A Time For Ecumenism

Per Rorate, and most appropriate:

It is very likely that the new Pope will be Italian, as before John Paul II": it is the prediction given to public television Vesti 24 by Metropolitan Hilarion, head of the of External Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate. ... "I hope that the new Pope is a traditionalist," he concluded.

This brings up a point we've mentioned before but that apparently never occurred to perhaps the entire Catholic episcopacy.

Ecumenism with Protestants is largely worthless because they have no authority that can speak on their behalf. The only gains that can really be made here are on a one-on-one basis.

The Orthodox, on the other hand, are a field ripe for ecumenism. The more they are ignored, though, and more efforts are focused on Protestants, the more the Orthodox are alienated. Look at the Pauline Mass and any Orthodox commentary about it. Do you think they want any part of something like that? When was the last time you heard the Orthodox wanting to talk more about how great man is? How all Church-related matters have to be modernized?

Keep that in mind the next time you hear the call from the masses about "getting with the times" while simultaneously being more "open-minded towards other religions." Most of the Orthodox are more than willing to tell you that the more open-minded we become, the more closed off to them we are.