Un proiect de reunificare bisericească din anul 1812 şi semnificaţiile lui
A Project of the 1812 Church Unification and its Significance

Summary/Abstract: The paper deals with the project of Eastern and Western Churches reunification, drafted by the orthodox Karlowitz metropolitan bishop Ştefan Stratimirović in 1812. The sources which were used, mentioned in the appendix are: Ştefan Stratimirović’s letter, which comprises the mentioned project, a critical reflection regarding this letter and a letter dated in 25th September 1812 which was addressed to the apostolic delegate in Vienna Antonio Severoli by Alexius Iordánsky, the canon of the collegiate church from Bratislava, letter which is at its turn joined by critical remarks. In his letter, the metropolitan bishop Ştefan Stratimirović supports the possibility of the reunification of Eastern and Western churches whether in the given circumstances (exile imposed to the pope starting with 1809) the pontifical dignity was abolished in the Roman Catholic Church. He focuses on the interpretation of the significance of the four Florentine points, and, as doctrinal references, he refers to the Florence Council and to the decisions of partial unification signed at Brest, Ujgorod and Alba Iulia. In his opinion a great impediment in the fulfilment of the union was the problem of papal pre-eminence, because as regards the other three Florentine dogmatical points, the interpretation of the non-united “greeks” was similar with the de facto interpretation of the Uniates. Against this statement the above-mentioned critical reflection outlines the fact that pontifical dignity cannot be abolished, because it does not belong to the political or disciplinary field but the dogmatic field; as regards the three other dogmatic matters the author of the reflection lays stress on the wrong interpretation of the non-Uniates. The letters analysed provide a precious testimony regarding the way of conceiving the union at that moment from a Catholic perspective which was in opposition with the official position of the Holy See, namely from a quite singular orthodox perspective.

• Details
• Contents