Communique from the 12th plenary session of the International Joint Commission
for Theological Dialogue Between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church,
22-27 September 2010, Vienna.
* * *
The twelfth meeting of the Joint International Commission for
Theological Dialogue between the Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church
took place in Vienna, Austria, a city with a long history, a bridge between
West and East, with a rich ecumenical life. The meeting, generously and
fraternally hosted by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vienna, from 20-27
September 2010, in the Kardinal König Haus.
Twenty three Catholic members were present, a few were unable to
attend. All the Orthodox Churches, with the exception of the Patriarchate of
Bulgaria, were represented, namely the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the
Patriarchate of Alexandria, the Patriarchate of Antioch, the Patriarchate of
Jerusalem, the Patriarchate of Moscow, the Patriarchate of Serbia, the
Patriarchate of Romania, the Patriarchate of Georgia, the Church of Cyprus, the
Church of Greece, the Church of Poland, the Church of Albania and the Church of
the Czech Lands and Slovakia.
The Commission worked under the direction of its two
co-presidents, Archbishop Kurt Koch and Metropolitan Prof. Dr John of Pergamon,
assisted by the co-secretaries, Metropolitan Prof. Dr Gennadios of Sassima
(Ecumenical Patriarchate) and Rev. Andrea Palmieri (Pontifical Council for
Promoting Christian Unity).
At the opening plenary session on Wednesday, 22 September, the
Commission was welcomed very warmly by the host, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn
of Vienna, and by Metropolit an Michael of Austria of the Ecumenical Patriarchate
on behalf of all Orthodox Churches present in Austria. Both emphasized the
importance of holding the meeting in Vienna, which occupies a particular place
in the history of the whole of Christianity. In the evening a reception was
given by the Mayor of Vienna, Dr. Michael Häupl, at the Vienna Town Hall. The
co-presidents announced that His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI had urged intense
prayer for the Commission meeting at his Wednesday General Audience and they
read a Message to the participants from His All Holiness the Ecumenical
Patriarch Bartholomew. A letter was sent by the co-presidents on behalf of the
Joint Commission to the former President of the Pontifical Council for
Promoting Christian Unity and co-president of the dialogue, Cardinal Walter Kasper,
expressing gratitude and appreciation for his service and for his significant
contribution.
On Thursday, 23 September, the Ecumenical Council of Churches in
Aus tria met the members of the Joint Commission at Kardinal König Haus. On
Saturday, 25 September, the Catholic members celebrated the Eucharist in the
Stephansdom in Vienna presided over by Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, in the
presence of the Orthodox members. In his homily he said that “we have and
we need a primacy in the canonical sense, but above all there is the primacy of
charity. All canonical dispositions in the Church serve this primacy of love
(agape)”. Afterwards a reception was offered in the Courtyard of the
Archiepiscopal Palace of Vienna.
On Sunday, 26 September, the Orthodox members celebrated the
Divine Liturgy in the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity of the Greek Orthodox
Metropolitanate of Austria in Vienna, presided over by Metropolitan John of
Pergamon, in the presence of the Catholic members. In addressing those present,
Metropolitan Michael of Austria conveyed “the greetings of the Ecumenical
Patriarch Bartholomew and underlined the role and the contribution of the Greek
Metropolitanate to the history of Vienna with great eminent
personalities”. He also referred to “the close collaboration between
Orthodox and Catholics in Austria and in Vienna in particular, expressing the
wish that the Lord’s prayer ‘that all may be one’ (Jn 17:21) be a reality in
the search for the unity of His Church”.
During the afternoon, the members paid a visit to the Cistercian
Abbey of Heiligenkreuz and attended the service of Vespers. Later in the
evening, they visited the Russian Orthodox Cathedral of St. Nikolaus.
On the first day of the meeting, as is customary, the Roman
Catholic and Orthodox members met separately to coordinate their work. The
Orthodox meeting discussed among other things the unfinished draft text
produced by the 11th plenary session in Paphos, Cyprus last year, and much time
was given to the methodology of the dialogue. The Catholic meeting also
considered the draft text, seeking specific ways to improve the text, and
reflected on methodological questions.
As was decided at the 10th plenary session in Ravenna, 2007, the
Commission is studying the theme “The Role of the Bishop of Rome in the
Communion of the Church in the First Millennium”, on the basis of a draft
text prepared by the Joint Coordinating Committee, which met in Aghios
Nikolaos/Crete, Greece, 2008. During its meeting in Vienna, the Commission
continued the detailed consideration of the text which began at last year’s
plenary session at Paphos, Cyprus. At this stage, the Commission is discussing
this text as a working document and it decided that the text must be further
revised. It was also decided to form a sub-commission to begin consideration of
the theological and ecclesiological aspects of Primacy in its relation to
Synodality. The sub-commission will submit its work to the Joint Coordinating
Committee of the Commission which will meet next year.
During the meeting the members received the sad news that Mgr
Eleuterio Fortino, co-secretary of the Joint Commission since its inception,
passed away, after a long period of illness, and prayers were offered for the
repose of his soul.
The meeting of the Joint Commission was marked by a spirit of
friendship and trustful collaboration. All members greatly appreciated the
generous hospitality of the host Church, and they strongly commend the
continuing work of the dialogue to the prayers of the faithful.
Vienna, Austria, 26 September 2010.