Dialogue between the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches in Canada

On Tuesday, June 3 and Wednesday, June 4, His Grace Bishop Ioan Casian participated in the annual meeting of representatives of the Canadian Conference of Orthodox Bishops (CCOB) and the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB). The main theme of the meeting was The Reception and Legacy of the Council of Nicaea (325) and was hosted at Serra House (St. Augustine’s Seminary) in Toronto.

On behalf of the CCOB, along with the Romanian hierarch, the following delegates participated: Archbishop Sotirios (Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Canada), Metropolitan Ilarion Rudnyk (Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada) and Archbishop Irenée (OCA). On behalf of the CCCB participated Archbishop Michael Mulhall (Kingston), Cardinal Thomas Collins (Toronto) and Bishop Yvan Mathieu (Ottawa).

The meeting included several presentations: Retrospectives on the Period of Pope Francis and Perspectives on the Mission of Pope Leo XIV, Key notes on the 1700th Anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, and A Review of the History and Accomplishments of the Consultation of the Orthodox and Catholic Churches in North America.

Those present discussed the current situation of their Churches in the contemporary context and the difficulties facing Christianity today. Among the topics addressed were ways to encourage concrete ecumenical dialogue and the development of inter-church relations at the parish level, as well as the importance of emphasizing apostolic succession as a common factor of unity and synodality as a way of organizing and making decisions, inspired by the tradition of ecumenical councils.

The importance of a dialogue of love and truth, which would strengthen relations between the Churches, was also emphasized, as well as the need to be aware of the distance between official decisions (documents) and concrete pastoral reality. The need for a more visible dialogue, based on a more concrete and transparent mutual consultation, expressed also through joint public events, was highlighted. The possibility of initiating an independent Orthodox-Roman Catholic dialogue, adapted to the specific context of Canada, was also mentioned.

The meeting ended in an atmosphere of joy and with the feeling that, year after year, small but concrete steps are being taken towards better mutual knowledge and an increasingly deeper collaboration on various occasions.