Archbishop Pace Participates in the 30th Orientale Lumen Foundation Conference in Washington, D.C.

From 13 to 15 July, the 30th Conference of the Orientale Lumen Foundation was held in Washington, D.C., under the theme “Ecumenism at a Crossroad: Consensus Achieved – What’s Next?”

The event, which marked an important anniversary for the Foundation, featured the participation and contribution of Archbishop Flavio Pace, Secretary of the Dicastery, as well as a video message from Cardinal Kurt Koch, Prefect of the Dicastery.

The conference days were punctuated by liturgical prayer according to the Byzantine tradition (Vespers, Moleben, and Akathist) and by presentations from a number of speakers, moderated by Professor John Borrelli, who reflected on the process of reception of the Catholic-Orthodox dialogue at both the international and local levels.

Most of the presentations were delivered in person. Speakers included Cardinal Sean O'Malley, Archbishop Emeritus of Boston; Archbishop Flavio Pace; Bishop John Michael Botean of the Romanian Greek Catholic Eparchy of St. George in Canton; Bishop Anthony of Synada, Auxiliary Bishop of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Boston; and the Foundation's President, Dr. Jack Figel. Metropolitan Job of Pisidia, Co-Chairman of the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church, and Professor Cyril Hovorun contributed through pre-recorded video presentations.

The Conference was further honored by the presence and greetings of His Beatitude Tikhon, Primate of the Orthodox Church in America, and His Excellency Archbishop Gabriele Giordano Caccia, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States.

Following the conclusion of the Conference, Archbishop Pace spent a morning at the headquarters of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, where he met with the Associate General Secretary, Rev. Paul Hartmann; the Executive Director of the Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, Rev. Russell McDougall, C.S.C.; and members of his staff. The meeting provided an opportunity to reflect on the priorities and challenges of ecumenical relations in the United States, as well as on relations with the Jewish community.