Orthodox, Catholics should work together to restore Europe's Christian culture (From B16)

Directions to Orthodoxy ^ | 02-28-06 | CWNews.com

[jecIIny]

Orthodox, Catholics should work together to restore Europe's Christian culture

Feb. 27 (CWNews.com) - Pope Benedict XVI told a visiting Greek Orthodox delegation that Catholic and Orthodox believers should work together to restore the Christian heritage of Europe.

The Holy Father met on February 27 with 30 students and teacher from the Apostoliki Diakonia theological school, administered by the Orthodox archdiocese of Athens. The Pope said that East and West should unite against "the challenges that threaten the faith."

The Pope observed that after centuries of division, the years since the close of Vatican II have "caused us to see a new dawn," and raised hopes for renewed unity among Christians. He pointed particularly to the meeting between Pope John Paul II and Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens in 2001, and the exchanges that followed, "to start down new paths." Since 2004 the Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches have pursued a series of cultural exchanges, under the aegis of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity.

Last year Pope Benedict issued an invitation for Archbishop Christodoulos to visit the Vatican. The Greek Orthodox primate indicated that he hoped to make such a visit sometime in 2006. In the past Archbishop Christodoulos-- who had received a similar invitation from Pope John Paul II-- had faced opposition to such a visit from within the Greek Orthodox synod.

[Cheverus]

I think this is a gimme, though I would probably include the more Conservative Protestants as well....only fair, the Finnish Lutheran Church has a reputation for orthodoxy I know.