Over the past sixty years, Orthodox-Catholic dialogue has continued to deepen even as important theological concerns remain unresolved.
According to Rev. Protopresbyter Dr. Nicolas Kazarian, Director of the Department of Inter-Orthodox, Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations at the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, who spoke with Greek Reporter, the relationship between the Orthodox and Catholic Churches should be viewed not only through the lens of what still separates them but also through the significant ecumenical progress of the past six decades.
Reflecting on the most fundamental differences between the two Churches today, Kazarian said the modern phase of rapprochement began with the historic meeting between Pope Paul VI and Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras in Jerusalem in 1964. That encounter, he maintains, renewed relations between the Churches of Rome and Constantinople and established a framework for addressing longstanding differences “with honesty and charity.”
The role of the Bishop of Rome remains central in Orthodox-Catholic dialogue
It is within this context of restored fraternity, said Kazarian in speaking with Greek Reporter, that the Churches can approach current challenges more constructively. Foremost among them is the question of the role and place of the Bishop of Rome in the life of the Church.
He noted that the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue, established in 1979, has focused on this issue through ongoing reflection and said that effort reflects growing trust and maturity between the two sides. He also pointed to the Commission’s willingness to revisit the longstanding question of the Filioque, describing it as evidence that both Churches are prepared to engage seriously even in the most sensitive theological issues.
Kazarian also identified the difference in the date of Easter as a pressing concern, as the issue goes beyond doctrine since it affects the common Christian witness of Orthodox and Catholics alike. The division, he noted, becomes most apparent in the celebration of the Resurrection, “the very heart of our faith.”
Shared faith and tradition continue to unite East and West
Even with those unresolved questions, Kazarian emphasized that essential elements of faith and tradition continue to unite the Orthodox and Catholic Churches. To illustrate the point, he referred to a personal experience from the summer of last year, when Archbishop Elpidophoros of America and Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark led a joint pilgrimage to Rome, Constantinople, and Nicaea.
Kazarian said the pilgrimage offered a tangible opportunity to recognize the profound commonalities that continue to unite Christians of the East and West. It reminded participants, he said, that faith is not an abstract notion but “a sacramental reality lived within the life of the Church.”
He emphasized that the two traditions share a common understanding of the sacraments as the means through which believers are transformed by the grace of God. He also highlighted an authentic veneration of the saints, the centrality of the Holy Eucharist in spiritual life, a living tradition of monasticism, and a deep commitment to religious and theological education.
A common apostolic inheritance
What moved participants most during the pilgrimage, Kazarian said, was the way each tradition illuminated the other, as Archbishop Elpidophoros reflected with depth on the Byzantine heritage of Rome, while Cardinal Tobin offered rich insights into the significance of the First Ecumenical Council during the journey toward Nicaea.
Beyond historical divisions, Kazarian said, there remains “a genuine and mutual recognition of the apostolicity of the Church,” lived and expressed through faith and tradition.
Dialogue as the path toward deeper understanding
Looking at the future of Orthodox-Catholic relations, Kazarian said in speaking to Greek Reporter that for much of the past one thousand years, relations between Orthodox and Catholics were marked by competition, confrontation, and occasional controversy, yet the last sixty years have brought a remarkable shift in paradigm.
Dialogue, Kazarian stated, has become a central path toward mutual understanding. However, he made clear that he does not view this as a diplomatic search for the lowest common denominator or as a compromise on matters of faith. Instead, Kazarian described authentic dialogue as “an exercise in truth” in which each side offers the fullness of its identity and “the richness of his irreducible otherness.”
In that sense, he maintained, dialogue is not merely practical but “a theological principle,” one that places Christ at the center of the common journey toward reconciliation and restored communion. It is intrinsic, he added, to the life of the Church.
Personal encounters matter alongside Orthodox-Catholic dialogue
In speaking with Greek Reporter, Kazarian also emphasized that this dialogue takes many forms because it is rooted in relationship. The work of the International Theological Commission remains essential, he said, but personal encounters between Church leaders complement it and carry equal significance.
As an example, he pointed to the recent meeting between Pope Leo XIV and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in Constantinople and Nicaea in November 2025, during the 1,700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council, as an illustration of that dynamic. Ultimately, Kazarian stressed, the ecumenical journey is fundamentally dialogical, grounded in truth, sustained by love and oriented toward unity, and, as Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew reminds us, “truth does not fear dialogue.”
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