Towards a dialogue with Catholicism

This article by Olivier Clément examines the prospects for a dialogue between the Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church in light of two major events that took place in 1963-1964: the second session of the Second Vatican Council and Paul VI's pilgrimage to Jerusalem, where he met Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras I. The author adopts an analytical and critical approach, combining ecclesiology, Trinitarian theology and historical observation. He argues that while these events open up genuine ecumenical possibilities — notably through the rediscovery of episcopal collegiality — doctrinal obstacles remain, particularly regarding papal primacy, the *filioque* and pneumatology. The article identifies three Orthodox currents in relation to dialogue with Rome and advocates for prior theological deepening within Orthodoxy itself, as a condition for authentic and balanced dialogue with Catholicism.