Phanar: Search for unity with RCC important to preserve unity in Orthodoxy

Exarch of Phanar in Ukraine, Bishop Mikhail (Anischenko). Photo: a screenshot of Zhyve.tv broadcast

The dialogue with the RCC on the restoration of unity is relevant for the preservation of unity in Orthodoxy. The Exarch of Constantinople in Ukraine, Bishop Mikhail (Anishchenko), said this at the conference "Catholic-Orthodox Documents and Their Reception in Ukraine", which was organized by the UGCC in Kyiv.

He thanked everyone involved in the publication of the Ukrainian translation of the documents of the joint international commission on the theological dialogue between the RCC and the Orthodox Church since this is "a great event in conveying the idea of finding the unity of the Church and bringing a wide circle of Christians to the thought and discussion of this issue".

“The Orthodox-Catholic dialogue and the search for ways to restore unity is also relevant for the preservation of unity in the Orthodox Church itself. The developments in this direction can be used in another (direction – Trans.), too,” said the representative of the Patriarchate of Constantinople.

According to the Phanar Exarch in Ukraine, the "extremely important" Orthodox-Catholic dialogue "revives intra-Orthodox theological thought" and forces a rethinking of the theological heritage.

On October 26, a conference of the UGCC, Phanar and the OCU on the search for unity was held in Kyiv, during which the head of the UGCC named the goal of the ecumenical dialogue – the restoration of communion, the representative of the Vatican urged to make efforts so that the "successes" of this dialogue received particular practical implementation in Ukraine, and the Uniate priest stated that Catholics and Orthodox Christians should together elect "the future Ukrainian patriarch".

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