The session of the Orthodox-Catholic theological dialogue completed its work

The Joint Orthodox-Catholic International Commission for Theological Dialogue completed its session on 23 October in Paphos, Cyprus. The Orthodox side included representatives of the Patriarchates of Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, Moscow, Serbia, Romania, Georgia and the Orthodox Churches of Cyprus, Greece, Poland, Albania and the Czech Lands and Slovakia.

The Russian Orthodox Church was represented by a delegation led by Archbishop Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate department for external church relations. The delegation included Archpriest Igor Vyzhanov, DECR secretary for inter-Christian relations.

The session in Paphos considered the document on the Role of the Bishop of Rome in the Communion of the Church in the First Millennium drafted by the Joint Commission coordinating committee in October 2008. The session managed to consider only a part of this document. It was agreed to continue working on the text together during the next session of the Joint Commission to take place in September 2010, in Vienna, Austria.

The Commission adopted a communiqué highlighting its plenary session in Cyprus.