If you draw the history of Catholic–Orthodox relations as a family tree, you end up with a rather tangled shrub: shared roots, several dramatic quarrels, and an awkward silence that lasted, in some cases, for a millennium and a half. Yet in that thicket there are also clearings of real friendship. One of the most instructive is the relationship enjoyed between Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Shenouda III of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, a case study in how old wounds can be named, healed and, at least partially, transformed into a common witness.
9:20 AM
The Coptic Church: A model for Catholic–Orthodox dialogue
As Catholics look toward renewed engagement with the Orthodox Churches, the long and often fruitful dialogue with the Coptic Church shows how ancient divisions can be approached without denying history or doctrine
Jan C. Bentz
10 min read
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