OO-RC / International Joint Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches

• Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Egypt [ www.coptic.org ]
• Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East – Damascus [ www.syrian-orthodox.com ]
• Armenian Apostolic Church: See of Etchmiadzin, Armenia – Catholicosate of Antelias, Lebanon [ www.armenianorthodoxchurch.org ]
• Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church [ www.ethiopianorthodoxchurch.org ]
• Orthodox Church of Eritrea, Malankara Orthodox Church in India [ www.malankaraorthodoxchurch.in ]
• Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity formerly Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity [ http://www.christianunity.va ]

• COMMON DECLARATIONS

• FIRST SERIES (2003-)

OO – RC

 

The first rapprochement between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches came about by some common declarations:

 

COMMON DECLARATIONS

May 12, 1970 – Rome

Pope Paul VI and Vasken I, Supreme Catholicos-Patriarch of All Armenians — Full-Text

October 27, 1971 – Rome

Pope Paul VI and His Holiness Patriarch Mar Ignatius Jacob III of the Syrian Orthodox Church — Full-Text

May 10, 1973 – Rome

Pope Paul VI and Shenouda III, Pope of Alexandria and patriarch of the See of St. Mark — Full-Text

June 23, 1984 – Rome

Pope John Paul II and His Holiness Mar Ignatius Zakka I Iwas — Full-Text

December 13, 1996 – Rome

Pope John Paul II and Catholicos and Supreme Patriarch of All Armenians Karekin I — Full-Text

January 25, 1997 – Rome

Pope John Paul II and Catholicos of Cilicia Aram I Keshishian — Full-Text

September 27, 2001 – Etchmiadzin, Armenia

Pope John Paul II and Supreme Patriarch of All Armenians Karekin II — Full-Text

April 28, 2017 – Cairo, Egypt

Pope Francis and His Holiness Tawadros II — Full-Text

 

FIRST SERIES (2003-)

Preparatory Committee for the establishment of a Dialogue Commission involving representatives of the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches – Rome, January 27-29, 2003 – PRESS RELEASE — Full-Text

 

MEETINGS:

 

1. January 27-30, 2004 – Cairo, Egypt

“Review of the studies and activities over the past 30 years; planning for the second meeting” – REPORT — Full-Text

2. January 26-29, 2005 – Rome, Italy

“Understanding of communion, constitutive elements of communion; Particular and universal communion, meaning of sister churches and of Church families; Full communion and degrees of communion, common ecumenical goal” – REPORT — Full-Text

3. January 27-30,2006 – Etchmiadzin, Armenia

“Bishops in apostolic succession; Primacy and synodality/conciliarity; Synods, local and ecumenical (their ecclesiological meaning); appointment of a drafting committee” – REPORT — Full-Text

4. January 28 – February 3, 2007 – Rome, Italy

January 29-30 – Oriental Orthodox delegates met
January 30 – Catholic delegates met

Joint commission met January 31 – February 2

“Mission, witness, service and problem of proselytism; salvation of non-believers; marriage between Catholics and Muslims; Mixed marriage with non-believers” – REPORT — Full-Text

May 28-30, 2007 – Rome, Italy

Sub-committee drafting meeting

5. January 27 – February 2, 2008 – Maarrat Saydnaya, Syria

January 27-28 – Delegations met separately

Joint commission met January 29 – February 2

“Study of draft document; Goals of the dialogue” – REPORT — Full-Text
Drafting sub-committee June 25-26, 2008 – Rome, Italy

6. January 26-30, 2009 – Rome, Italy

January 26 – Delegations met separately

Joint commission met January 27-30

“Nature of the communion of our churches shared in the first half of the first millennium” – REPORT — Full-Text
and COMMON DOCUMENT — Full-Text

7. January 27-31, 2010 – Antelias, Lebanon

January 27 – Delegations met separately

Joint commission met January 28-30

“The ways in which the churches expressed their communion with one another in the first five centuries; The reception of councils; Approval of agreed statement ‘Nature, Constitution and Mission of the Church’” – REPORT — Full-Text

8. January 25-28, 2011 – Rome, Italy

January 25 – Delegations met separately

Joint commission met January 26-28

“Communion and communication among the churches until mid-fifth century; Role of monasticism; Petrine ministry” – REPORT — Full-Text

9. January 17-21, 2012 – Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

January 17 – Delegations met separately

Joint commission met January 18-21

“Martyrdom and communion; Ecclesial communion in the New Testament; Prayer and liturgy as means of communion and communication” – REPORT — Full-Text

10. January 23-27, 2013 – Rome, Italy

January 23 (morning) – Delegations met separately

Joint commission met January 23-26

“The ways in which full communion among our churches was expressed in the first five centuries; Saints as elements of communion and communication; Processes of canonization and mutual recognition of saints as a constitutive element of communion” – REPORT — Full-Text

11. January 28-February 1, 2014 – Pampakuda, India

January 28 – Delegations met separately

Joint commission met January 29-February 1

“Full communion in the first five centuries; Development of Eucharistic anaphoras; Significance of pilgrimage” – REPORT — Full-Text

12. January 24-31, 2015 – Rome, Italy

January 26 – Delegations met separately

Joint commission met January 27-30

“Approval of ‘The Exercise of Communion in the Life of the Early Church and its Implications for our Search for Communion Today’; Sacraments of initiation” – REPORT — Full-Text
and COMMON STATEMENT — Full-Text

13. January 30-February 6, 2016 – Cairo, Egypt

February 1 – Delegations met separately

Joint commission met February 2-5

“The Sacraments of Initiation” – REPORT — Full-Text

14. January 22-27, 2017 – Rome, Italy

January 22 and 23 – Delegations met separately

Joint commission met January 24-27

“The historical, theological, and ecclesiological aspects of the Holy Eucharist; discussion of modern pastoral issues, touching upon communities in diaspora, the challenges of secularism, reaching the younger generation, and the possibility of pastoral adaptation of traditional liturgies” – REPORT — Full-Text

15. January 29 – February 5, 2018 – Etchmiadzin, Armenia

January 30 – Delegations met separately

“Consideration of the sacraments with special emphasis on Penance/Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, and Holy Orders” – REPORT — Full-Text

16. January 28 – February 1, 2019 – Rome, Italy

January 27 – February 2 – Delegations met separately

“Consideration of the sacraments with special emphasis on Marriage” – REPORT — Full-Text

17. January 26 – February 1, 2020 – Atchaneh, Lebanon

“Focus on the fundamental aspects of sacramental theology”

CO-CHAIRS:

H.E. Cardinal Walter Kasper, President, Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity – Vatican City (2003-2010)
H.E. Cardinal Kurt Koch, President, Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity – Vatican City (2011-)
H.E. Anba Bishoy Coptic Orthodox Church – Egypt (2003-2018)

CO-SECRETARIES:

Msgr. Johan Bonny, Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (2003-2008)
Msgr. Gabriel Quicke, Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (2009-2018)
Rev. Father Hyacinthe Destivelle, OP, Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (2019-)
Rev. Dr. John Mathews, Secretary, Committee on Inter-Church Relations (2003-2010) (later as bishop Metropolitan Youhanon Mar Demetrios, Assistant Bishop of Delhi) (2011-)