Coherence of the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church<br/><br/>
When the Roman Emperor moved to Constantinople (known now as Istanbul) in 333 B.C., the bishop of Constantinople, Patriarch, severed their relationship with the Roman bishop, naming himself, Ecumenical Patriarch. This separation continued until Pope Paul VI met with Atanagoras I in Bethlehem in 1967. After Pope John Paul II convened with Demitrios I in 1979, a Joint Committee was formed for the inception of the Theological Dialogue between Orthodox and Roman Catholics.<br/><br/>
Recently when Pope Benedict XVI visited Turkey, he met with Bartholomew I and announced a Common Declaration. The declaration focused on, on one hand, encouraging the Joint Committee to establish an agreement; and on the other, promoting formation of partnership between the two churches to support cultural, parish ministry and social justice initiatives.<br/><br/>
On November 27, Bartholomew I wrote, under the title of “That They May All Be One”, published an article in the Italian edition of L’Osservatore Romano, expressing his strong hope in ecumenism. “With honor and dignity, the Ecumenical Patriarchate bears the burden of the People of God. We respond to the challenges of our time and to the appeals of many people who live in need, poverty, danger and injustice. Moreover, we are committed to opposing all forms of violence, for the peaceful coexistence of all religious communities in our country. Having lived for centuries in a predominantly Muslim environment, our Church has always promoted dialogue between peoples and encouraged them to live together in peace, in harmony and in reconciliation, disregarding differences of race, religion and culture. We consider this visit an opportunity to manifest our fraternal love to His Holiness Benedict XVI and to renew our commitment to continue on our common spiritual path toward the unity of the Church.”