Nuncio Article
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Catholic-Orthodox Dialogue Necessary,
Says Apostolic Nuncio in Ukraine
Says Apostolic Nuncio in Ukraine
Source of translation: http://www.risu.org.ua/eng/news/article;5363/
May 06 2005, [00:41] // RCC //
Kyiv - "Dialogue with Orthodoxy is still vital for the Catholic Church. While theological differences with other Christian churches are so large that their coming closer doctrinally in the near future seems very improbable, the common heritage Catholics have with the Orthodox is huge." Archbishop Ivan Jurkovic, the apostolic nuncio to Ukraine, said this in an interview with the News-Ukraine agency. He stressed that dialogue with the Orthodox holds a special place in the context of the Catholic Church's interchurch dialogue. pravoslavye.org.ua posted the news on 27 April 2005.
"This does not mean that dialogue with the Orthodox is an easy matter," Archbishop Jurkovic said. "We are all well aware of the existing difficulties and the consequences of historical memory's influence on the development of the relationship between the two traditions." The archbishop attributed this to the fact that "often people simply remember past grievances and suffering that happened above all because of the aggressive policy of states trying to dominate other nations." He stressed that it is important to continue dialogue between the Catholic and the Orthodox churches. "This way we will achieve an understanding of the differences between what is part of state policy and what is church life, and more," the archbishop said.
According to the archbishop, it will also be possible to better understand the need to protect the legal rights of every person and also to understand the specific role that certain religious denominations have played and continue to play in the life of certain nations. Speaking of the change in the hierarchy of the Catholic Church, he said that changes in hierarchy do not alter the meaning of the ministry, only accents and style are changed.
"The new Pope is well acquainted with Eastern Europe and had already spoken of his attention to dialogue with the Orthodox", the archbishop stressed.
Source: http://pravoslavye.org.ua/index.php?r_type=news&action=fullinfo&id=7040
