Irenaeus - Hummmmm...... agreed. Let's wait and see then.

ACL,

Yes, I agree with what you are saying. I am not against the talks. I am for talks. But I fear nothing can come from minor documents with no weight. I hope to be proved wrong. I do hope that they are stepping stones, but minor documents are likely to be ignored and grow stale in less than a generation. And we must not forget that the largest Orthodox church is the Russian Church which is dead set against any unity that is sacramental. They are more interested in sheep stealing than any … [More]

Indeed. However, as with everthing within salvation history: step by step and everything according to the point at which mankind has reached in his developmental process towards perfection.

One has got to begin somewhere. Why begin at a full blown Oecumenical Council level? Why not get people talking first, get to know each other and wrestle with each other's culture, language, etc. Let things progress organically towards a council (like Nicea II or even Constantinople I).

On the other hand … [More]

As much as I desire unity, this is a pipe dream without doctrinal discussions on the level of an ecumenical council. There are too many differences between East and West to put on our blinders and say "I am ok, You ok?". Ignoring differences is the disease of multi-culturalism that infects every facet of society. Where cultural differences are downplayed or outright denied for the sake of cultural syncretism that denies everything from gender differences to racial differences. From a … [More]

Interesting indeed. However, one remains quite unconvinced that "Assisi" (as it was executed in 1986) will solve any of these problems.

On the other hand, Assisi is a necessary event - if planed and executed with a bias for Christianity - that, with much trust and faith in the power of the Holy Spirit, the road to unity would be advanced somewhat.