MIXED COORDINATING COMMITTEE OF THE
JOINT INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION
FOR THEOLOGICAL DIALOGUE BETWEEN
THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH AND THE ORTHODOX CHURCH
Nicosia, Cyprus 12-17 June 1983
The Coordinating Committee of the Joint International Commission for the Theological Dialogue between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church met in Nicosia, Cyprus, from June 12th to 17th, 1983. This committee is made up of 16 members, 8 Orthodox and 8 Roman Catholic. The Committee worked under the direction of His Eminence Monsignor Stylianos, Archbishop of Australia, co-president for the Orthodox side, and of His Excellency Monsignor Mariano Magrassi, Archbishop of Bari, co-president for the Roman Catholic side for this meeting.
The work done by the Committee was preparatory of the third plenary session of the Joint Commission of the dialogue which met for the first time at Patmos-Rhodos (1980), and for a second time at Munich (1982).
During the second plenary meeting at Munich (1982), the Joint Commission proposed, for the present stage of theological dialogue between our two Churches, the subject: “Faith, Sacraments and the Unity of the Church”, with the following questions, which govern the subcommissions’ report: “I. Faith and Communion in the Sacraments, II. The Sacraments of Initiation: their Relation to the Unity of the Church”.
After the Munich meeting the three subcommissions prepared three parallel texts on this theme. In Nicosia the Coordinating Committee elaborated a synthesis out of these three texts which will be submitted to the next plenary of the Joint Commission, due to meet next year.
His Beatitude Archbishop Chrysostomos of Cyprus conducted personally the inaugural service, invoking the help and the blessing of our Lord for the success of the meeting. His Beatitude pronounced a warm speech of welcome. Between other things he said: “Our Most Holy Orthodox Church of Cyprus, conscious of the difficulty of the present times and acting in the spirit of Christ’s commandment for unity, approves this inter-Church dialogue and, within its possibilities, participates in an edifying way in every efforts towards rapproachment, cooperation and unity among the Churches”.
During its stay in Cyprus the Coordinating Committee had the honour to be received by His Excellency Mr. Kyprianou, President of the Republic, who expressed his best wishes for the success of the dialogue between the two Churches.
The Committee had also the chance to visit the Archbishop Makarios III Foundation and different churches and monasteries of the island, among which the monastery of Kykko. At the Archbishopric the Committee was happy to meet the authorities of the different Christian Churches in Cyprus.
In concluding their work the members of the Committee wish to express to the Church of Cyprus their profound gratitude for the brotherly and generous hospitality offered to them. More particularly they express their thanks to His Beatitude Archbishop Chrysostomos for his prayer for the success of the meeting, and for his inaugural speech full of encouragement and positive orientations.
[Information Service 52 (1983/III) 81]