ÄÉÅÈÍÇÓ ÌÉÊÔÇ
ÅÐÉÔÑÏÐÇ ÅÐÉ ÔÏÕ ÈÅÏËÏÃÉÊÏÕ ÄÉÁËÏÃÏÕ
ÌÅÔÁÎÕ ÏÑÈÏÄÏÎÏÕ ÅÊÊËÇÓÉÁÓ ÊÁÉ ÑÙÌÁÉÏÊÁÈÏËÉÊÇÓ ÅÊÊËÇÓÉÁÓ
JOINT INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION FOR THE THEOLOGICAL DIALOGUE BETWEEN
THE ORTHODOX CHURCH AND THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH
COMMISSION MIXTE INTERNATIONALE POUR LE DIALOGUE THEOLOGIQUE ENTRE
L’ EGLISE ORTHODOXE ET L’ EGLISE CATHOLIQUE ROMAINE
TENTH PLENARY SESSION.
Ravenna, Italy, 8-14 October 2007
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.