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TIME: Almanac 1993
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1992-08-28
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WORLD, Page 40World NotesEASTERN EUROPE Poaching Souls
When Eastern Orthodox leaders met in Istanbul for the first
time in a millennium to claim a new, more assertive role for their
church, they achieved a remarkable degree of unity with one
another. But their joint decree last week revealed a serious
disagreement with other Christians.
After decades of "pitiless persecutions" under the
communists, the primates insisted angrily, the Orthodox Church
was entitled to respect from fellow Christians. Instead,
Catholics and "certain Protestant Fundamentalists" have been
poaching souls on what the Orthodox Church considers its own
turf. The primates are especially upset that Pope John Paul II
named five bishops in the former Soviet Union without consulting
Russian Orthodox leaders. Bitter disputes have also erupted with
Eastern Rite Catholics, notably in Ukraine and Romania.
Nonetheless, the primates decided not to condemn
Catholicism. They believe that they have friends at the Vatican,
although some wonder privately if Pope John Paul can be
considered one of them.