<< Pope Benedict XVI visits Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople (Istanbul) in November 2006.
In 1963, Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras sent greetings to the newly enthroned Pope John XXIII. In reporting this, the official newspaper of the Ecumenical Patriarchate spoke of new relations between "sister churches," anticipating language to be adopted in due course by the Churches themselves. Pope John Paul the Great, in Orientale Lumen (1995), wrote that: "[s]ince, in fact, we believe that the venerable and ancient tradition of the Eastern Churches is an integral part of the heritage of Christ's Church, the first need for Catholics is to be familiar with that tradition, so as to be nourished by it and to encourage the process of unity in the best way possible for each."
Please note that these links concentrate on the Eastern Churches and that linked sites are not necessarily the official sites of these Churches, but are provided for the convenience of websurfers. For a more detailed explanation of the Eastern Christian Churches see CNEWA's pages by Fr. Ron Roberson. For a complete listing of Eastern Catholic Churches worldwide see "The Eastern Catholic Churches 2005, Annuario Pontifico".
Why do you trouble yourself in a house that is not your own? Let the sight of a dead man be a teacher for you concerning your departure from hence.
St. Isaac the Syrian