Cardinal Kasper on Ravenna Final Document

(14 Nov 07 RV) The Vatican’s Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity will issue the final document from the October Ravenna meeting of the Joint International Commission for the Theological Dialogue between the Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church, entitled: “The Ecclesiological and Canonical consequences of the Sacramental nature of the Church”.

Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Vatican Council who led the Catholic delegation at the meeting spoke to us about the main issues contained in the document. Countering recent speculation that it deals with the question of primacy, he described recent advances in Orthodox Catholic relations as a first step in a long road:

“Now the real breakthrough is that for the first time the orthodox were ready to speak about the universal level of the church and also on the universal level we have synodality of course, but also an authority – it means a primate which is of course according to the old order- the taxis of the ancient church, the bishop of Rome”.

But continued the Cardinal “we must be clear this is only a first step, this is only a basis, it does not solve all of the problems which are between the orthodox and the Catholic Church, we have to go on to clarify the details, we will speak next time about the role of the bishop of Rome, in the first millennium, then we have to go on to the second millennium where we have the first and second Vatican Council”. “This” – concludes Cardinal Kasper – “will not be an easy dialogue and then we can see where we will be after these steps…and this will be a long probably humanly speaking, a long and also a difficult way but not to exaggerate what we have achieved now its important a first step a basis not more and we hope with god’s help and prayers of many faithful we can go on this ecumenical pilgrimage with the orthodox churches”.

Listen to full interview: