Eastern Europe: Poaching Souls

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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.