Steering Committee for Orthodox-Catholic Dialogue (POSCOCD)

The PRO ORIENTE Steering Committee for Orthodox-Catholic Dialogue was established in 2018 to promote deeper understanding, mutual respect, and constructive engagement within the Orthodox-Catholic Dialogue. The committee comprises eight Orthodox and eight Catholic theologians from different European countries:

The PRO ORIENTE Steering Committee for Orthodox-Catholic Dialogue studies key theological issues and identifies areas of convergence and divergence. As a theological „think tank“, the committee reflects on matters related to theological dialogue and rapprochement between Orthodox and Catholic constituencies, and supports efforts for networking, cooperation and connecting Catholic, Orthodox, and joint Catholic-Orthodox organizations and dialogue groups.

In order to do so, the committee focuses on analysis, reception, and critical monitoring of the official and unofficial documents on the Orthodox-Catholic dialogue and identifying selected theological themes relevant to the dialogue.

In the years until 2025 the thematic work of the committee focused on three areas: connecting dialogues, healing of wounded memories and reception & inspiration.

Connecting Dialogues

A sub-group that worked on “Connecting Dialogues” developed an online database that provides common declarations, documents and texts published on different levels since the 1960s when theological dialogues between representatives of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches began. The database is available at www.orthcath.net.

Healing of Wounded Memories

The sub-group “Healing of Wounded Memories” worked on opening new spaces for ecumenical praxis, especially in terms of local reconciliation. A three-year project was developed and implemented, focusing on theological themes on healing of wounded memories, involving also interdisciplinary input and local actors interested and involved in processes of reconciliation in the context of post-conflict societies, especially in regions torn by violence, such as Eastern and Southeastern Europe as well as the Middle East (cf. https://www.pro-oriente.at/en/projects/healing-of-wounded-memories).

Reception and Inspiration

The sub-group “Reception and Inspiration” elaborated ways of facilitating processes of reception of ecumenical fruits in the churches, thus contributing to a culture of reception of the Other and to the ecumenical ethos in general. It also studied new ways for inspiring the faithful of both traditions to engage in the ecumenical movement in general and to promote the mutual encounter of Orthodox and Catholics in particular.

Update: June 3, 2026