Perspectief 2016-34

Perspectief 26 Dr. Petre Maican significant problem of anti-ecumenism. However, I am not going to propose an entire strategy for how the Orthodox Church should handle these dissenters – this would be too extensive a task for the purpose of this paper. What I will do instead is develop a counter- argument to their main claim that ecumenical dialogue leads essentially to syncretism or dogmatic minimalism. 3 From the number of objections anti-ecumenists have, 4 I have chosen to engage with this particular one because it taps into a very sensitive point for the Orthodox faithful: their deification. For Orthodox believers, the dogmas of the Church represent the undeniable path to their salvation, understood as union with God in Christ. 5 If fundamentalist groups claim that the Orthodox dogmas are going to change through ecumenical dialogue then the faithful will become extremely anxious towards the idea of ecumenism. In order to debunk this assertion, I will argue the precise opposite : that ecumenical dialogue not only deepens the understanding of the Orthodox dogmas and Patristic heritage, but it is an indispensable element in the process of deification for the Orthodox Church. To support this reasoning, there is no need to appeal to new strands of liberal Orthodoxy nor engage in textual gymnastics with the writings of the Fathers, but simply to remain consonant with their general spirit. In this sense, I will draw on the ecclesiology of Dumitru Stăniloae, a Romanian theologian who is considered – even by ultraconservatives – to have expressed faithfully the authentic spirit of the Fathers. 6 My 3 I have found this interview with Fr. Prof. Zisis to be an articulate presentation of the main theological grievances ultraconservative Orthodox faithful have against ecumenism. These grievances revolve precisely around the fear of dogmatic minimalism. See Silviu-Andrei Vlădăreanu, "Interviu cu Pr. Prof. Theodoros Zisis în 'Lumea credintei' despre Iubirea Falsă a Ecumenismului şi Consecinţele Minimalismului Dogmatic", Cuvantul Ortodox , 20 January 2015, accessed 22 June 2016, http://www.cuvantul- ortodox.ro/2015/01/20/interviu-cu-pr-prof-theodoros-zisis-in-lumea-credintei-despre-iubirea-falsa-a- ecumenismului-si-consecintele-minimalismului-dogmatic-fara-adevar-iubirea-este-minci%C2%ADnoasa- aceasta-perioad 4 For an analysis of anti-ecumenism inside the Orthodox space see Pantelis Kalaitzidis, "Theological, Historical, and Cultural Reasons for Anti-Ecumenical Movements in Eastern Orthodoxy", in Pantelis Kalaitzidis (ed.), Orthodox Handbook on Ecumenism: Resources for Theological Education; ‘That They All May Be One’ (John 17:21), (Oxford: Regnum Books International, 2014), 134–52. 5 Vladimir Lossky, The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church (Greenwood: The Attic Press, 1968), 9–10. 6 The respect Stăniloae enjoys among ultraconservatives is made clear by their attempt to prove that he was actually on their side, promoting anti-ecumenism. See for example: Ioan Vlăduca, "NU Minciunilor din