Meeting of the Saint Irenaeus Joint Orthodox-Catholic Working Group in Athens
At the invitation of its Orthodox Co-President, the Saint Irenaeus Joint Orthodox-Catholic Working Group gathered for its 21st annual meeting, from 15 to 19 October 2025, at the Metropolis of Peristeri, Athens, Greece. The meeting was co-chaired by Metropolitan Grigorios Papathomas and Archbishop Michel Jalakh, OAM, Secretary of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches. The new Catholic Co-President, Bishop Alain Faubert was unable to attend, but greeted the members of the Irenaeus Group online.
The main topic of the meeting was “Schisms Between East and West: Historical, Systematic, and Canonical Approaches”. The group examined various examples of schisms and potential schismatic tendencies within the Church, considering their cultural, social, and religious dimensions. Presentations and discussions focused on the following topics: “Humbert of Silva Candida, the reforms of the 11th century and the schism of 1054”; “St Photius of Constantinople and the Problem of Schism in the Ninth Century”; “What happened in 1204?”, “Schism according to Canonical Sources”, and “Towards a typology of schism”. The participants' reflections were consolidated into a communiqué.
Revd Fr Hyacinthe Destivelle, official of the DPCU and member of the Saint Irenaeus Group, participated in the meeting.
The Saint Irenaeus Joint Orthodox–Catholic Working Group, established in 2004 in Paderborn (Germany), comprises 26 theologians – 13 Orthodox and 13 Catholics – from various European countries, the Middle East, and the Americas.
The Group’s previous meeting took place in Paderborn, Germany, in September 2024. The next meeting has been scheduled for November 2026 in Lyon, France.