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Does anyone have any info on the contents of the recent OO-CC meeting earlier this year in 2009? I could not find any discussion on it here in this Forum.

A representative of the USCCB stated that there was some sort of breakthrough in the progress towards full communion, but it does not mention what it was. Normally, I would interpret a statement from the USCCB as perhaps overly optimistic, but when I saw it was from Fr. Roberson, I gave it a second thought.

See here: http://www.americancatholic.org/news/newsreport.aspx?id=676

Brother Marduk:

The proceedings of the 6th Meeting of the International Joint Commission for Theological Dialogue (between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox) held last January 2009 have not been made public.

Fr. Ronald Roberson is a member of the Catholic representation and it is, therefore, understandable for him NOT to pre-empt the content(s) of the official results of the the 6th meeting of the Commission.

Perhaps, the joint communique is still being reviewed by both sides before publication.

Amado

P.S.

I think at this 6th Meeting, the Commission continued to work on a common statement on ecclesiology, and each side presented two papers: “The Exercise of Communion Among the Churches in the First Five Centuries” and “Reception of Councils in the First Five Centuries.”

Marduk,

Thanks for posting the link. It was the first I had heard of this meeting. I took a quick look just now at the USCCB Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs Home Page and didn't see anything there about it.

I have often thought that the schisms with the OOCs and the ACoE were the precedent that paved the way for the Great Schism, and that healing these will pave the way for healing that as well.

May God grant that the optimism expressed in this article is not unfounded!

(BTW, the article states that the meeting in question dealt with "fundamental matters of ecclesiology;" does that mean that the Christological issues have already been adequately discussed?)


Peace,
Deacon Richard

Here is the Holy Father's English-language address [212.77.1.245] on January 30, 2009, to the members of the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches following their sixth meeting.

I am glad the meeting appears to have been successful, and hope the final document will be approved by all the Churches involved. It will be interesting reading, I'm sure.

Documents from previous meetings are available from the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity:
Dialogue with the Oriental Orthodox Churches [vatican.va]

Joint-Christological agreements were ratified between the Oriental Orthodox and Catholic Communions some time ago, in fact.

Peace and God bless!

Fr. Dcn. Richard:

Prior to the formal establishment of the Internatioal Commission in 2003, there have been common declarations (1970 with the Armenians, 1971 with the Syrians, 1973 with the Copts, 1984 with the Syrians again, 1996 and 1997 with the Armenians again) between the Catholic Church and individual Oriental Orthodox Churches, which took care of preliminary theological differences.

Amado

P.S.

The Cahtolic Church has a separate dialogue with the Assyrian Chruch of the East, having signed a common Christological Declaration in 1994.