Dialogue between Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches set to resume

The joint international commission for the theological dialogue between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church is set to resume its work in September, with a meeting which will focus on the primacy of the pope and the Greek Catholics.

The meeting will take place in Belgrade, and the Moscow Patriarchate will be represented by Bishop Hilarion of Vienna and Austria, Russian Orthodox Church representative at European organizations, and Rev. Igor Vyzhanov, DECR secretary for inter-Christian relations.

Set up in the 1980’s, the work of the joint commission responsible for the settlement of theological issues was interrupted in 2000 after a meeting in Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

During that week, the members of the Commission attended a number of acts of worship including a Service of Prayer at the Basilica Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Seton, a Doxology at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation in Baltimore, a solemn celebration of the Eucharist in the Catholic Basilica of the Assumption in Baltimore and a Divine Liturgy in the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Saint Sophia in Washington.

The theme discussed at the plenary session was the "Ecclesiological and Canonical Implications of Uniatism" based on a preliminary document prepared in Ariccia/Rome in 1998 by the Commission's Coordinating Committee.

The subject “has assumed particular importance since the changes which occurred in Central and Eastern Europe over the last ten years,� reads the commission’s Communiqué.

It continued to state: “The discussions of this plenary were far-reaching, intense and thorough… However, since agreement was not reached on the basic theological concept of uniatism, it was decided not to have a common statement at this time.

“The Commission sees the need for further study of the theological, pastoral, historical and canonical questions related to this issue. It understands well the complexity of the problems that are to be solved and at the same time the importance of this dialogue for the Churches.�

Several years ago, the Pope John Paul II and Patriarch Bartholomew signed a joint statement declaring their intention to resume the interrupted dialogue.

Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, head of the Moscow-based Catholic Archdiocese of the Mother of God, said Orthodox-Catholic relations are “still far from ideal, but nevertheless a very positive shift is taking shape.�

He also stressed the need for both Churches to bear witness to Christian values in light of present day challenges.

“These challenges are enormous. Where is Europe going? Where is the world going? When I travel around Russia I am often asked why we do not see you speaking together about problems in our society and in the world at large - the problems of family, drug addiction and alcoholism, terrorism, social justice,� the Archbishop said.
 
Speaking about the possibility of a meeting between Pope Benedict XVI and Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and all Russia, the Archbishop said he was confident “it will happen some day, but conditions should ripen for it.�

Earlier this month, Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, the head of ecumenical relations for the Russian Orthodox Church, met with Pope Benedict in Rome, and then presided over the blessing of the new Russian Orthodox Church, St. Catherine the Martyr.

He said he expects the resolution of Catholic-Orthodox tensions to speed up under Pope Benedict XVI, and told reporters that he had “a deep and important conversation" with Pope Benedict "about possibilities for our churches working together," particularly in Europe.

"The Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church must work together to bring to light again the Christian roots of Europe," Metropolitan Kirill said.

He added: "people today want answers to the questions that are closest to them, and they want one answer. They want the churches to speak with one voice."

He also said the pope agreed that promoting moral values in Europe, particularly the value of human life and the importance of the traditional family, should be a priority for both churches.

Picture shows Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz of Moscow.