On this rock.

John Garvey's column on "The New Pope" (May 20) was, as usual, informative, especially regarding the specific reservations the Orthodox Churches would have regarding the Petrine ministry as currently exercised and codified in the Roman Church. In light of Pope Benedict's recent statements calling for Christian unity, it would be useful if Garvey could clarify how exactly the Orthodox Churches interpret the loci classici in Scripture (for example, Mt 16:16-19; Jn 21:15-17) and their attendant commentaries by the early fathers and councils on which the definitions of primacy and infallibility seem to rest.

Catholics and Orthodox read, and believe, the same Scriptures; we also rely on the writings of the same early church fathers. How did we ever end up with such contrary--even contradictory--interpretations? And once so infallibly defined one way, how can we ever hope to reach not just a compromise, but a true synthesis?

EDMUND F. KAL

Fresno, Calif.

THE AUTHOR REPLIES:

It was not until the eleventh century that Catholic popes unambiguously claimed a jurisdiction over the whole of the church, so this is hardly found in any clear way in the fathers or early councils. Early commentators, Eastern and Western, considered "You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my church" as a reference to the rock of Peter's confession that Jesus was the Christ, the son of the Living God. As for John 21, the question comes down to whether the pope is the sole successor to Peter, as bishop of Rome. Peter probably never functioned as a bishop; he was an apostle, a witness to the Resurrection, and some early lists place Linus as Rome's first bishop. Many Orthodox theologians would argue that the Petrine office is that of the episcopacy itself. Rome was accorded great respect by the other patriarchates, because it was the capitol of the empire, the place where Peter and Paul were martyred, and had a good reputation for orthodoxy (compared with, for example, Alexandria and Antioch). But it was not spotless: Lord Acton, arguing against the definition of infallibility at Vatican I, said "They'll have a hard time explaining Honorius," a pope who was condemned as a heretic by a later council. As long as Rome insists on the rather late doctrine of infallibility, I really don't think any synthesis can be reached.

JOHN GARVEY