The dawn of the 21st
century is marked by growing uncertainty and anxiety. The world in which we live
is broken, a world dominated by evil forces that are generating a culture of
violence and hopelessness. The signs of the times are clear: the AIDS pandemic,
the genocide in Sudan, the tsunami disaster in Southeast Asia - to give a few
examples. Conflict, poverty and injustice have deepened the anguish and despair
of many societies. The world is in desperate need of healing in almost all
spheres of human life. Therefore, for this last meeting of the Central
Committee, I want to focus our reflection on healing. As you know, the
forthcoming conference on World Mission and Evangelism (9-16 May, 2005, Athens)
will have as its theme, "Come Holy Spirit, Heal and Reconcile: Called in Christ
to be Reconciling and Healing Communities". I hope that this report and ensuing
discussion will contribute to the deliberations of the conference.

The renewed concern
and awareness towards healing in a new world context raises for the churches
fundamental theological, missiological, ethical and pastoral questions that
require critical scrutiny. My approach will be missiological. I will discuss
healing as the transforming, empowering and reconciling missionary action of the
church.

REDISCOVERING THE CHURCH'S
MINISTRY OF HEALING

Healing belongs to the
very esse of the church. The church
is endowed by God's grace and power of healing. Hence, the prevailing
missiological misconception
that considers healing a "specialized ministry"
of the church and neglects it as a core element needs
to be corrected by an ecclesiological understanding that perceives healing to be
integral to the church's being, manifested through its sacramental life,
diaconal action and
evangelistic outreach.

1)     
JESUS CHRIST: THE GREAT HEALER OF
ALL TIMES

a.      
Healing is rooted in God's
revelation
. Both in the Old and New
Testaments God has revealed Himself as a healer. Sickness is perceived as the
brokenness of the relationship with God; it is estrangement from God. Healing is
found in the restoration of the right relationship with God. Most of Jesus'
miracles are miracles of healing. Healing is an essential dimension of Christ's
mission and a concrete manifestation of His redemptive work. It is a sign and
anticipation of the eschatological breaking in of the Kingdom of God (Lk. 10: 9)
and participation in God's Kingdom, which will reach its consummation in
parousia. Christ gave His disciples the ministry of healing: heal the sick,
raise the dead, clean lepers, cast out demons; the Kingdom of God has come near
to you (Mt. 10: 1, 5, 7, Lk. 9: 1-2, 10: 9). Healing became a vital component of
the mission of the early church (Acts 3: 1-10, 9:12, 17, 18, 32-5; 14: 19-20;
20: 7-12). In the later centuries, however, due to historical circumstances,
healing lost much of its significance in the life and witness of the church.

b.     
Growing awareness towards
healing
. We have been witnessing a
resurgence of healing ministry of the church. Anguish and despair stemming from
ecological disorder, economic injustice and increasing violence,
as well as experiences of scandalous
and unexplainable suffering, have given rise to a
growing concern for healing. According to estimates, four to five million
pilgrims visit Lourdes each year to seek healing. We see the same phenomenon
expressed in manifold ways in different parts of the world. Increasingly,
healing cults and grass roots movements are emerging within Christianity to seek
healing through different forms of spirituality. These movements are sometimes
cross confessional and even syncretistic. The churches have re-entered the field
of healing with renewed awareness of its crucial importance for the life and
mission of the church. Many churches and ecumenical organizations have
established special programmes and task forces to address various aspects and
implications of healing.

c.      
Healing: an ecumenical
concern
. Healing has been a permanent
missionary priority. The history of mission has been enriched by the many
initiatives taken by missionaries in their attempt to take the Gospel to all
corners of the globe. Healing has also been integral to the ecumenical agenda
from the very inception of the modern ecumenical movement. The Edinburgh
Conference (1910), the following missionary conferences, as well as the WCC
assemblies and several major ecumenical consultations have raised the issue on a
larger or smaller scale.
It must be noted that in the ecumenical
movement healing was mainly considered as part of the churches' "medical
missions", in a perspective linked to western cultures. In the Tübingen consultation (1962) the issues of
community and "primary health care" came to the forefront and were linked to
mission. Tübingen also emphasized the holistic nature
and global scope of the church's healing ministry. It was followed by Tübingen
II (1967), which established the Christian Medical Commission (CMC) within the
programmatic structure of the WCC. For more than two decades, the CMC played a
significant role in reminding the churches of the crucial importance of healing
for the mission of the church and by challenging them to take it more
seriously.

2)     
FROM FUNCTIONAL TO ONTOLOGICAL
CONCEPT OF HEALING

a.      
Healing is of a sacramental
nature
. It is a gift (charisma) of the
Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12: 7-11) that the church exercises through baptism,
chrismation, ordination and holy unction. The eucharist is a sacrament of
healing. Through it, Christ is proclaimed as the Healer of the world, and  the church, the living body of Christ,
becomes a healing community and incorporates the whole creation into communion
with God. Diakonia is the healing action of the eucharistic community. The
therapy that the church experiences and proclaims in the eucharist must result
in a therapy for the whole world. Through its missionary engagement, the
church's healing diakonia (the sharing of God's healing and life-giving love)
reaches out for the entire humanity and creation. The
diakonia of the church in this comprehensive
sense goes beyond the activities of "diaconal" institutions. The church 
fulfils its being and vocation when it becomes a healing community - a
loving, praying, sharing, serving, proclaiming, empowering and reconciling
community (Lk. 22: 27).
Each of these dimensions and forms of the
church's mission, along with spirituality, have a
profound role in healing. It sustains and articulates the healing act of the
church. Prayer has a therapeutic impact. God's healing power is revealed as a
response to prayer.

b.     
Integration of spirituality and
medicine
. In the Old Testament healing
refers to all aspects of a person's life. It is the restoration of the wholeness
of body, mind and spirit. While physical healing was an important part of
Christ's healing ministry, His ultimate concern was total healing aimed at
salvation. The health of the human body is important since it channels God's
grace, but healing is not merely physical curing; it embraces the whole person,
all aspects, dimensions and manifestations of life. Therefore, physical and
spiritual healing are closely interconnected. We must have a holistic approach
to healing. Pastoral and spiritual care must accompany institutional and medical
care. The dichotomy between the spiritual and medical aspects of healing needs
to be overcome, and "scientific healing" and "divine healing" must be
integrated. The holistic approach to healing is a move in the right direction.
Through its rich spirituality and holistic vision, Christianity can make a vital
contribution to scientific healing.

c.      
One ministry, but different
forms
. How does the church fulfil its
healing ministry? The manifold methods and means by which healing is practised
in the church has varied from time to time, and from context to context.
Generally the Orthodox and Catholic Churches consider healing to be inseparable
from the spirituality of the church, with particular emphasis on  liturgy, images, icons and pilgrimages.
The churches of the Protestant tradition insist, rather, on the importance of
personal counselling and confession.
Both the Catholic and Protestant traditions
have been influenced in the last century by the charismatic movements. In recent
years some of the churches have produced excellent papers on the healing
ministry. Besides the biblical and liturgical
traditions, the indigenous cultural norms and forms too play a significant role
in the churches' exercise of healing ministry.
This particular area has
not been sufficiently addressed in the ecumenical movement. It deserves serious
discussion. Healing is an integral part of the
collective priesthood of the church, where every Christian has a healing
ministry, and, within this framework, the ordained ministry has a special
function and vocation.

d.     
Healing and justice are
interrelated
. What do we mean by healing? The
healing power of God is at work where and when the church provides care to the
sick and expresses its solidarity with the oppressed. Not only did Christ heal
the sick, He also embraced the poor; not only did He identify Himself with the
oppressed, He also took a firm stand against injustice. Healing necessarily
includes the prophetic witness of the church. The church's healing ministry must
not be understood solely by medical service or pastoral counselling. It implies
social diakonia, working for justice, giving hope to the depressed, providing
reconciliation to the alienated and liberation to the marginalized. Besides
medical treatment, healing means addressing the root causes of injustice. The
church loses its identity and credibility, its raison d'etre, if it does not understand
itself as God's healing community and agent, committed to His transforming,
empowering and reconciling mission in the power of the Holy Spirit.

HEALING AS
TRANSFORMING

The healing that
Christ performed (which was beyond physical cure) was ultimately aimed at
transforming and recreating humanity and creation by establishing a new quality
of relationship between God, humanity and creation. Healing as transformation
implies:

1)     
AFFIRMATION OF
LIFE

a.      
Healing is the beginning of a new
life in Christ
. Life in its "fullness", the
"abundant" life, the "eternal life" was incarnated in Christ. The transformation
of "all things", whether on earth or in heaven (Col. 1: 20), towards the
fullness of life began in Christ: "I have come that they might have life, and
that they might have it abundantly" (Jn. 10:10). All life is from God. The
healing of life too is from God; He is the ultimate source of healing. The
Orthodox prayer describes God as "the physician of our souls and bodies". The
Christ-event is the transformation of life and the inauguration of a new life
(Col. 3: 9-10). This is, indeed, the aim of healing. Life is a gift of God and
healing is the sign of rebirth of life: "Behold I make everything new" (Rev.
21:5).

b.     
Healing is the restoration of the
brokenness of life
. Life in its human and
ecological dimensions and manifestations was broken due to human sin. Life apart
from its Creator is broken, distorted. Christ came to repair the integrity and
restore the quality of life. Therefore, healing is essentially recreation. It is
recovery and rediscovery of life's wholeness, coherence and unity, and its
re-orientation towards a new eschatological future through Jesus Christ. The
transformation and recreation of creation and humanity took place on the cross;
the resurrection completed it.

c.      
Healing is the recovery of life's
wholeness
. Wholeness is an essential
feature of biblical anthropology and the understanding of life (Gen. 2: 7, 1
Thes. 5: 23, Rm. 12: 1-2, Jn. 5: 1-15). Healing is the restoration of the whole
that was disrupted, disintegrated and disoriented. In the Orthodox Church,
confession is made for the sins of spirit, mind and body as one whole, and
healing is granted to all sins pertaining to these different components of human
life. Unlike the rationalistic perception of the Enlightenment, the eastern
theological and philosophical approach to human person and generally to life is
holistic. The over-privatization of religion on the one hand, and
compartmentalization of medical sciences on the other hand, caused us to lose
the wholeness of healing. In its definition of healing, the World Health
Organization emphasizes the critical importance of wholeness. The WCC's
Christian Medical Commission too maintains a holistic approach to healing,
considering it "a dynamic state of the wellbeing of the individual and society,
of physical, mental, spiritual, economic, political and social well-being; of
being in harmony with each other, with the material environment and with God".[1]  Christian theology must challenge any
dualistic and compartmentalizing approach, and promote a holistic vision of life
and healing.

d.     
Healing is returning life to its
original source
. Healing does not mean merely
normalization of the function of a particular organ. It means the sanctification
of life by rediscovering its authenticity and quality as created in the likeness
of God. Alienation from God is the rejection of God's gift of life and the
exposure to sin and death. Life-destroying forces and life-altering values
surround us today with different names and forms. The very fabric of life is
threatened; it is threatened morally, spiritually, physically and ecologically.
It is only with Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit that life is restored
to its original nature and dignity. The healing ministry of the church must
primarily affirm the sacredness of life as God's gift, and challenge Christians
to commit themselves to a quality of life that reflects the values of the
Gospel. Healing is caring for life. It is an invitation to turn to God, to
"repent and believe the gospel" (Mk. 1: 15), the source of true
life.

2)     
LIBERATION FROM
SIN

a.      
Healing is rediscovery of
authentic humanity.
 Healing in its holistic
understanding  does not only involve
the disappearance of physical diseases. It also liberates the person from
physical, mental and spiritual evils. Those who approached Christ were sinners,
oppressed and persecuted. The healing granted by Christ transformed their lives
by liberating them from their physical, spiritual and moral brokenness and from
the rule of evil and sin (Mk. 5: 34, Lk. 7: 50). Therefore, healing in all its
forms and manifestations is essentially a struggle against the evil forces that
deny the freedom and dignity of God's gift of life. The evil forces are not only
socio-economic; they are also moral, spiritual, rational and ecological. Healing
aims to combat these forces and to rediscover what it means to be human. This
biblical concept must remain dominant if the Christian understanding of healing
is to become the motivating force of any healing process.

b.     
Healing and salvation are
interconnected
.  Healing means saving life from the evil
powers that threaten, disintegrate and corrupt it. It is a process leading
towards full and ultimate healing in Christ. Hence, healing is essentially
salvation. In the New Testament salvation (soteria) and healing (therapeuo)  are used interchangeably (Lk. 10: 9, Mk.
5: 34, 6:56, Mt. 10: 7-8). Healing is the proclamation of salvation in Christ;
it grants new life by empowering the helpless and hopeless with the Holy
Spirit's life-giving power. Healing must be seen within the context of Christ's
economy of salvation. Christ's miracles of healing were not self-centred and
isolated events; they were oriented towards salvation: "All those who touched
him were saved" (Mk. 6: 55-6). The Gospel is a message of new life. In Orthodox
theology and spirituality this important aspect of healing is spelled out  sharply.

c.      
Healing generates
renewal
. Renewal is a vital dimension of
liberation and salvation. It delivers us from sin and corruption and opens the
way to God's future in Christ. Renewal is a new beginning in Christ. It
anticipates the eschaton. As a liberation and transformation process, renewal is
dynamic, creative and holistic, embracing the  totality of life in all its aspects and
expressions. The Holy Spirit constantly renews humanity in the image of God
(Col. 3: 9-10, 2 Cor. 5: 17). Renewal is not only person-based; it includes all
of humanity and the cosmos.

3)     
COMMUNITY-BUILDING

a.      
Healing is relationship
building.
Community is an essential
dimension of human life. Life without community becomes a source of hate and
violence. The biblical meaning of healing is integration into the community with
others. In the Bible, healing is directed both to the needy and the powerful
(Mk. 5). Being in harmony with each other and building relationships is an
important aspect of healing. In fact, relationship building is fundamentally
community building. Healing does not deal with an individual as such, but always
with his or her relationship with the neighbour, with  nature and with God. Through the
individual, healing is directed towards the entire community. Healing has a
personal character (Ex. 15: 26, Mk. 2: 11, Lk. 8: 48, Jn. 5: 6),  a community dimension and implications
(Lk. 5: 12-16, 8: 40-48, Mk. 5: 21-34). Healing and community building are
intimately interwoven. Healing means community building and community-building
implies a healing process.

b.     
Healing is reinstating a right
relationship with creation
. It affirms the goodness of
God's creation by being in harmony with the natural environment. The creation is
the household of humanity. As God's own work, creation belongs to Him and is
given to humanity to be used only for the Creator's purpose and glory. The
misuse or abuse of creation by human beings is a sin against God. The brokenness
of God's creation, caused by human transgression, needs to be healed. In the
context of restoration of the humanity-God relationship, creation has an
important place. It also plays a significant part in community building.
According to Orthodox sotereology, the economy of Christ embraces the whole
creation. Particular attention needs to be given to this dimension in modern
ecotheology.

c.      
As a Christocentric koinonia the
church is called to grow into a healing community
. Being church means being a
therapeutic community. The church is called to share the spiritual and physical
concerns and wounds of its members and to reach out to those in need of healing.
It must, through sacramental life, evangelistic witness and diaconal action,
help people in a given place reintegrate themselves to the total life,
spirituality and witness of the church. 
Community building is a process to enable people to overcome their
alienation from God and each other. Healing implies creation of harmony, peace
and unity, as opposed to conflict and division (Jn. 5: 6-8, 14). As a new
community, built and transformed by Christ, the church has a special vocation:
as the herald, it must anticipate a new humanity inaugurated by the
Christ-event. God's healing action in the power of the Holy Spirit will reach
its consummation with the second coming of Christ in glory.

HEALING AS
EMPOWERING

In the New Testament,
healing is also perceived as empowering the helpless and marginalized to
confront the power of evil. The miracles of Jesus are "works of power" (Acts. 2:
22). Healing is God's power acting through the Holy Spirit in Jesus Christ (Lk.
4: 14). In a world dominated by the forces of globalization, growing militarism,
unilateralism and different forms of "ism"s, the question of power has become
more than ever a matter of critical importance. What are the challenges and
implications of the Christian understanding of power as a source of healing,
transforming and empowering?

1)     
POWER AS A DOMINATING AND
LIBERATING FORCE

a.      
Definition of
power
. Power is ambiguous and
ambivalent; it can be both constructive and destructive, good and evil, and can
lead both to wholeness and alienation. Power is generally associated with force
and dominance, absoluteness and violence. The paradoxical nature of power
(dunamis) is also evident in the Bible, where it means "to be able", implying
the ability both to do good and to do harm. However, this does not in any way
imply dualism. Human power will always remain ambiguous and fragile.

b.     
Use of power. God's power
incarnated in Christ is liberating, healing and transforming. The question is
not, therefore,  power as such, but
the proper use of it. Power must not be used to overpower, but to empower the
other. It must be used to restore human dignity and quality of life. Justice
must undergird any use of power. Any form of power that empowers those who are
already powerful and impoverishes those who are powerless is simply the abuse of
power. The WCC has frequently condemned the exploitation and misuse of power,
which God has granted to us in Christ as a source of love and liberation. The
arbitrary and unjust exercise of power causes corruption, oppression and
dehumanization.

c.      
Moral criterion in the exercise
of power
. Power must not be based on
force; it must be based on values. It must not be used for personal interests,
but for the well being of all. Power must be sustained by ethical principles and
be used responsibly. We witness today a crisis of criterion in the exercise of
power in all areas and on all levels of public life, including religion. Global
governance is in decay due to the lack of moral criteria. Power requires moral
direction; otherwise it will become an instrument of evil. The role of religion
in respect to the right understanding and responsible use of power is extremely
important, since for many religions and societies the ultimate origin of any
power is in religion.

2)     
THE CHURCH IS THE BEARER OF GOD'S
HEALING POWER

a.      
The need to transform the
ambiguity of power
. Christ empowered the disciples
with the "power and authority to drive out all demons" and "to cure diseases"
(Lk. 9: 1, Mt. 10:1, Mk. 3: 15, Acts, 1: 8). As bearer of God's healing power,
the church is called to become God's instrument of transformation and
empowerment. The church's power is one of service and not domination, one of
love and not oppression, one of sharing and not absoluteness. Different forms of
the abuse of power within church-related institutions often raise strong
criticism in our churches. The church is called to heal the arrogance and
dilemma inherent in power. It is called to challenge and not to imitate the
power of the world; to become the herald of the powerless, and to announce that
judgement must begin at God's household. The Melbourne Conference of CWME
stated: "Our response to dehumanization and oppression cannot be, as it were
from an innocent church to a guilty world, for we know to our shame that power
exercised with the church (in the empirical reality of its earthly form) can be
abused".[2]

b.     
From violent to non-violent power. The power of violence is
becoming omnipresent in all societies. Power has almost become synonymous with
the culture of death. The biblical concept of power is life giving and life
sustaining. It is a power that enhances coherence and peace, justice and
creativity. It is a power that promotes non-violent resistance in defence of
freedom and human dignity. Non-violent power is not the absence of power;
rather, it is the rejection of violence as an expression of power and as a means
to restore justice and peace. How can the church develop and promote an
understanding of power that maintains non-violent power as criterion and model?
In fact, the Decade to Overcome Violence, launched by the Council five years
ago, provides the opportunity and the context for the churches and the
ecumenical movement to pursue this formidable and urgent
task.

c.      
From sufficiency to vulnerability
of power
. All forms and expressions of
human power are imperfect and limited. God alone is the ultimate source of all
power. Any expression or structure of human power that pretends to be sufficient
is a source of moral and spiritual evil. This sense of self-sufficiency
generates misuse and abuse of power, which, in turn, causes hatred, alienation
and violence. The limits and limitations of human power must be clearly defined,
and its vulnerability must be admitted, not only in theory, but also in praxis,
particularly by those who uphold the claim of sufficiency.

d.     
From absolute to accountable
power
.  Human power is subject to God. The human
being has received it as a gift from God; hence, it must be used only within the
limits of God's purpose for the whole of humanity and creation. Those who
perceive power as absolute and exercise it as such rebel against God. Any form
of power that lacks transparency and accountability (such as politically
oppressing, economically exploiting or socially marginalizing people) is
corrupt, oppressive and dehumanizing. Human power is always under God's
judgement; and it must be exercised with a profound sense of accountability to
people and to God.

e.      
From  centralized to shared
power
. Any structure of power that
functions in a centralized and exclusive way is doomed to failure sooner or
later. Any understanding or exercise of power that is not based on peoples'
rights, peoples' participation and decision, is abuse of power. While unilateral
use of power creates an exploiter and an exploited and becomes an evil force,
shared power promotes justice and progress, enhances participation and builds
community, thus becoming a source of creativity. Sharing is empowering and

empowering creates mutuality and trust. Power must be owned and delegated by
people and must be at the service of people.

3)     
FOR A POWER THAT TRANSFORMS

a.      
Power as a force for
transformation
. Faith in Christ is a source of
power; it generates the power of healing and transformation: "Your faith has
healed you" (Mk. 5: 34). Gospel power is transformative: through it the blind
see, the lame walk, the leper is cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised
(Lk. 7:22). As transformative power, healing restores and renews and brings
about a new beginning. The economy of Christ, seen in this particular
perspective, is the coming of the Kingdom of God and its confrontation with the
forces of the counter-kingdom (Lk. 9:1), aimed at transforming what was fallen
and distorted. As "works of power" (Acts, 2: 22) Christ's miracles of healing
are signs that the power of God's kingdom has subdued the power of Satan (Lk.
10: 18) and the transformation of the world has become a reality here and
now.

b.     
Transformative power has cosmic
scope
. Transformative power is not
confined to individuals and to a particular community. It is God's instrument
for the realization of His purpose for the whole of humanity and creation (Rev.
21: 3-4). Transformative power aims for a humanity created in the image of God;
it strives for the fullness, integrity and quality of life that was incarnated
by Christ; it endeavours to create a just, responsible and participatory society
governed by the values of the Gospel; it struggles for a creation which is used
for God's purpose and not exploited for human self-interests. In other words,
the Christian understanding of power upholds a vision of society and creation
revealed in Christ. The early church fathers strongly stressed the holistic
nature and cosmic dimension of God's transformative power in Christ. This
important feature of patristic theology, still vividly preserved in Orthodox
theological thinking, must be taken seriously in the context of the growing
impact of ecology and globalization on contemporary
theology.

c.      
The church is an agent of God's
transformative power
. Christ was empowered by the
Holy Spirit "to preach good news to the poor…,to proclaim freedom for the
prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed" (Lk. 4:
18-19). As the agent of God's kingdom, the church's vocation is to continue this
mission by combating the "powers and principalities" (Eph. 1: 21, Col. 2: 10) of
this world. It must resist the dehumanizing trends of power in all spheres of
society and become, through active evangelism, diakonia and prophetic witness, a
dynamic instrument of God's transformative power. The church, as a transformed
community and a new creation, must reveal in its own life and mission God's
transformative power as a source of healing and empowering. In a world dominated
by evil forces, Gospel values must play a corrective role in the church's right
perception and exercise of power. Gospel values empower the poor, the oppressed,
the alienated. They empower the people to organize and govern themselves in
dignity, in peace with justice.

                                                

4)     
GOD'S POWER IS REVEALED THROUGH
POWERLESSNESS

a.      
God's power is the  power of love. In biblical
understanding power is God's free gift of grace and love. Paul reminds us that:
"God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but rather a spirit of power and
love" (II Tim. 1:7). Power and love are intimately intertwined. God's power in
Jesus Christ was one of self-giving and self-emptying. Christ challenged  human power with the cross; He overcame
evil with the power of love. Love is at the heart of the Gospel power.
Therefore, the Gospel power is powerlessness; it is God's kenosis. Christ healed
and empowered us by carrying our sicknesses: "Through his wounds we are healed"
(1 Ptr. 2: 24). The cross, the supreme expression of powerlessness, became the
concrete manifestation of God's power (1 Cor. 1: 17-18; Rm. 1: 16, Phil. 3:
10-11). Christ's kenosis is not an expression of weakness, but of self-giving
power; it is the power of love: "The power of God is made perfect in weakness"
(2 Cor. 12: 9). There is power in powerlessness: "God's weakness is stronger
than human strength" (I Cor. 1:25). Paul says: "I am content with weakness…, for
when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Cor. 12: 10, 13: 4). What a paradox! When
God's love is at work then healing, empowering and transformation happens.

b.     
God's powerlessness is
life-generating.
God's suffering in Christ became
a life-generating event, a source of healing. The message of the Gospel is that
God through Christ took the sting of death and robbed it of its power (Col. 2:
15). Therefore, the power of the cross is life giving and not life-destroying;
through it the power of death has been subdued. God's powerlessness is His
healing, empowering and transforming power. In other words, through the cross,
God shared our brokenness and through the resurrection He restored us in our
authentic humanness by recreating, renewing and transforming our life. In my
church, in the eucharistic celebration we sing: "with His death Christ trampled
death, and with His resurrection He gave us life". The cross is the expression
of God's kenosis; the resurrection is the manifestation of God's life-giving
power. This happens in each and in all places when the eucharist is celebrated.
Indeed, a life sustained by kenosis is the way of life revealed by
Christ.

c.      
God's powerlessness is the
church's source of empowering
. God's power proclaimed by Jesus
Christ is the rejection of the powers of this world and the manifestation of His
grace and love in powerlessness. God's healing action in Christ empowers the
powerless; it liberates, humanizes and transforms. Christ the Powerful made
Himself powerless in order to empower the powerless. Empowered by Christ, the
church must carry out the mission 
of combating those forces of this world that exercise a demonic influence
on society. The church is not on the side of power, but of powerlessness, not
with the powerful but with the powerless. The church must challenge all acts
that pursue overpowering, and support and engage in all acts that promote
empowering.[3]
This implies conscientization and awareness building and rejecting corrupt
socio-economic systems and oppressive governance. The church remains powerful in
powerlessness so long as it remains obedient to God's covenant with humanity
through Christ. The church's prophetic struggle against violence and injustice
is the church's empowerment by Christ. This empowerment is a source of healing,
transformation and reconciliation.

HEALING AS
RECONCILING

Reconciliation is the
fruit of healing. The Bible is full of stories of reconciliation. The
Christ-event is a source and a message of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5: 18-20). What
are the distinctive marks of reconciliation in a Christian perspective?

1)     
RECONCILIATION IS A HEALING
PROCESS

a.      
God in Christ is the converging
point of reconciliation.
Reconciliation (katallage)
belongs to God; it is God's redeeming act in Christ: "For in him all the
fullness of God was pleased to dwell and through him to reconcile to himself all
things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross"
(Col. 1: 19-20). In Christ God reconciled humanity and the creation to Him, and
created a new humanity (2 Cor. 5: 17-21, 5: 19 ff). Reconciliation displays
three interrelated dimensions: reconciliation between God and human beings,
reconciliation among human beings, and reconciliation of the whole creation. As
a healing and transformation process, reconciliation is multi-dimensional and
all embracing. It essentially means turning to God and restoring God's  image in human beings. God assumed
humanity in order to heal by reconciling human beings to Him. Reconciliation is
not, therefore, human-made; it is rooted in God and is integral to Christ's
salvific economy. God in Christ is the driving force and the rallying point of
reconciliation.

b.     
Reconciliation is a cross-centred
process
. It comes not through  human power but through God's
powerlessness in Christ. God identified Himself with the suffering of humanity
to heal it. Christ reconciled us to God by His blood (Rm. 5: 1). Reconciliation
is not an easy process; it implies risk and sacrifice. In order to experience
the power of the victory of life over death, one has to go through a process of
kenosis (Phil. 2: 6-7). Healing involves suffering; reconciliation presupposes
sacrifice. Suffering becomes redemptive when it is undergirded by spiritual and
moral values and by a life-centred vision. Suffering is changed into a
transformative process when it aims at a new beginning. God's grace and love are
revealed through kenosis. New hope dawns and new life emerges when we share the
cross of Christ. Without the cross, reconciliation becomes a political consensus
of provisional nature and limited scope.

c.      
Reconciliation is a
trust-building
process. Real reconciliation is more
than a political agreement; it is a change of consciousness, transformation of
attitudes, healing of memories. Reconciliation breaks down the wall of hostility
(Eph. 2: 14) and creates a new environment for rapprochement and a space for
dynamic and creative interaction. Listening to each other's stories generates
mutual understanding and enhances mutual trust. Indeed, confidence building is
crucial to the healing process. True reconciliation strives primarily at
building bridges across religious, social and cultural divides. Many societies
are suffering tensions and conflicts between communities that have been fuelled
by religious and ethnic considerations. Trust building transforms confrontation
into reconciliation, and thereby enables religions, cultures and civilizations
to live together harmoniously and responsibly as one community. Trust-building
is, indeed, a great challenge for today.

d.     
Reconciliation is a
community-oriented process
. Reconciliation responds to
brokenness, fragmentation, enmity, estrangement and distorted relationships.
Hence, community-building is central to the healing and reconciliation process.
God in Christ reconciled us to Himself and to each other by building us as a
Koinonia. Reconciliation, which goes beyond the confines of individuals to
embrace the whole community, is a people-oriented process; people,
not ideas, need to be reconciled. Therefore, reconciliation must not be
perceived merely as a modus vivendi of positions. As a
healing process, reconciliation must be rooted in the common life and
consciousness of people, impacting all spheres and dimensions of the
community.  Reconciliation does not
relieve tensions; rather, it transforms a community by introducing a new value
system and promoting the creative interaction of diversities and even of
tensions. Reconciled diversities and coherent relations will ensure greater
integrity for the community.

e.      
Ministry of reconciliation: a
God-given mandate to the church
. In God's continuous act of
reconciliation in the power of the Spirit and through Christ, the church is an
'ambassador'; it is given a ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5: 18-20), which
is at the core of the church's missio
dei: "Through our Lord Jesus Christ we have now received our reconciliation"
(Rm. 5:14). Not only is the church 
mandated by Christ to fulfil this ministry; it is called to become the
ferment and a model of reconciled community. Reconciliation pertains to the very
being and becoming of the church. Reconciliation is not going back by
re-establishing the status quo ante.
Reconciliation is moving forward towards a new future. In transforming the
brokenness of the world and reconciling it to Himself, God opened a new future
and initiated a new community. In Christ the new future and the new creation
became a reality. In a world torn apart by division and conflict how direly we
need to build reconciled communities, where differences are respected, conflicts
are overcome and mutual trust is built. In order to engage itself responsibly in
such ministry, the church itself must become a reconciled
community.

2)     
CONFESSION
AND FORGIVENESS: THE WAY TOWARDS RECONCILIATION

a.      
Forgiveness: a gift and a task.
Forgiveness for healing of
memories occupies an important place on the agenda of modern societies. It has
become a part of public discourse and rhetoric. Ethnic groups, nations, states
and even religions are wrestling with this issue in one way or another.
Unfortunately, forgiveness has lost much of its meaning; generally it is
expected easily and offered cheaply. In the Bible, forgiveness (aphesis) has a
special importance and it means release, liberation from sin, guilt or debt.
Only God can forgive human sin (Lk. 5: 21, 7: 49), since God is the source of
love. Being God's gift, forgiveness is also a task to be accomplished by His
church (Mt. 5: 23-24; John 20: 21-3; 2 Cor. 5: 19). Thus, the church is endowed
by divine power to forgive sins and lead the human person and community towards
healing and reconciliation. In the Nicean creed we confess: "I believe in the
forgiveness of sins". Forgiveness is an essential aspect of Christian faith and
a vital dimension of Christian vocation. Healing and reconciliation imply
forgiveness.

b.     
Forgiving is not ignoring the
past
. It is healing the past:
"Forgiving is not forgetting; it is rather remembering in a different way".[4]
The past must be confronted boldly and be challenged responsibly. Forgiving also
means looking forward with new faith, hope and vision. Besides committing to
life together in peace with justice, forgiveness challenges and empowers both
the forgiver and the forgiven to engage together in the common task to create a
hopeful future by liberating themselves from the bitterness of the past.
Neglecting the past with its wounds will not help to build a reconciled
community. Forgetting the hurt memories will not lead people to look forward and
to commit themselves to a new future. Forgiving is the beginning of healing. By
affirming our past, we heal and reconcile our memories and transform our wounds.

c.      
The acceptance of truth is the
sine qua non condition for forgiveness
. Guilt must be admitted; truth
must be told. The acknowledgement of truth in its totality is the first concrete
and hopeful step towards a new beginning. Healing is generated primarily through
truth telling. Allow me in this regard to remind you of the painful story of my
own people. This year my church and people will commemorate the 90th anniversary
of the Armenian Genocide. During the First World War in 1915, one-and-a-half
million Armenians were massacred by the Ottoman-Turkish government according to
a well-devised and systematically executed plan. Although my generation did not
directly experience the tragic past, the Armenian Genocide has had a strong
impact on our spiritual and intellectual formation. The past haunts the victims;
we cannot free ourselves from the past unless that past is duly recognized. A
Preparatory Document for the forthcoming CWME conference emphatically states:
"Healing requires that the silence be broken and the truth be allowed to come to
light. It allows for recognition of what has been
hidden".[5]

d.     
Forgiveness must lead to
reconciling memories
. Memory is a living source of
history and an essential aspect of self-understanding. In the reconciliation
process spaces must be created where hurt memories are healed, transformed and
reconciled. Health professionals have identified forgiveness as a powerful
psychotherapeutic cure.[6]
In fact, when the memories are not healed, they hold us hostage to the past;
when they are healed, through confession and forgiveness, they empower us to
rebuild relationships, promote mutual trust and acceptance, and engage in a
process of transformation. Unhealed memories cause violence, hate and
fragmentation. Forgiveness, as a response to confession, is a determining factor
in the healing and reconciliation process. Through forgiveness, we accept each
other in truth and justice. Forgiveness is costly; only confession must lead to
forgiveness, which is a pre-condition for real healing and reconciliation.

e.      
Forgiveness must generate
justice
.
Justice is at the heart of the reconciliation process. By justice I do
not mean vindictive justice; rather, I 
mean restorative and transformative justice, which are the basis of true
healing and reconciliation. This process must involve both the victim and the
perpetrator, each of whom has his or her share in a justice-oriented
reconciliation process. Impunity perpetuates injustice; yet, punishing the
offender is not an end. The purpose of confession and forgiveness is
reconciliation. Truth and justice must be put at the service of healing and
reconciliation. The "Truth and Reconciliation" process in South Africa warned
against "cheap reconciliation", meaning reconciliation without justice. Only
restorative justice will generate real reconciliation. The healing process
includes empowering the powerless, accompanying them and struggling for justice
and reconciliation. Reconciliation as God's healing act frees us from brokenness
and fear, and makes us a new and transformed community (Rm. 5: 6-11; 2 Cor. 5:
17).

TOWARDS A MISSION OF HEALING IN A
BROKEN WORLD

1)     
A RENEWED MISSION OF HEALING

The Vancouver Assembly
(1983) declared: "The Church exists in the midst of the world where brokenness
and lack of harmony find their expression not only in sickness and conflicts,
but also in the marginalization and oppression that many people endure due to
economic, racial, political and cultural reasons. This situation is a challenge
to the church to carry out its healing ministry in a holistic way, and in a
praxis renewed by the power of Christ's love - which is the basis of the
ministry."[7]
The call of Vancouver for a healing ministry is more urgent today than ever
before. The church must exercise its healing ministry mainly as one of
transforming, empowering and reconciling.

a.      
Today, the brokenness of the
world is being experienced existentially and acutely. Humanity is caught in a
state of deep fear and insecurity. The world is increasingly becoming confusing
and threatening. Lack of mutual trust and tolerance between communities is
polarizing them and making them more violent. Is there any more credible and
urgent mission for the church than to become a true instrument of God's healing,
transforming, empowering and reconciling power? Against human power Christ
revealed His powerlessness; against human pride He revealed His humility;
against human hatred He revealed His love; against human divisions He revealed
His reconciliation; against human sin He revealed His salvation; against human
death He revealed His life. This is the way of Christ. This must become the way
of His church. God's mission calls for a healing church in the midst of a
broken, fragmented and alienated world.

b.     
We must rediscover the
ecclesiology of the early church, which considered healing integral to its very
nature. We must also rediscover the holistic vision of mission that maintains
healing as central to the church's vocation. The increasing concern towards
healing, manifested in different ways and to different degrees by our churches,
is an encouraging sign, indeed. Yet, it must be given a more organized form,
efficient expression and clear direction. In our missiological reflection and
missionary engagement the centrality of the church's healing ministry must be
strongly emphasized. The specificity of the Christian concept of healing must be
clearly spelled out: we must, first, integrate faith-healing and medical
healing; second, take community and ecological dimensions of healing seriously;
and, third, understand healing as a salvation-oriented holistic
process.

c.      
Besides the ecclesiological and
missiological perceptions, socio-cultural practices (mainly in African and South
and North American cultures) too play an important role in reshaping and
enhancing the churches' healing ministry. The way these cultures exercise
healing power raises some critical questions. First, the ministry of healing
belongs to the church as a whole. God also uses human beings as instruments for
His healing power, but it must be done within the healing ministry of the church
and not in isolation and in a self-centred way. Second, the exercise of a
healing ministry by individuals must not involve any form of financial
transaction. This distorts the church's healing power. Third, although the use
of indigenous cultural forms and approaches in a healing ministry is a sign of
strength and richness, it may easily lead to syncretism when cultural forms are
considered as norms and are not checked by the Gospel.

d.     
A balance between
community-oriented and individual-oriented approaches to the church's healing,
empowering and reconciling mission is necessary. Special attention must be given
to family, which in many societies today is broken and distorted morally and
spiritually. Healing and re-building the community must start from the family.
Christian education and formation must accompany the healing process. A renewed
healing ministry is also called to give a greater efficiency to the church's
prophetic witness in its manifold aspects and
manifestations.

2)     
HEALING: AN ECUMENICAL
PRIORITY

What are the
implications of a renewed mission of healing to the ecumenical movement? In my
report to the Harare Assembly (1998), I said: "The churches are challenged to
bring the full range of their resources to bear on human brokenness, as a sign
of God's desired fullness of life for all. While it will not be possible to
continue to conduct programmes in this area in the same style as in the past,
the healing ministry of the church, as an essential dimension of the churches'
missionary calling, [will]continue to be one of the foci of the Council's
work."[8]
I still believe so. I would like also to remind you that in our first meeting
after the Harare Assembly, along with "being church" and "common witness and
service amidst globalization", we identified "caring for life" and "ministry of
reconciliation" as foci for the Council's ecumenical witness.[9]
In fact, the work done so far in these areas, in my judgement, is not
satisfactory in view of the growing needs, challenges and expectations.
Theological discussion
on healing and alternative medicine, healing and culture, and healing and
inter-faith dialogue, as well as on a number of unresolved and controversial
issues, must continue in the post-Assembly period. I
want to identify a few specific areas where, in my opinion, more focused work
needs to be done:

a.      
Healing primarily deals with life in all its forms and
manifestations. Hence, caring for life should become the driving force and the
sustaining power of healing. The Council's concern for caring for life must,
with renewed emphasis, continue to address issues related to theology of life,
life-centred ethics and spirituality, the culture of peace and non-violence,
etc.

b.     
Healing is also related to anthropology: what is a human being,
and what is his or her place and vocation in creation? We need to review our
anthropological perceptions and convictions in view of the enormous advances and
changes taking place in all spheres of human life. In this context ethical
questions arising from biotechnology, birth control, abortion, and human
sexuality need to be studied realistically with the active participation of the
churches. The recent study of Faith and Order on theological anthropology is an
important initiative. Faith and Order must continue this process by broadening
its scope and deepening its reflection.

c.      
We must not ignore the ecological dimension. As I pointed
out, healing must be holistic and all embracing. The whole creation is within
the purview of God's healing action in Christ. The ecological system is in need
of healing. This is not an environmental issue; it is a theological, moral and
spiritual issue. The basic concerns related to the Justice, Peace and Integrity
of Creation (JPIC) process must acquire a renewed attention within a different
programmatic or thematic framework.

d.     
Mission as reconciliation seems to be an
emerging missiological paradigm. I hope that the conference of CWME will pick up
this matter. The inter-connectedness of mission and reconciliation needs to be
sharpened, particularly from an ecclesiological perspective. Although we must
not limit the scope of mission only to reconciliation (the missio dei goes beyond reconciliation),
because of increasing conflicts in many societies, we must give priority on the
Council's agenda to reconciliation as a mission-issue.

e.      
The question of power has been addressed by the
ecumenical movement at different times and in relation to different issues. Due
to new global developments, the question of power must occupy an important place
in ecumenical discussion. We must develop a concept of power that is based on
sharing, sustainability and moral principles, a concept of power that challenges
unilateralism and legitimacy of any form of human power, strengthens structures
of accountability and affirms mutual vulnerability.

f.       
And, finally, I am deeply
convinced that "being church" must remain a major
and priority concern for the whole ecumenical movement. Healing ministry is a
crucial dimension of being church today. By taking the healing power of the Holy
Spirit to the world, the church becomes fully and authentically itself in its
inner being and missionary outreach. How can the churches play a credible role
in becoming a healing instrument of God when they still remain under the impact
of their history of division? As partner with God in His healing, transforming,
empowering and reconciling mission in the world, as we said in our Ecumenical
Vision,

"We journey together
as people freed by God's forgiveness.

     In the midst of the
brokenness of the world,

     We proclaim the good
news of reconciliation, healing and justice in Christ".[10]

                                                                                                    
ARAM I

                                                                                   
CATHOLICOS OF CILICIA

February
2005

Antelias,
Lebanon



[1] Healing and wholeness: the Church's Role in
Health. The Report of a study by the Christian Medical Commission,Geneva, WCC
1990, p. 6.

[2] Report of section IV §12, in: Your Kingdom come, Mission perspectives, Report on the World Conference on Mission and Evangelism, Melbourne, Australia, 12-25 May 1980; Geneva, WCC, 1980, p. 213.

[3] The ecumenical
reflection on power and powerlessness had two entry points. The CWME conference
in Melbourne cf. Section IV) defended a critical
approach to power,  emphasizing
non-violence and powerlessness, a position reflected also in the "Ecumenical
Affirmation on Mission and Evangelism" (1982). The  San Antonio conference of CWME  insisted more on the creative power of
resistance and empowerment of the poor (cf. section II). In my view, these two
approaches are legitimate and they strengthen and complement each
other.

[4] Robert J.
Schreiter, "The Theology of Reconciliation and Peacemaking for Mission", in Mission,
Violence and Reconciliation, ed. H. Mellor and T. Yates, London, 2004, p.
22.

[5]

"Mission as ministry of reconciliation", CWME Conference Preparatory Document No. 10 § 38.

[6] Rodney L.
Petersen, "Forgiveness and Reconciliation in Christian Theology", in The
Orthodox Church in a pluralistic World, ed. Emmanuel Clapsis, WCC
Geneva, 2004, p. 113.

[7]  Vancouver, Healing and Sharing life in
Community.

[8] "Report of the
Moderator", in Together on the Way: Official Report of the Eighth Assembly of
the World Council of Churches, ed. Diana Kessler, Geneva, 1999, p.
52.

[9] World Council of Churches, Central
Committee, Minutes of the Fiftieth Meeting, Geneva, Switzerland, 26, August-3
September, 1999,
Geneva, 1999, p.
90.

[10] Together on the Way.