Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale114

III

Ad Commissionem Mixtam Internationalem pro Dialogo Theologico inter Catho-

licam Ecclesiam et Ecclesias Orientales Orthodoxas.*

Your Eminences,

Your Excellencies,

Dear Brothers in Christ,

It is with great joy that I welcome you, the members of the Joint Inter-

national Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church

and the Oriental Orthodox Churches. Through you I gladly extend fraternal

greetings to my venerable Brothers, the Heads of the Oriental Orthodox

Churches.

I am grateful for the work of the Commission which began in January

2003 as a shared initiative of the ecclesial authorities of the family of

the Oriental Orthodox Churches and the Pontifical Council for Promoting

Christian Unity.

As you know, the first phase of the dialogue, from 2003 to 2009, resulted

in the common text entitled Nature, Constitution and Mission of the Church.

The document outlined aspects of fundamental ecclesiological principles that

we share and identified issues requiring deeper reflection in successive phases

of the dialogue. We can only be grateful that after almost fifteen hundred

years of separation we still find agreement about the sacramental nature of

the Church, about apostolic succession in priestly service and about the

impelling need to bear witness to the Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus

Christ in the world.

In the second phase the Commission has reflected from an historical

perspective on the ways in which the Churches expressed their communion

down the ages. During the meeting this week you are deepening your study of

the communion and communication that existed between the Churches until

the mid-fifth century of Christian history, as well as the role played by

monasticism in the life of the early Church.

We must be confident that your theological reflection will lead our

Churches not only to understand each other more deeply, but resolutely to

continue our journey decisively towards the full communion to which we are

* Die 28 Ianuarii 2011.