JERUSALEM, JULY 7 (ZENIT.org)

    The Great Jubilee has brought together in the Holy Land Catholic Bishops of the Oriental Churches of the Byzantine rite. They arrived on pilgrimage at the invitation of the Greek-Melkite Church and, since last Tuesday, have been meeting in a theological symposium. This is a significant event because no such meeting has taken place since the fall of communism.

    It could have been a synod; Archbishop Lufti Laham, Melkite Patriarchal Vicar of the Holy City and the instigator of the meeting, had thought about this, but political conditions continue to disallow it. The absence of Patriarch Maximo V Hakin and the Bishops of Lebanon and Syria is conspicuous; these countries still consider themselves to be in a state of war with Israel, and do not permit visits to the Jewish State.

    In addition to Archbishop Laham, the host delegation brings together the Archbishops of Galilee and Jordan, and the Patriarchal Vicar of Alexandria, Egypt. There are 5 Bishops from the Ukraine, and as many from Rumania. Respective Bishops head delegations from Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Greece, and Slovakia; the Archimandrite of Slovakia is also attending this event.

    During the opening ceremony at the Notre Dame Center in Jerusalem, the participants were welcomed by heads and representatives of the Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant Churches of Jerusalem, as well as diplomats and civil authorities. Archbishop Pietro Sambi, the Apostolic delegate, read a message from the Pope, which focused on ecumenism, the principal topic of the meeting. The Holy Father expressed the hope that "the symposium will give fruits and encourage contacts and co-operation among the Churches, so that in this new millennium true witness will be given of unity in Jesus Christ, of solidarity and fraternal love among all the sons and daughters of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church."

    In his opening address, Archbishop Laham said the objectives of the meeting were threefold: to get to know one another better, to reinforce one another in the faith and fraternal communion, and to examine a common plan of action for the future. ZE00070703

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