Chief Vatican ecumenical official sees good prospects in Catholic-Orthodox talks
December 17, 2010
In an interview with the AsiaNews service, the newly installed president of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity said that the Catholic and Orthodox churches must resolve disagreements about papal authority in order to achieve full unity.
The disagreement reflects a difference of perspective, said Cardinal Kurt Koch: “Because collegiality is a major theme for the Orthodox, while for Catholics the major theme is the primacy. The great challenge for the future is how to see these two great realities together.”
Cardinal Koch said that the prospects for achieving real unity with the Orthodox churches are promising, and the Catholic world can learn a great deal from the Eastern approach. “This is because the Orthodox have maintained the structures, the mentality and vision of the ancient Church. We Catholics are in danger of forgetting this reality. Although the break with these ancient Orthodox churches took place more than a millennium ago, I feel at home when I visit them.”
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