The Eastern Section is composed of dialogues with the family of Oriental Orthodox Churches, including the Armenian, Syriac, Malankara, Coptic, Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox Churches. It also includes the Eastern Orthodox Churches, more than a dozen churches that are self-governing but in communion with one another and recognize a special role of the Patriarch of Constantinople. These two groups of Churches separated from Rome in the 5th and 11th centuries, respectively, but hold a special place in ecumenical dialogue. As Pope Saint John Paul II wrote in Ut Unum Sint, they are the “other lung” with which the Church breathes
Dialogues of the Eastern Section
Orthodox
The USCCB Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs engages in two dialogues with America's Orthodox leadership in the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America, which includes the Albanian Orthodox Diocese of America, the American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese of the USA, the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, the Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Diocese of the USA, Canada, and Australia, the Georgian Apostolic Orthodox Church in North America, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, the Orthodox Church in America, the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese in the Americas, the Serbian Orthodox Church North and South America, and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA.
North American Orthodox-Catholic Theological Consultation
The North American Orthodox-Catholic Theological Consultation began preliminary discussions in 1965. The dialogue has a long, prosperous history, and topics have included a wide range of theological issues, from respect for life to examinations of the concepts that have historically divided the Churches. Among its accomplishments are the seminal 1999 agreed statement on "Baptism and Sacramental Economy" and the influential 2003 document, "The Filioque: A Church Dividing Issue?" Recently, in 2015, they have released a statement on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the consultation that recalls the work accomplished over the last half-century.
This consultation meets twice a year and is currently discussing baptismal ecclesiology and the role of the laity. It is co-chaired by Metropolitan Methodios of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, Metropolis of Boston and His Eminence Joseph Cardinal Tobin, Archbishop of Newark.
Documents and News Releases Produced by the Dialogue
Joint Committee of Orthodox and Catholic Bishops
This Joint Committee of Orthodox and Catholic Bishops was first convened in 1981 and included seven bishops from each church. It grew out of the need for a place for bishops to discuss issues more pastoral in nature, such as marriage and the humanitarian crisis in the Middle East.
The dialogue meets annually and is co-chaired by Metropolitan Methodios of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, Metropolis of Boston and His Eminence Sean Cardinal O’Malley, Archbishop of Boston.
Documents and News Releases Produced by the Dialogue
Link to our dialogue partner: Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States
Oriental Orthodox
The USCCB Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs first established a formal dialogue with the Oriental Orthodox in 1978. It engages in regular meetings with representatives of the Standing Conference of Oriental Orthodox Churches in America, which includes the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church, the Coptic Orthodox Church, the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, the Malankara Syriac Church, and the Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch.
While the dialogue has discussed theological topics such as the Eucharist, primacy, and the diaconate, it often centers on pastoral issues, such as marriage, the pastoral care for children in schools, religious education, and social justice.
The dialogue meets once a year under the direction of His Eminence Archbishop Mor Dionysus Kawak of the Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch and Most Reverend Gregory Mansour, Bishop of the Maronite Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn.
Documents and News Releases Produced by the Dialogue