Το βράδυ της Αναστάσεως ο Μητροπολίτης Βοστώνης Μεθόδιος, συμπαραστούμενος από τον Πρωτοσύγκελλο π. Θεόδωρο, τον προϊστάμενο του Καθεδρικού π. Κλεόπα, και τον Αρχιμ. Παντελεήμονα Μανουσάκη,δέχθηκε τον Εκλαμπρότατο Αρχιεπίσκοπο Βοστώνης Καρδινάλιο Sean O' Malley,όπως είναι η παράδοση τα τελευταία χρόνια, και ανέγνωσαν από κοινού το Ευαγγέλιο της Αναστάσεως. Ο Καρδινάλιος απηύθυνε λόγους προς το εκκλησίασμα αναφερόμενος στην επέτειο των 50 ετών από την συνάντηση Πάπα Παύλου ΣΤ'και Οικουμενικού Πατριάρχου Αθηναγόρα στα Ιεροσόλυμα και στο αποστολικό ταξίδι του Πάπα Φραγκίσκου και του Οικουμενικού Πατριάρχου Βαρθολομαίου στους Αγίους Τόπους τον ερχόμενο Μάϊο.
Μητροπολίτης και Καρδινάλιος εορτάζουν επίσης φέτος τα 30 χρόνια αρχιερωσύνης τους.
Στο τέλος της τελετής αντάλλαξαν τον ασπασμό της αγάπης.
Την Κυριακή του Πάσχα, ο Μητροπολίτης Βοστώνης μετέβη στον Καθεδρικό ναό του Αγίου Σπυρίδωνος Γούστερ (Worcester) όπου στον Εσπερινό της Αγάπης υποδέχθηκε τον Καθολικό επίσκοπο του Γούστερ Εξοχώτατο Robert McManus, ο οποίος επίσης προσεφώνησε το εκκλησίασμα αναφερόμενος στο κοινό ταξίδι Πάπα και Πατριάρχου τον Μάϊο.
By Brian Lee TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
WORCESTERWorcester Roman Catholic Bishop Robert J. McManus thanked His Eminence Metropolitan Methodios of Boston and the Rev. Dean Paleologos for opening the door for him at St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Cathedral on Russell Street.
Meanwhile, worshippers lit Paschal candles and joyfully sang the call-and-response chant of Christ has risen — truly risen — during the history-making Easter Agape Service today at the cathedral.
The joint presence of the Greek Orthodox and Catholic bishops commemorated the 50th anniversary of the historic meeting between Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras and Pope Paul VI in Jerusalem in 1964.
It was made possible because Christian churches of the East and West celebrated Easter on the same day. Eastern and Western churches use a different calendar in determining the date for Easter.
"As you know," Bishop McManus said, "the Orthodox Church is the Roman Catholic Church. I have received the blessing this year of celebrating a great feast of the resurrection of the Lord on the same day."
This is very significant, he said, because if there is anything that unites Greek Orthodox and Catholics, it's a common faith of the rising of Jesus from the dead.
Metropolitan Methodios called Bishop McManus a close friend with whom he led a pilgrimage of Orthodox and Roman Catholic brethren to Constantinople and Rome several years ago.
The Orthodox and Catholic churches separated in a schism in 1054. No ecumenical patriarch and pope had met together for more than 500 years.
In the 20th century, however, both churches began to take steps for closer cooperation, with the goal of an eventual reunion between the East and West. After the 1964 meeting between the patriarch and bishop, the world "took notice" that the Christian church had changed a page of its history — from a period of confrontation, Metropolitan Methodios said.
"Now we have a period of reconciliation and growth together in God's image and likeness," he said. "And we are proceeding on the road to full Communion hopefully, because that is what is God's will." Bishop McManus made note of the planned April 27 canonizations of former popes John XXIII and John Paul II in Rome.
"It was Blessed John Paul II who frequently said that if the church is going to be a credible witness to a world that is quickly becoming forgetful of the things of God, that the church must be united, and the church must breathe with both its lungs — meaning the Western churches and Eastern churches," he said.
In Worcester, Greek Archbishop Iakovos and Roman Catholic Bishop Bernard J. Flanagan began a dialogue in the 1960s. It was said to have begun the dialogue between Orthodox and Catholic Churches in the Western hemisphere, and set the precedent for other dialogues in other regions of the world.
Bishop McManus thanked God for "the gift" of being present at the Greek Orthodox church on Easter, his friendship with Metropolitan Methodios, and "the great relationship that the Catholics of the Diocese of Worcester and Greek Orthodox Christians here have enjoyed since Archbishop Iakovos and Bishop Flanagan began ecumenical endeavors so many years ago."
