Tuesday 16 December 2008

Catholic and Orthodox Bishops Together in Defence of Marriage and the Family



This information from Zenit can be found on the Anglican Mainstream blog.

Last week some Catholic and Orthodox bishops participated in the first common forum. They discussed their common vision of family values and are planning to offer a joint pastoral plan.

The late Patriarch Alexei of Russia was a supporter of the forum.

"Both delegations affirmed their understanding of marriage between a man and a woman as part of God's plan, and not a simple human institution"

A Bosnian Orthodox theologian, Vaclec Jezek, proposed an "authentic theology of the relationship between men and women, and between parents and children." He said that the family is the "perfect image of communion".

The delegates also affirmed their common understanding of the indissolubility of marriage, and agreed that human fertility is a gift from God. Bishop Alfeyev (Orthodox bishop of Vienna) lamented the position of the Christian West, "which pressures the Third World and the Islamic world to accept contraception, abortion and sterilization"


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