Orthodox-Catholic Commission Studies Primacy of Peter

 — Oct. 23, 200923 oct. 2009

[Paphos, Cyprus • Zenit.org] The International Mixed Commission for Theological Dialogue Between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church has progressed in its reflection on the role of the bishop of Rome. The commission issued a joint communiqué reporting on its progress at the end of its 11th plenary session, ended today in Paphos. The document in question is titled “The Role of the Bishop of Rome in the Communion of the Church in the First Millennium.” The document is based on a draft prepared by an Orthodox-Catholic committee, which met in Crete last year. At present, the commission is reflecting on the role of the Bishop of Rome in the communion of the Church in the first millennium — before the Great Schism of 1054.

The current work of the commission responds to the appeal made by Pope John Paul II in his 1995 encyclical “Ut Unum Sint” on the “ecumenical commitment,” in which he proposed “finding a way to exercise the primacy that, without giving up in any way what is essential to its mission, opens to a new situation.” This is possible, he added, as “for a millennium Christians were united by the fraternal communion of faith and sacramental life, the See of Rome being, by common consent, the moderator when disagreements arose among them on matters of faith or discipline.” John Paul II himself invited both sides to seek “naturally together, the ways with which this ministry can carry out a service of faith and love recognized by one another.”

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Posted: Oct. 23, 2009 • Permanent link: ecumenism.net/?p=604
Categories: Communiqué, Dialogue, News • In this article: Catholic, Orthodox, papacy, petrine ministry, primacy Transmis : 23 oct. 2009 • Lien permanente : ecumenism.net/?p=604
Catégorie : Communiqué, Dialogue, News • Dans cet article : Catholic, Orthodox, papacy, petrine ministry, primacy