucial Points on the Way that some Might Abuse of Fast-Developing Modern Bio-Technologies, which might Affect all Humankind, inciting, in Fact, all Christians to Urgently Find Was to ReUnite their relevant Activities, at least on the most Essential Issues.

Earlier, Replying also to various Participants' Questions, he also Acknowledged Europe's a.o. proximity of Judeo-Christian Traditions, as well as a quite Differend kind of Theology in the Islamic Religion, but made also a Clear Distinction between an Historicaly and basicaly Peaceful Muslim Belief, shared by a Majority of mainly Traditional Muslims in various Countries, and anOther, Extremist and Aggressive Version, which has, more Recently, been Diffused mainly by a "Wahabit" intolerant pathway via Saudi Arabia, (which is one of the Few who haven't even signed UNO's World-wide Declaration on Human Rights), etc., some difformed Parts of which were Distorded and Abused by openly Violent Terrorism as that of Al-Quaida and particularly ISIL's atrocious BeHeaders even of innocent Civilian People.

However, in addition to Different MonoTheistic Religions' references to One God, it's mainly by Focusing on the Essentials of a Worldwide "Humanism" and basic Human Values, that a Joint Struggle, bringing Together all Religions through Honest Dialogue, against Deadly and Destructive Terrorism, may Succeed, Mgr. Minnerath Highlighted in Conclusion.

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