Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale856

Lord for the well-being and unity of the followers of Christ throughout the

world.

I give thanks to God that he has enabled us to deepen the bonds of

mutual love between us, supported by prayer and ever more regular fraternal

contact. In the course of the year that is now drawing to a close, we have

been blessed three times by the presence of Your Holiness in Rome: on the

occasion of your magisterial address at the Pontifical Oriental Institute,

which is honoured to number you among its alumni; at the opening of the

Pauline Year on the feast of Rome's patron saints, Peter and Paul; and at the

Twelfth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops of the Catholic

Church, held in October on the Word of God in the Life and Mission of the

Church, when you delivered a most thoughtful address.

As a sign of our growing communion and spiritual closeness, the Catholic

Church for her part was represented at the celebrations of the Pauline Year

overseen by Your Holiness, including a symposium and a pilgrimage to the

Pauline sites in Asia Minor. These experiences of encounter and shared prayer

contribute to an increase in our commitment to attain the goal of our ecu-

menical journey.

In this same spirit, Your Holiness has informed me of the positive out-

come of the Synaxis of the Primates and Representatives of the Orthodox

Churches, which took place recently at the Phanar. The hopeful signs which

emerged for inter-Orthodox relations and ecumenical engagement have been

welcomed with joy. I believe and pray that these developments will have a

constructive impact on the official theological dialogue between the Ortho-

dox Churches and the Catholic Church, and will lead to a resolution of the

difficulties experienced in the last two sessions. As Your Holiness remarked

during your address to the Synod of Bishops of the Catholic Church, the

Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between Catholics

and Orthodox is now addressing a crucial issue which, once resolved, would

draw us closer to full communion.

On this feast of Saint Andrew, we reflect with joy and thanksgiving that

the relations between us are entering progressively deeper levels as we renew

our commitment to the path of prayer and dialogue. We trust that our

common journey will hasten the arrival of that blessed day when we will

praise God together in a shared celebration of the Eucharist. The inner life of