Monasticism as a bridge between East and West

Abstract

"The East differs from the West even in matters in which it does not differ at all. " This famous saying of Mgr A. Szepticky seems to hold eminently true of monasticism. True, one could argue that, though the tensions between East and West have been many, they have not seldom been healed by monks whose names have come to symbolize mediation. Such is the case with St John Chrysostom (ca. 347-407), for whose sake Rome, acting on the information of Cassian, was willing to break off with Constantinople. Such is St Maximus the Confessor (ca 580-662), one of the greatest theologians of the Byzantine Church, who gave Rome, and received there, the strongest backing. Such were, too, Sts Cyril (827-869) and Methodius (ca 825-885), recently made patrons of Europe because of their excellent contacts, at a time of incipient schism, with both pope and patriarch, and who have been aptly described as "Orientals by birth, Byzantines by citizenship, Greeks by nationality, Romans by their mission, Slavs by the fruits of their apostolate ... ".