Phanar bishop: Orthodox Christians have no problem accepting Rome’s primacy

Pope Francis and Archbishop Job (Getcha). Photo: catholicoutlook.org

The Orthodox have no problem in recognizing the primacy of Rome, the only question is how this primacy will be realized, said the hierarch of the Phanar, Archbishop Job (Getcha) of Telmessos at the online conference "Challenges and Prospects of the Orthodox-Catholic Theological Dialogue" dedicated to finding ways of unity between Orthodox and Catholics.

In addition to the Archbishop, the conference was attended by the Head of the Eastern Bureau of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity Hyacinthe Destivelle, Professor Petros Vasiliadis and a number of other Greek theologians.

During the ecumenical dialogue, the Phanar hierarch said that in order to achieve full unity between Catholics and Orthodox, it is very important to educate a new generation of theologians who are not only well aware of the traditions of their Church but also open to the traditions of another Church. Therefore, according to Archbishop Job (Getcha), Orthodox students should study at Catholic educational institutions, and Catholics – at Orthodox ones.

Commenting on Destivelle’s words about the role of the Pope in the future united Church, the Phanar hierarch stated that “the Orthodox have no problems with the primacy of the Roman Church since this Church, according to patristic and canonical traditions, presides in love ... Therefore, from the Orthodox point of view, the primacy of Rome is not a problem ... The question is how this primacy will be implemented in practice."

According to Getcha, in the united Church, Catholics should not demand that the Orthodox recognize more of the rights of Rome than it was in the first millennium.

Earlier Patriarch Bartholomew said that the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, which will take place in 2025, is a reason for uniting Christians.

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