The
head of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity, Cardinal Kurt Koch,
concludes a visit to Romania on Saturday, aimed at deepening the
ecumenical dialogue with the Orthodox Church there.
During the five
day trip, the Cardinal held talks with Romanian President Traian Basescu
and other government officials in the capital, Bucharest, before
travelling on to towns in the centre and north west of the former Soviet
state.
He celebrated Mass with leaders and faithful from both the Greek
Catholic and Latin rite communities which number around five percent of
the largely Orthodox nation.
Among the highlights of the visit was a
meeting on Wednesday with the head of the Romanian Orthodox Church,
Patriarch Daniel, during which the two leaders were able to discuss
recent progress in relations between their two Churches.
Also attending
that encounter was Metropolitan Nifon of Targoviste, who told us the
visit has had a positive impact on the ecumenical dialogue:
The
Orthodox leaders says the Cardinal's visit is something that "really
consolidates our relationships"......he explains that the main focus of
discussions today is between the Western understanding of primacy and
the Eastern vision of sinodality or collegiality.....
Refering to
Pope Francis' intentions to bring greater collegiality into the running
of the Catholic Church, Metropolitian Nifon says "This is wonderful
news for the Eastern Orthodox Churches……