Pope Leo XIV proposes synodality as a path towards communion with the Assyrian Church of the East

Pope Leo XIV presented synodality as a way to move towards “full communion” between the Assyrian Church of the East and the West, during the audience granted in the Vatican to His Holiness Mar Awa III, Catholicos-Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East.

The meeting took place this morning in the Apostolic Palace of the Vatican and also included the participation of the members of the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between both Churches.

The Assyrian Church of the East is one of the oldest churches in Christianity, its origin dates back to the 1st century and was born in the first Christian communities established in Mesopotamia. Se It developed outside the Roman Empire, so its evolution was independent of the Western Church.

At the beginning of his speech, the Pontiff welcomed His Holiness Mar Awa III, whom he referred to as “a beloved brother in Christ.” He also highlighted that these types of meetings bear witness “that fraternal encounter and theological dialogue are mutually constitutive elements on the path towards unity.”

The Pontiff focused his reflection precisely on this unity, which has been strengthened over time, following “the mandate and methodology established by our predecessors,” especially since the 1994 Joint Declaration signed by Saint John Paul II and His Holiness Mar Dinkha IV.

Leo XIV recalled that, after To reach an agreement on the Christological faith, and thus resolve a 1,500-year-old controversy, “our dialogue advanced with the mutual recognition of the sacraments, making possible a certain communion in the sacred between our Churches.”

The controversy to which the Pontiff referred refers to the division between the Assyrian Church of the East and the rest of Christianity after the Council of Ephesus, in the year 431, over the correct formulation of the mystery of Christ, true God and true man.

With an eye toward dialogue, the Holy Father noted that the main challenge of ecumenical dialogue is to jointly develop a model of full communion, “inspired by the first millennium, responding with discernment to the challenges of our time.”

This model, he warned, “should not imply absorption or domination; rather, it should promote the exchange of gifts between our Churches, received from the Holy Spirit for the edification of the Body of Christ.”

In this context, the Pontiff highlighted that synodality is presented as a “promising path” to achieve full communion, remembering its ecumenical dimension, as expressed by Pope Francis in the Final Document of the recent Synod on Synodality.

“In the spirit of that Synod,” said Leo

Finally, he expressed his desire that Middle Eastern Christians always bear faithful witness to the risen Christ, “and that our dialogue accelerates the blessed day when we will celebrate together at the same altar, sharing the same Body and Blood of our Savior, so that the world may believe.”