On the afternoon of Saturday, June 3, 2023, His Beatitude Theodoros II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and all Africa, responding to the invitation of the local Roman Catholic Church of Egypt, attended the Divine Liturgy held in the Roman Catholic Cathedral of St. Catherine of Alexandria, presided over by His Eminence Kurt Cardinal Koch, President of the Pontifical Commission for Christian Unity, in the context of the ongoing deliberations of the international Joint Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches in the Great City.
In his speech, Cardinal Koch, Co-President of the international Joint Theological Commission, praised the importance of the theological dialogue between the Christian Churches, especially when it is held in the City of Alexander the Great, the Apostle Mark, the Great Fathers and Teachers of the faith of early Christian centuries and the founders of Monasticism.
He also expressed to His Beatitude Theodoros II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria, the gratitude of the Roman Catholic Church and its Primate, Pope Francis, for the hospitality of Abraham for the multi-member delegations of the two Churches and the perfect organization of the Committee’s deliberations.
The Eucharistic Gathering of the R/Catholic Community of Alexandria was also attended by His Eminence Joseph Cardinal Tobin, Archbishop of Newark USA, Claudio Gugerotti, Archbishop of Ravello, Italy and President of the Pontifical Commission on the Eastern Churches, Nicolas Thevenin, Apostolic Nuncio to Egypt, Roland Minnerath, Archbishop of Dijon, France, Bruno Forte, Archbishop of Chieti, Italy, Brian Farrell , Bishop of Abitine, Italy and Secretary of the Pontifical Commission for Christian Unity, Charles Morerod, Bishop of Lausanne, Switzerland, Krzysztof Nitkiewicz, Bishop of Sandomierz, Poland and Bishop Claudio, Apostolic Vicar c of Egypt.
Also present were His Eminence Job Metropolitan of Pisidia, Co-Chairman of the International Joint Theological Committee, the archpriests, priests and lay theologians representing the Orthodox Church in the theological dialogue, the Metropolitans of the Patriarchate of Alexandria, George of Guinea, Panteleimon of Naucratis and Narcissus of Pelusium, representatives of other Christian denominations and a multitude of believers.
Photographs by Gregory Halkiakopoulos
