Cardinal calls it 'breakthrough' that Orthodox discuss authority

Published: 2007-11-14

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The "real breakthrough" in a new Catholic-Orthodox dialogue document lies in the fact that the Orthodox were willing to discuss how authority was shared and exercised on a universal level in the early church, said Cardinal Walter Kasper. The cardinal, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, spoke with Vatican Radio Nov. 14 about the document on the unity of the church and how authority is shared and exercised on a local, regional and universal level. After finalizing the document during a meeting in Ravenna, Italy, members of the dialogue commission planned to release the text Nov. 15. But a Web site associated with the Russian Orthodox Church, whose delegation abandoned the Ravenna meeting, published the text in late October.

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