Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox leaders took a major step toward healing a 1,600‑year division when Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew welcomed Pope Tawadros II of the Coptic Orthodox Church to the Phanar for a celebration of the Divine Liturgy on the Sunday of the Myrrh-Bearing Women at the Patriarchal Church of Saint George. Both hierarchs called for renewed commitment to unity between their traditions.
In his official address at the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, His All-Holiness spoke about the relationship between the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Churches, saying that “the relationship between the Eastern Orthodox and the Oriental Orthodox Churches occupies a unique and privileged place within the broader ecumenical endeavor.”
He detailed a path to the restoration of unity between the two Churches, and emphasized that “we have been called to move from agreement to reception, from dialogue to life, from theological convergence to sacramental and pastoral cooperation.
His All-Holiness said to Pope Tawadros: “Your presence among us is a true blessing, manifesting the abiding work of the Holy Spirit, who continues to guide our Churches toward the fullness of the apostolic faith and toward the restoration of that visible unity for which our Lord Himself prayed: ‘that they all may be one.’” (John 17:21)
He emphasized that “through decades of patient and sincere theological dialogue, we have come to recognize with increasing clarity that our confession of the mystery of the Incarnation is, in its essence, one and the same. The divisions that have endured for centuries do not arise from a divergence of faith in Christ, but rather from historical circumstances, linguistic differences, and cultural misunderstandings.”
This was a momentous declaration after nearly sixteen hundred years of estrangement.
– Source: Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate