L-O / The Lutheran-Orthodox Dialogue

L – O

June 8-16, 1968 – Chambésy/Geneva, Switzerland

“Fourth Pan-Orthodox conference passed positive judgement and decided to encourage the process of establishing an Inter-Orthodox commission to prepare an official dialogue which began in 1981″

March 26-28, 1974 – Liebfrauenberg, France

Inter-Lutheran consultation organized by the Institute for Ecumenical Research of Strasbourg and by the Lutheran World Federation on the assumptions of a worldwide Lutheran-Orthodox dialogue

Inter-Orthodox Preparatory meetings

November 4-9, 1978 – Stiguna, Sweden
September 16-26, 1979 – Amelungsborn/Hanover, Germany
September 6-13, 1980 – Skálholt, Iceland

“Discussion on the nature of the Church; action of the Holy Spirit in the Church; unity o faith and limits of the Church; sacraments; Scripture and Tradition”

Lutheran Preparatory Committee meeting

April 30 – May 3, 1978 – Chambésy, Switzerland
March 4-10, 1980 – La Canée, Crete

 

MEETINGS:

 

1. August 27-September 5, 1981 – Espoo, Finland

“Theme of participation in the mystery of the church; establishment of joint sub-commissions to set forth the basic positions”

March 27-April 2, 1982 – Pentili/Athens, Greece

Sub-commission meeting: “drafted texts on the themes of the Holy Trinity and the church; the church in the history of salvation; the marks of the church; the way in which the salvation of humanity which Christ wrought is communicated in and through the church”

2. May 23-29, 1983 – Limassol, Cyprus

“Methodological question of by what route could the staged goal be approached”

3. May 24-30, 1985 – Allentown, Pennsylvania USA

“Formulation of agreed statement” – DIVINE REVELATION — Full-Text

August 22-25, 1986 – Bossey/Geneva, Switzerland

Sub-commission meeting: “drafted a text on scripture and tradition to be taken up in plenary session”

4. May 28-June 2, 1987 – Crete, Greece

“Worked out differences to finalize an agreed statement” – SCRIPTURE AND TRADITION — Full-Text

October 10-12, 1988 – Venice, Italy

Sub-commission meeting: “the canon and inspiration of Holy Scripture”

5. September 2-7, 1989 – Bad Segeberg, Germany

“Reformulation and discussion of the draft from Venice leading to a joint statement” – THE CANON AND THE INSPIRATION OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURE — Full-Text

June 26-30, 1990 – Châtenay Malabry/Paris, France

Sub-commission meeting: “studied the first of the sub-themes on authority of the ecumenical councils”

6. May 31-June 8, 1991 – Moscow, Russia

“Work began on a new theme; authority in and of the church in the light of the ecumenical councils”

June 17-21, 1992 – Geneva, Switzerland

Sub-commission meeting: “authority in and of the Church; ecumenical councils”

7. July 5-10, 1993 – Sandbjerg, Denmark

“Finalized work on the first sub-theme and issued an agreed statement” – THE AUTHORITY IN AND OF THE CHURCH — Full-Text

July 5-10, 1994 – Venice, Italy

Sub-commission meeting: “the understanding of salvation in the light of the ecumenical councils”

8. August 2-7, 1995 – Limassol, Cyprus

“Finalized work on the second sub-theme and issued an agreed statement” – UNDERSTANDING SALVATION IN THE LIGHT OF THE ECUMENICAL COUNCILS — Full-Text

October 9-11, 1997 – Princeton, New Jersey USA

Sub-commission meeting: “work on draft ‘Salvation: Grace, Justification and Synergy’, present: Lutherans: Lazareth (Pres.), Aagard, Marshall, Saarinen, Sven Oppegaard; Orthodox: Spiridon (Pres.), Chrysanthos, Gennadios, Pheidas”

9. July 31-August 8, 1998 – Sigtuna, Sweden

“Examined and studied a draft text on salvation prepared by the sub-commission” – SALVATION: GRACE, JUSTIFICATION AND SYNERGY — Full-Text

October 9-14, 1999 – Chania, Crete, Greece

Preparatory sub-commission meeting: “Word and sacrament in the life of the Church”

10. November 3-10, 2000 – Damascus, Syria

“Finalized the theme elaborated by the sub-commission” – WORD AND SACRAMENT (MYSTERIA) IN THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH — Full-Text

February 19-23, 2002 – St. Petersburg, Russia

Sub-commission meeting: “Sacraments as means of salvation”

11. October 3-10, 2002 – Oslo, Norway

“Finalized and published agreed statement” – THE MYSTERY OF THE CHURCH: MYSTERIA/SACRAMENTS AS MEANS OF SALVATION — Full-Text

October 1-6, 2003: Ierapetra, Creta, Greece

Preparatory sub-commissions: “The mystery of the Church; baptism and chrismation as sacraments of initiation into the Church”

12. October 6-15, 2004 – Duràu, Romania

“Finalized and published an agreed statement on Baptism” – THE MYSTERY OF THE CHURCH: BAPTISM AND CHRISMATION — Full-Text

October 8-13, 2005 – Erlangen, Germany

Preparatory sub-commission: “The holy eucharist in the life of the Church”

13. November 2-9, 2006 – Bratislav, Slovak Republic

“Themes explored included: spirituality of the eucharist and practical implications; Lutheran understanding of the eucharist; the holy sacrament/mysterion of the eucharist; place of the eucharist in the divine economy of salvation; metabole or transsubstantiatio” – THE HOLY EUCHARIST IN THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH — Full-Text

October 3-8, 2007 – Joensuu, Finland

Sub-commission meeting: “work on a draft concerning ecological and social implications of the eucharist” – COMMUNIQUÉ — Full-Text

14. May 30-June 7, 2008 – Paphos, Cyprus

“Received work of the sub-committee and the themes of: the preparation for participation in and canonical celebration of the eucharist; eucharist and mission of the Orthodox church; a possible Orthodox eucharistic ecological theology; social and ethical aspects of the eucharist” – COMMUNIQUÉ — Full-Text
and THE HOLY EUCHARIST IN THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH. PREPARATION, ECOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS — Full-Text

May 4-9, 2009 – Skálholt and Reykjavik, Iceland

Sub-commission meeting: “work on the nature and attributes/properties of the Church” – COMMUNIQUÉ — Full-Text

May 29-31, 2010 – Bethlehem, Palestine

Sub-commission meeting: “work on the mission of the Church” – COMMUNIQUÉ — Full-Text

Inter-Orthodox meeting:

May 2-5, 2011 – Penteli/Athens, Greece

“An Orthodox evaluation of the dialogue from its inception 1981 until the present” – COMMUNIQUÉ — Full-Text
and AN INTER-ORTHODOX EVALUATION OF THE DIALOGUE — Full-Text

15. May 31-June 7, 2011 – Lutherstadt Wittenberg, Germany

“The dialogue began a new phase with the exploration of the themes of ministry, priesthood and ordination” – COMMUNIQUÉ — Full-Text
and THE MYSTERY OF THE CHURCH: THE HOLY EUCHARIST IN THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH PREPARATION, ECOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS — Full-Text

May 5-10, 2012 – London, England

Sub-commission meeting: “work on the new themes of ministry, priesthood and ordination”

May 24-29, 2013 – Sibiu, Romania

Sub-commission meeting: “work continued on the new themes; Lutheran understanding of ministry/priesthood during the period of the Reformation; apostolic succession and ordination from a historical, patristic and canonical point of view” – COMMUNIQUÉ — Full-Text

May 8-13, 2014 – Tallinn, Estonia

Sub-commission meeting: “work continued on the new theme; liturgical texts on rites of ordination in the Orthodox and Lutheran traditions; the understanding of the roe and place of women to the priesthood in the Church and the question of the ordination of women” – COMMUNIQUÉ — Full-Text

16. April 28-May 5, 2015 – Rhodes, Greece

“The Commission studied papers and reports from the Preparatory Meetings of London, Sibiu and Tallinn, as well as new papers from both sides with commentaries on the above-mentioned Draft Statements. Intensive discussions revealed the need for further research especially on the Biblical foundations and early Church teachings and on the Apostolicity of the Church, concerning the office of Ministry/Priesthood in both traditions.
The Plenary Meeting formulated a new provisional Statement that will be developed further in the forth-coming meetings in the near future” – COMMUNIQUÉ — Full-Text

December 7-13, 2016 – Nicosia, Cyprus

Sub-commission meeting: “discussions on the overall theme of Ministry/Priesthood in light of the following sub-themes: a) Biblical foundations of Ordained Ministry/Priesthood in Orthodox and in Lutheran traditions, b) The Ordained Ministry/Priesthood in the Early Church, in the Ecumenical Councils and in the Medieval Church tradition, c) The Relationship between the Royal Priesthood and the Ordained Ministry/Priesthood and d) Episcopate and Apostolic Succession” – COMMUNIQUÉ — Full-Text

17. November 7-14, 2017 – Helsinki, Finland

“Discussions were had on the presented papers; a Joint Drafting Committee was assigned to finalize the Nicosia Statement in view of the presented papers and the discussions. A modified draft Statement was presented to the Commission and was amended and approved. This common Statement identified areas where Orthodox and Lutherans agree and disagree on several topics between the two traditions. In addition, the Commission had a thorough discussion on the future of the dialogue. It was decided that the main topic for discussions on the next phase will be ‘the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church’” – COMMUNIQUÉ — Full-Text
and COMMON STATEMENT: ORDAINED MINISTRY/PRIESTHOOD — Full-Text

September 24-October 1, 2019 – Tirana, Albania

Sub-commission meeting: “work on new theme: the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church”

18. May 29-June 4, 2020 – Germany

Postponed because of COVID 19 pandemic

Co-chairmen:

Metropolitan Emilianos of Silibra (1968-
Archbishop Spyridon Papageorgiou (1995-
Metropolitan Gennadios of Sassima (2007-
Dr Georg Kretschmar, Germany (1968-1986)
Bishop Karl-Heinz Stoll, Germany (1987-1989)
Bishop William Lazareth, USA (1990-
Bishop Donald J. McCoid, USA (2007-2009)
Bishop Christoph Klein, Romania (2013-2016)
Archbishop Andres Wejryd, Sweden (2017-

Co-secretaries:

Patriarchal Deacon Dr. Theodoros Meimaris (2007-
Dr. Kathryn L. Johnson (2007-2011)
Rev. Dr. Kaisamari Hintikka (2013-