Catholic-Orthodox relations took a step forward this month with the publication of the first joint statement in seven years.
Newsroom(14/06/2023 20:00, Gaudium Press) The publication of a joint statement marked a positive development in Catholic-Orthodox relations, as it was the first such statement in seven years. The document focused on the theme of synodality and primacy in the Catholic and Orthodox Churches.
The joint statement highlighted Pope Francis’ promotion of a synodal Church, which is seen as a potential point of convergence between the Catholic and Orthodox traditions. It referenced the pope’s words from the 2013 apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, where he expressed the Catholic Church’s opportunity to learn from the Orthodox Church’s experience of synodality and episcopal collegiality.
The statement, titled “Synodality and Primacy in the Second Millennium,” provided an overview of the history of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches from the Great Schism of 1054 to the present. Its aim was to offer a common understanding of this history and provide an opportunity for Catholics and Orthodox to explain their perspectives to each other.
The conclusion of the document drew lessons from the surveyed history, emphasizing that the Church should not be understood solely as a pyramid with a governing primate at the top, nor as a federation of independent Churches. It highlighted the inadequacy of both of these views and affirmed that synodality is not merely consultative for Catholics and primacy is not merely honorific for Orthodox.
The joint statement was released by the theological dialogue commission after its 15th plenary session in Alexandria, Egypt, which took place from June 1 to 7, 2023. The meeting was attended by representatives from ten Orthodox Churches and 18 Catholic commission members.
The previous joint statement of the commission, which was published in 2016 after a meeting in Chieti, Italy, examined the state of the Christian Church in the first millennium after Christ.
“Today,” the 2023 document says, “there is an increasing effort to promote synodality at all levels in the Roman Catholic Church. There is also a willingness to distinguish what might be termed the patriarchal ministry of the pope within the Western or Latin Church from his primatial service with regard to the communion of all the Churches, offering new opportunities for the future.”
The joint statement called for Roman Catholics and Orthodox to continue along a path of dialogue in charity in order to come to an authentic understanding of synodality and primacy “in light of the ‘theological principles, canonical provisions, and liturgical practices (Chieti, 21)’ of the undivided Church of the first millennium.”
- Raju Hasmukh with files from CNA
