MIXED COORDINATING COMMITTEE OF THE
JOINT INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION
FOR THEOLOGICAL DIALOGUE BETWEEN
THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH AND THE ORTHODOX CHURCH
Venice, Italy 25-30 May 1981
The coordinating committee of the Joint Commission for dialogue between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church, met at Venice, Casa Cardinal Piazza, from May 25 to 30, 1981. This committee was appointed at the plenary session of the Commission at Rhodes last year. His Eminence Monsignor Stylianos, Orthodox Archbishop of Australia and His Excellency Monsignor Ramon Torrella, vice-President of the Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity, co-chaired the working sessions.
The task of the coordinating committee was to examine the results of what had been accomplished by the three sub-commissions on the theme they were assigned at Rhodes, i.e.:
“The mystery of the Church and the Eucharist in the light of the mystery of the Holy Trinity:
1. How should we understand the sacramental nature of the Church and of the Eucharist in relation to Christ and in relation to the Holy Spirit? What is the relation between the sacraments — principally the Eucharist — and christology, pneumatology, and triadology?
2. What is the relation between the Eucharist celebrated around the Bishop by the local Church and the mystery of the One God in the Commission of the three Persons?
3. What is the relation between these Eucharistic celebrations of the local Church and the communion of all the local Churches in the one, holy Church of the one God in three Persons? ”
The members also drafted a synthesis of the three sub-commissions works, to be sent later to all the members of the Commission, along with the reports of the three sub-commissions. These documents will be the working papers for the discussions at the next plenary session.
A project has also been initiated to specify the themes that will be studied in the next phase of the Commission’s work. This project will also be submitted at the next plenary meeting of the Commission. The Committee had also to set the time and venue of the next plenary assembly. It gratefully accepted the invitation of Cardinal Ratzinger, Archbishop of Munich and member of the Commission, who offered his episcopal city as venue for the next meeting which may take place during the first half of 1982.
The exact date will be determined after the necessary consultations in view of knowing what will be most convenient for all.
The Committee sent a telegram to His Holiness Pope John Paul II and to His Holiness Patriarch Dimitrios I, requesting their blessings and prayers.
At the beginning of its deliberations, the committee received a message of welcome from His Eminence Marco Cè, Patriarch of Venice, who came to share a meal on May 28th. That same day he received them in his cathedral for an ecumenical service with his faithful. All prayed together to hasten the moment when the efforts of the theological research will succeed in restablishing the unity wanted by Christ between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church.
That evening Mr. Cascarellis, Consul of Greece invited the members to dinner.
In the afternoon the committee had visited the magnificent church of Torcello, one more token of the generous hospitality which the members enjoyed during their stay in Venice. They do wish to express their gratitude not only to the Cardinal Patriarch but to all who contributed to the success of the meeting by their fraternal concern and prayers.
Orthodox Members: Archbishop Stylianos of Australia (co-chairman); Metropolitan Parthenios of Carthage; Prof J. Zizioulas; Prof S. Goschevitch; Metropolitan Nicolas of Banat; Bishop Simon of Lublin.
Catholic Members: Bishop R. Torrella, vice-president of SPCU (co-chairman); Archbishop M. Magrassi of Bari; Revd Prof E. Suttner; Dom E. Lanne OSB; Revd Prof J. M. R. Tillard OP; Revd Prof W. Hryniewicz OMI; Prof V. Peri; Revd Fr P. Duprey WF (secretary).
Staff: Mgr E. Fortino; Brother U. Gloriau; Fr A. Baillarjeon; Sig.na P. Fabrizi.
[Information Service 46 (1981/II) 58-59]