Vatican decries leak of Catholic-Orthodox draft statement on papacy

January 26, 2010

The Pontifical Council for Christian Unity has released a statement decrying the appearance of a leaked document from a joint Catholic-Orthodox theological commission discussing different perceptions of the Petrine ministry.

The draft document, which has been made public on Italian web sites, is only a draft, and “has been only minimally discussed,” the Pontifical Council emphasized. The participants in the Orthodox-Catholic dialogue had promised to keep the talks confidential, the Vatican statement notes; expressing dismay that the draft has become public. "As yet there is no agreed document and, hence, the text published has no authority or official status,” the Vatican statement added.

At a meeting in Cyprus last October, the joint theological commission discussed the role of the Bishop of Rome in the universal Church. The draft document observes that the Western Church soon established a tradition of looking to the Bishop of Rome for leadership, while in the East—although the primacy of Rome was accepted—there was greater emphasis on the authority of each individual bishop within his diocese.

 

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Further information:

• Communique from the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity (VIS)
• Pope Benedict revives ecumenical dialogue with Orthodox world, Vatican-watcher finds (CWN, 1/25)