MP Holds Third Meeting of ROCOR-MP Dialogue Commission
(DECH MP - Vertograd, Moscow): The Division of External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate (MP) held its third working session of the Dialogue Commission between the ROCOR (L) and the Moscow Patriarchate from November 17-19.Parties present produced complementary documents on questions of the relation between the Church and state and about the Orthodox Church's relations to other religious bodies. Questions were discussed on a canonical level concerning ROCOR's status as the self-governing part of the "united local Russian Church", as well as the conditions for establishing intercommunion. Guidelines were submitted to be sent to their respective authorities on the matter.
The members of the commission noted how significantly advanced the parties were towards full unity in the scope of a year since the first visit of the Moscow delegation of the ROCOR (L) headed by Archbishop Mark of Berlin and Germany (November 17-22, 2003). The next joint session of the commission is planned for spring of 2005.
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