Steps continue to be taken towards ecumenical dialogue. Pope Francis met with the primate of the Syro-Malankar Orthodox Church, Baselios Marthoma Mathews III. Based in India, he was elected in 2021 and this was his first visit to Rome.
The primate speaks Italian and the Pope thanked him for his gesture of addressing him in that language, as the Pope acknowledged that he is less proficient in English.
It is charitable to speak in Italian—I would like to do it in English, but my English is little and I can't.
The meeting was very cordial and the Pope gifted a chalice.
It is also symbolic. Symbolic because it means that hopefully we can celebrate together.
Let's hope.
The year 2025 marks the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, which is accepted by Catholics and the Syro-Malankar Orthodox Church. The Pope told the primate that he hopes to be able to celebrate that anniversary together.
According to tradition, the Christians of this denomination accredit their faith to the preaching of St. Thomas. However, it depended on the Church of the East that did not accept the decisions of the Council of Ephesus, in 431. During the Portuguese colonization they had problems with the Catholics who wanted to impose the Latin rite, but after the Second Vatican Council relations began to improve. The first visit of a leader of the Syro-Malankar Orthodox Church to the Vatican was 40 years ago, with Pope St. John Paul II.
JRB
