Vatican official urges more attention to Catholic-Orthodox agreements

Published: 2004-06-25

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- More attention must be paid to the agreements achieved in the international Catholic-Orthodox dialogue over the past quarter-century, a Vatican ecumenical official told a Catholic-Orthodox conference in Washington. Also needed is more theological work by church leaders and theologians on some of the fundamental issues still unresolved, said Belgian Msgr. Johan J. Bonny, a specialist in Orthodox relations at the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. Msgr. Bonny was one of the featured speakers at the eighth "Orientale Lumen" Conference, held June 21-24 at the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center. The yearly conference is named after Pope John Paul's 1995 apostolic letter on the cultural, liturgical and theological riches of the Eastern Christian churches. Its Latin title means "the light of the East." Msgr. Bonny said that central to Catholic-Orthodox dialogue is the Second Vatican Council's affirmation of "the ecclesial nature and real bonds of communion linking the churches of the East with the Catholic Church." The council acknowledged the authenticity of the sacraments, customs, disciplines, theological traditions and self-governance of the Orthodox churches.

Copyright (c) 2004 Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .