Saint Mary: Eritrean Orthodox Church
The Oriental Orthodox and Roman Catholic church will hold a week-long international dialogue at the Samavaya Ecumenical Study Centre in Pampakuda, India on Tuesday.
Delegates from the Oriental Orthodox Churches of Egypt, Armenia, India, Syria, Ethiopia, and Eritrea, and the Catholic Church arrived here on Monday.
They will engage in dialogue on ecclesiology, episcopacy, apostolic succession, the relevance and importance of ecumenical councils, and the Church and its mission
Thirty-five delegates from the Oriental Orthodox churches of Egypt, Armenia, Malankara (India), Syria, Eritrea, Ethiopia and the Roman Catholic church will engage in a theological dialogue to discuss issues like ecclesiology, episcopacy, apostolic succession, the relevance and important of the Ecumenical Councils, the church and its mission, Dr Gabriel Gregorios, bishop of the Orthodox Syrian church in India, told reporters here today.
“Last year, the conference was held in Rome and in 2012 in Ethiopia.” Greforios said “This is the first time it is being held in India.”
This year’s dialogue will discuss the relevance of the nature and communion of the United and Undivided Apostolic church that existed till 5th century in the present day churches.
The dialogue also seeks to emphasise that communion in worship and sacraments is multi-faceted and multi-layered; hence putting the onus on the churches to realise this aim.
Seminar papers relating to the Anaphora and Liturgy, Pilgrimage would be presented by eminent scholars, he said.
Delegates from various countries, including Egypt, Lebanon, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Italy, America, Armenia, Germany and Israel are expected to participate.
Gabriel Gregorios, Metropolitan Dr Yuhanon Demetrius and Father Mathew Vellanickal are the delegates from India in the dialogue.
