Communique of the Joint International Commission for the Theological Dialogue between the Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church Tenth Plenary Session
The tenth meeting of the Joint International Commission for the
Theological Dialogue between the Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic
Church met in Ravenna, Italy, a city marked by its historical and
artistic monuments many from the Byzantine era. The meeting took place
from 8 - 14 October 2007, generously hosted by the Archdiocese of
Ravenna-Cervia.
Twenty seven of the thirty Catholic members (Cardinals, Archbishops,
Bishops, Priests and Lay Theologians) were present. The Orthodox
members (Metropolitans, Bishops; Priests and Lay Theologians)
represented the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Patriarchate of
Alexandria, the Patriarchate of Antioch, the Patriarchate of Jerusalem,
the Patriarchate of Moscow, the Patriarchate of Serbia, the
Patriarchate of Romania, the Patriarchate of Georgia, the Church of
Cyprus, the Church of Greece, the Church of Poland, the Church of
Albania, the Church of Czech Lands and Slovakia, the Church of Finland
and the Apostolic Church of Estonia. The representatives of the
Patriarchate of Bulgaria were unable to attend.
The Commission worked under the direction of the two co-presidents,
Cardinal Walter Kasper and Metropolitan John of Pergamon, helped by the
two co-secretaries, Metropolitan Gennadios of Sassima, (Ecumenical
Patriarchate) and Monsignor Eleuterio Fortino from the Pontifical
Council for Promoting Christian Unity.
The session began in the Basilica of Sant’Apollinare in Classe on the
evening of 8 October, with the celebration of Vespers, presided over by
the Archbishop of Ravenna, the Most Reverend Giuseppe Verucchi, and
with a prayer on the part of the Orthodox members.
In addressing those present, the Archbishop of Ravenna stated: “We are
happy that you are here. You have the prayers of our two contemplative
communities, of the religious men and women, the priests and the parish
communities. While you are busy with the dialogue, searching for the
path that will lead us closer to full communion, we will not disturb
you, but we will embrace you with our affection and prayer.”
The Commission was welcomed in the prefecture by the Prefect, Her
Excellency Floriana De Sanctis, who expressed the hope that “the desire
for dialogue, to understand and to be understood, which characterizes
the Joint Commission might be a sign copied by all of us in our daily
lives”. Also present at this meeting were the Mayor of the city, the
President of the region and the President of the province, together
with other civil authorities.
The Commission has been working on the theme of ”The Ecclesiological
and Canonical Consequences of the Sacramental Nature of the Church:
Ecclesial Communion, Conciliarity and Authority in the Church”. This
study had already begun in the previous session in Belgrade, from 18 -
25 September 2006, on the basis of a draft elaborated by the Joint
Coordinating Committee in Moscow in 1990, but which had not yet been
discussed in plenary session. At this meeting this study has been
completed and an agreed common document was approved. The document
offers a solid basis for the future work of the Commission.
On the first day of the meeting, as is customary in this Commission,
the Roman Catholic and Orthodox members met separately to coordinate
their work. At the Orthodox meeting the delegate of the Moscow
Patriarchate presented a decision of that Church to withdraw from the
meeting because of the presence of delegates from the Church of
Estonia, declared “autonomous” by the Ecumenical Patriarchate, a status
not recognized by the Patriarchate of Moscow, and in spite of the fact
that the Ecumenical Patriarchate with the agreement of all the Orthodox
members offered a compromise that would have acknowledged the Moscow
Patriarchate’s non-recognition of the Autonomous Church of Estonia.
The theme for the next plenary session will be: “The role of the Bishop
of Rome in the communion of the Church in the first millennium”.
The place and time for the next Coordinating Committee will be decided at a later date.
The tenth plenary session ended with prayer. On Saturday, 13 October,
the Catholic members celebrated the Eucharist in the Cathedral of
Ravenna, in the presence of the Orthodox members. On Sunday, 14
October, the Orthodox members celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the
Basilica of Saint Vitalis, in the presence of the Catholic members. On
both of these occasions the Archbishop of Ravenna and members of the
clergy and laity of Ravenna attended.
The meeting of the Joint Commission was marked by a spirit of
friendship and trustful collaboration. The members of the Commission
greatly appreciated the generous hospitality of the Archdiocese of
Ravenna, and they strongly commend the continuing work of the dialogue
to the prayers of the faithful.
Ravenna, Italy, 14 October 2007.
Featured Items
60 Minutes: His All Holiness on Orthodox Christianity
Watch the historic interview with CBS correspondent Bob Simon now »
Learn More »
The Holy Theological School of Halki
Learn the history of the Theological School of Halki since its establishment in 1844. Learn More »
Media Links
YouTube: Subscribe to the GreenPatriarch channel (on the Environmental Symposia) or the Ecumenical Patriarchate channel (on the US visit).
Latest News
Announcement about Vatopedi Monastery
Thursday, January 12, 2012
The Holy and Sacred Synod convened today, January 10, 2012, under the chairmanship of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, for its regular session during which, among other matters, it discussed the issue that has arisen regarding the remand in custody of Fr. Ephraim, Abbot of the Holy Monastery of Vatopedi. Read more...
Please enter a search term to begin your search.