India to host Oriental Orthodox-Catholic dialogue | Matters India

Kochi: The International Dialogue between the Oriental Orthodox and the Catholic Churches will be held for the first time in India.

As many as 35 delegates from the Oriental Orthodox Churches of Egypt, Armenia, Malankara (India), Syria, Ethiopia will meet with Catholic officials at Pampakuda in Kerala from January 27. During the weeklong dialogue, they will address issues such as ecclesiology, episcopacy, apostolic succession, the relevance and important of the Ecumenical Councils, the Church and its mission, Indian Orthodox Metropolitan Gabriel Gregorios told reporters in Kochi on Thursday.

Last year, the conference was held in Rome and at Ethiopia in 2012. This is the first time it is being held in India, the metropolitan said. This year’s dialogue will discuss the relevance of the nature and communion of the United and Undivided Apostolic Church that existed until the 5th century in the present day churches, he said.

The dialogue also seeks to emphasize that communion in worship and sacraments is multi-faceted and multi-layered; hence putting the onus on the Churches to realize this aim, reported the Business Standard. Seminar papers relating to the Anaphora and Liturgy, Pilgrimage would be presented by eminent scholars, he said.

Delegates from various countries, including Egypt, Lebanon, Ethiopia, Italy, America, Armenia, Germany and Israel are expected to participate. Metropolitan Yuhanon Demetrius and Father Mathew Vellanickal are the delegates from India, besides Gregorios.

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India to host Orthodox-Catholic dialogue | Matters India