Coptic Church & Ecumenical Movement - Saint Mina Coptic ...

1. The authorities of the Catholic Church who are concerned direct the religious and
pastoral activities of missionaries towards service of the religious and pastoral needs
of the Orthodox Church.
2. Through contacts with Orthodox Church authorities, institutions involved in the
educational and social activities of Catholic missions invite Orthodox to be members
of board or other agencies that plan and administer these services.
3. The Catholic authorities authorise the local Joint Committee to examine existing
social projects conducted by missionaries in regions where all, or almost all Christians
are Orthodox, to see what can be conducted by the Orthodox or what could better be
conducted under joint auspices, and to recommend to the authorities the proper action
to be taken.
4. Orthodox projects should be considered among the programmes supported by
Catholic international agencies.
5. To help train Coptic Orthodox workers to run specific projects, a joint training
institute should be established.
6. Church buildings of missionaries that are not being used or little used at present
should be sold or given to Orthodox rather than to others, secular or religious.
7. The Coptic Catholic Church should refrain from expanding by not establishing new
parishes or dioceses or nominating new bishops and by not establishing new
monasteries or convents.
It was also recommended that the work of the Local Joint Committee be strengthened
and that means be found for its work to be carried out on a regular basis. If necessary,
additional members could be coopted, especially persons who are in a position to put
into effect the recommendations of the committee. There is also need for the authorities
of the Churches to clarify how the committee relates to persons and institutions and how
its recommendations can be effectively carried out.
The participants in the Vienna meeting submit the above observations and
recommendations to their respective authorities in the conviction that they are fulfilling
the charge laid upon them as a joint commission to guide common study in theoretical
fields and in the field of practical problems “so that by cooperation in common we may
seek to resolve, in a spirit of mutual respect, the differences existing between our
Churches and be able to proclaim together the Gospel in ways which correspond to the
authentic message of the Lord and to the needs and hopes of today’s world” (cf.
Common Declaration). We pray that what the commission is doing will contribute, by
Gods’ grace, to achieving full unity between our Churches.
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