Relations with the
Ancient Churches of the East
62.
In the period following the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Church has
also, in different ways and with greater or lesser rapidity, restored fraternal
relations with the Ancient Churches of the East which rejected the dogmatic
formulations of the Councils of Ephesus and Chalcedon. All these
Churches sent official observers to the Second Vatican Council; their
Patriarchs have honoured us by their visits, and the Bishop of Rome has been
able to converse with them as with brothers who, after a long time, joyfully
meet again.
The return of fraternal
relations with the Ancient Churches of the East witnesses to the Christian
faith in situations which are often hostile and tragic. This is a concrete sign
of how we are united in Christ in spite of historical, political, social and
cultural barriers. And precisely in relation to Christology, we have been able
to join the Patriarchs of some of these Churches in declaring our common faith
in Jesus Christ, true God and true man. Pope Paul VI of venerable memory signed
declarations to this effect with His Holiness Shenouda
III, the Coptic Orthodox Pope and Patriarch,103 and with His Beatitude Jacoub III, the Syrian Orthodox Patriarch of
Antioch.104 I myself have been able to confirm this Christological
agreement and draw on it for the development of dialogue with Pope Shenouda,105 and for pastoral cooperation with the
Syrian Patriarch of Antioch Mor Ignatius Zakka I Iwas.106
When the Venerable
Patriarch of the Ethiopian Church, Abuna Paulos, paid me a visit in Rome on 11 June 1993, together
we emphasized the deep communion existing between our two Churches: "We
share the faith handed down from the Apostles, as also the same sacraments and
the same ministry, rooted in the apostolic succession ... Today, moreover, we
can affirm that we have the one faith in Christ, even though for a long time
this was a source of division between us".107
More recently, the Lord has
granted me the great joy of signing a common Christological declaration with
the Assyrian Patriarch of the East, His Holiness Mar Dinkha
IV, who for this purpose chose to visit me in Rome in November 1994. Taking into account
the different theological formulations, we were able to profess together the
true faith in Christ.108 I wish to express my joy at all this in the
words of the Blessed Virgin: "My soul proclaims the greatness of the
Lord" (Lk
1:46).
63.
Ecumenical contacts have thus made possible essential clarifications with
regard to the traditional controversies concerning Christology, so much so that
we have been able to profess together the faith which we have in common. Once
again it must be said that this important achievement is truly a fruit of
theological investigation and fraternal dialogue. And not only this. It is an
encouragement for us: for it shows us that the path followed is the right one
and that we can reasonably hope to discover together the solution to other
disputed questions.
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