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Report for Activities of the Association ‘Dialogue between Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Christians’ in 2002
by Christine Chaillot, Founder and Secretary
On January 9, I arrived in Ethiopia where I spent one month in order to finish my interviews and to check things which I had already written for my book on the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. After my return, I worked without cease, which allowed me to finish my fifth book at the end of July, entitled The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church Tradition. The book, which was printed in August, has a preface by the Greek Orthodox Metropolitan residing in Addis Ababa, His Grace Petros. There are also two letters of blessing: one from the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria, Petros, and the other by Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, who made an official visit to Ethiopia in 1995. He speaks of my ‘long and systematic work for the development of the Dialogue between our Orthodox Church and the Oriental Orthodox Christians’.
On February 14, a Centre of Research and Information was inaugurated in the Ethiopian Orthodox Theological College of the Holy Trinity in Addis Ababa. The Association has offered a computer with printer and scanner in order to encourage the students and professors in this new and important activity, the main aim of which is to disseminate knowledge of the extraordinary tradition of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church (EOC).
On February 22, I was invited by Serge Model to speak on the Oriental Orthodox Churches, Life and Spirituality (Eglises orthodoxes orientales : Vie et Spiritualité), in the Parish of the Holy Trinity, 26 rue Spaak in Brussels. To have the public participate as much as possible, I decided to give a short lecture (about half an hour) followed by a question and answer period directed to the Oriental Orthodox present (Copts, Syrian Orthodox and Armenians). In the chapel there followed a presentation of the traditional hymns of each Oriental Orthodox community. This method of presentation seemed to please everyone, including Bishop Gabriel (De Vilder), who was so kind to come from the Netherlands. The lecture was published in the Bulletin of the Orthodox Brotherhood in Belgium, Diakonia (no 36, 2002).
On May 8, I had the pleasure to give a lecture ‘The Oriental Orthodox Churches : Life and Spirituality’, in the Parish of the Annunciation (Patriarchate of Constantinople) in Dublin, Ireland, 46 Arbour Hill, led by Father Craciun. Also present were the rector of the Russian parish under the Moscow Patriarchate, the Coptic priest, a Syrian Orthodox priest, Ethiopian and Coptic deacons, some Armenian ladies and faithful from different Orthodox parishes. All asked when we would have another similar meeting.
On May 14, I repeated the same conference in London, in Saint George’s Cathedral (Patriarchate of Antioch) at the invitation of the rector, Father Samir Gholam. Several Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox communities were represented and also present were four bishops (Armenian and Coptic), who have encouraged this type of meeting in their speeches. As in Brussels and Dublin, the lecture was followed by interesting questions, and the Oriental Orthodox present then sang some of their liturgical songs so that their specific languages and Church music could be appreciated. Again, those present wished to organize other meetings and seminars in the future on given themes, for example, spirituality, monastic life or liturgy in order to study similarities between the Eastern Orthodox and the Oriental Orthodox. This lecture was published by Orthodox Outlook, an Orthodox magazine in England (No 100, Nov./Dec. 2002).
On June 30, I went for the first pilgrimage organized by Mother Anne (Patriarchate of Romania) in the Monastery of Saint Gregory (Saint Martin le Solitaire, 4300 Bondaroy, near Petiviers south of Paris) for the feast of a saint of Armenian origin, Saint Gregory, who lived there as a hermit and died in this place in 917. There was a liturgy followed by the veneration and the procession of the relics. This event should take place every year.
On August 16, I spoke about the Oriental Orthodox Churches at the Eastern Orthodox Centre in Bialystok, which is situated in north-east Poland.
On October 29, I organized a cultural manifestation in UNESCO, Paris, in the frame of the UNESCO Year of Tangible and Intangible Patrimony, with the participation of the Ethiopian Ambassador in France Mrs Sahle-Work Zewde ; Professor Claude Lepage of Sorbonne University (diaporama of the main ancient churches of Ethiopia in need of restoration) ; the Ambassador of Switzerland, Denis Feldmeyer (restoration of the rock-hewn church in Addadi Maryam, south of Addis Ababa as paid for by the Swiss government); and presentation by Christine Chaillot : Quelques Notes sur le Patrimoine chrétien intangible de l’Ethiopie chrétienne : l’éducation traditionnelle, which is an Introduction to the Traditional Education in the Church of Ethiopia, considered to be an intangible patrimony.
From November 1 through the 3, during the Xth Orthodox Congress, organized by the Orthodox Fraternity in Western Europe meeting in Saint Laurent-sur-Sèvres, I was able to project texts and pictures so as to educate participants on the scope, work and lofty purpose of the Association. I took part in a workshop on the Oriental Orthodox Churches with Metropolitan Seraphim (Romanian Patriarchate in Germany and Central Europe) and Philippe Sukyasian (deacon of the Armenian Church in Lyon) in which we gave information about the life and spirituality of the Oriental Orthodox communities and about the theological dialogue between the Eastern Orthodox and the Oriental Orthodox Churches.
On November 16, the Association organized its annual afternoon event at the Saint Serge Institute in Paris (93 rue de Crimée). The programme was introduced by Father Boris Bobrinskoy and the Oriental Orthodox presented their history, spirituality, and the reality of their communities both in their native homelands as well as France and Europe.
From the 20 through the 30 of November, I organized and accompanied a pilgrimage to Egypt, which included Cairo and the Coptic monasteries (Wadi Natrun, Saint Anthony and Saint Paul) as well as the Monastery of Saint Catherine in Sinai, with Eastern Orthodox from France and Belgium.
After one month in Egypt, I went to Ethiopia in order to present my book on the Ethiopian Orthodox Church (Patriarchate, College of Theology, University of Addis Ababa, National Museum, National Libray ; to the ministers of culture, education and information ; and on two national radios and on television).