Metropolitan Filaret: It's Time to Take a Step Toward Unity

(Note: This is not the schismatic Filaret.)

VATICAN CITY, MAY 6, 2010 (Zenit.org).- The time is now for the Orthodox and Catholic Churches to take a step toward unity, and for Benedict XVI and the Orthodox patriarch of Moscow to meet, says the Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus.

Metropolitan Filaret of Minsk and Sluck said this Tuesday at the international conference held in Rome on "The Poor Are the Precious Treasure of the Church: Orthodox and Catholics Together on the Path of Charity.

During the conference, which was promoted by the Sant'Egidio Community, participants reflected on the reception of the most frail in our societies, the testimony of the Fathers of the Church, and the challenges dictated by new social problems.

According to Metropolitan Filaret, the time has come to take decisive steps toward unity, reported the country's Catholic news service.

The Orthodox leader added that both Churches seek to establish full unity, and stressed that he has come to this conclusion based on the fraternal dialogue and the meetings that they have held with representatives of the Catholic Church"

Read the rest here.

Thanks to an anonymous emailed tip to which I sent the following reply...

"Very interesting. I applaud the sentiment (which the story is long on) but question the particulars (which the story is short on). Very serious doctrinal issues still separate Rome from Orthodoxy. As far as I am aware no great progress has been made in resolving those issues. Zenit has a reputation for posting these kinds of fluff stories from time to time. When I see a story reporting major breakthroughs on doctrinal questions then I will become a bit less skeptical. Thanks for sending this."