Greeting of Cardinal Koch to His Holiness Tawadros II
(Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, 11 May 2023)
Your Holiness,
It is a joy to welcome you and the distinguished members of your delegation to this Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the visit of your predecessor, Pope Shenouda III, and the 10th anniversary of your first visit to Rome. You honored us with your visit to our Dicastery ten years ago, a visit that left an unforgettable memory among our collaborators.
Your Holiness, our Dicastery is your home. It is well known to some members of your delegation, in particular to Bishop BARNABA, with whom our Dicastery has fruitfully collaborated for almost thirty years, but also to Bishop KYRILLOS, who co-chairs with me the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches. Bishop KYRILLOS gave us this beautiful icon of the Theotokos last year when the Commission adopted, in this very room, its third document, entitled "The Sacraments in the Life of the Church", and began its new phase of dialogue on the Blessed Virgin Mary in the teaching and life of the Church.
Turning to the theological dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches, I would like to thank you, Your Holiness, for your continued support, and for the generous welcome you extended to the 19th Plenary Session of the Commission, last February, at the St Bishoy Monastery in Wady El-Natroun. We look forward to commemorating the 20th anniversary of this Commission next year in 2024. I also thank you for the participation of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the annual Study Visits that our Dicastery began three years ago and which allow young monks and priests of the Oriental Orthodox Churches to deepen their knowledge of the Church of Rome. It is also through these personal connections that unity is built between our Churches.
Your Holiness, on the occasion of your visit, our Dicastery, with the help of your personal Secretariat, has prepared this commemorative volume entitled "The Catholic Church and the Coptic Orthodox Church". This small book, with a joint preface by Pope Francis and Your Holiness, brings together the most important documents of the relations between our Churches since the Second Vatican Council: exchanges of delegations, visits, speeches, joint declarations, messages, and documents of the bilateral commission for dialogue. We hope that this volume will help us to cherish the memory of the journey we have made so far and will encourage us to continue with greater zeal until that blessed day when the Lord will give us the gift of unity.