1P5 Interview with Bishop Schneider

Exclusive Interview: Bishop Athanasius Schneider on Evangelization, Zika, Freemasonry, the Orthodox & More!

DB: Pope Francis has just met the Orthodox Patriarch of Russia. What is your view about the meeting? Will it bring about unity with Rome, or lead to a synodal Church which allows Holy Communion for the remarried?

BAS: Firstly, the meeting itself is a cause for joy, that it took place, because the Orthodox are a strong Church with beautiful and authentic traditions, images, devotion to Our Lady, angels, devout liturgies, Holy Mass celebrating in a beautiful manner, penance, fasting, monastic traditions, they have so many true Catholic values they have kept.

It seems to me that this meeting was conditioned politically, it was very quickly made, more politically motivated. And, I don’t think that this meeting will have an impact on the Church becoming synodal, or make it easy for the divorced and remarried to receive Holy Communion as they allow in the Orthodox Church.

I agree with the strong statements of the pope and patriarch on the family, and against gender ideology, and against persecution of the Christians, but what I don’t agree with is the statement on the Uniates. This is an injustice, because the Uniates wanted to be united to the pope in the past, since the Council of Florence in the 15th century. It was very positive with many fruits – saints, martyrs, so we can’t say it was wrong.

Also, the statement on proselytism, it was an accusation against the Catholic Church. I am living in an orthodox area and the Church does not do proselytism – this statement was unjust. And so I think the Holy See has ceded to the pressure of the patriarch. It seems the Orthodox dictated some points to accept, and this is against truth and against justice, such a dialogue is not a real ecumenical dialogue. Dialogue has to be fraternal, equal on the human level, so all these compromises, which harm truth and justice will not bear fruits for real unity.