Monday, November 30, 2009

Orthodox-Catholic Working Group Discusses Role of Pope at Meeting in Kiev

A meeting of the St. Irenaeus Orthodox-Catholic Working Group was held in Kiev, Ukraine, November 3-7, 2009, according to Saint Vladimir's Orthodox Theological School (SVOTS) website. The Working Group was hosted at the Kievan Monastery of the Caves and the Kiev Theological Academy, and was received by Metropolitan Wolodymir of Kiev.

The Working Group, founded in Germany in 2004 -- at a time when the official Orthodox-Catholic international dialogue was at a standstill -- is an informal gathering of 24 scholars and theologians, equally divided between Roman Catholics and Orthodox.

Meeting annually since its inception, this year's meeting of the group centered on the Vatican I declarations on the infallibility and universal jurisdiction of the Pope, which poses a major stumbling block in the relationship between the two churches.

Dr. Paul Meyendorff, professor of theology at St. Vladimir's Seminary, who attended the meeting, said, "A close reading of the conciliar decree in its historical context, indicates that the Catholic doctrines regarding infallibility and universal jurisdiction may not be as absolute as they are often understood on both the Catholic and Orthodox sides." He added that a better understanding of these dogmas "could help to resolve this major obstacle to the rapprochement between Catholics and Orthodox."

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