Pope Leo XIV hosts Mar Awa III, advancing Catholic-Assyrian dialogue toward unity, emphasizing synodality and shared sacraments in Vatican meeting.
Newsroom (27/10/2025, Gaudium Press ) In a significant moment for ecumenical relations, Pope Leo XIV welcomed His Holiness Mar Awa III, Catholicos-Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East, to the Vatican Apostolic Palace this morning. The audience included members of the International Joint Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Assyrian Church of the East, marking another step in the ongoing journey toward Christian unity.
In his address, Pope Leo XIV greeted Mar Awa III as a “beloved brother in Christ,” referencing Saint Paul’s words, “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 1:2). The Pope expressed gratitude for Mar Awa’s presence at his pontificate’s inauguration and acknowledged the Joint Commission’s vital role in fostering dialogue. He described the recurring visits as a “beautiful custom” that underscores the interplay of fraternal encounter and theological exchange, calling the “dialogue of truth” an expression of love and the “dialogue of charity” a theological imperative.
Reflecting on three decades of dialogue since the 1994 Joint Declaration by Saint John Paul II and Catholicos-Patriarch Mar Dinkha IV, Pope Leo highlighted milestones achieved, including the resolution of a 1,500-year Christological dispute and mutual recognition of sacraments, enabling limited sacramental sharing. He praised the Commission’s theologians for their contributions, noting that these agreements have laid a foundation for deeper communion.
The Pope emphasized the current phase of dialogue, focused on the Church’s constitution, as a critical challenge. He urged the development of a model of full communion inspired by the first millennium, one that avoids “absorption or domination” and fosters an exchange of spiritual gifts, as envisioned by Saint John Paul II in Ut Unum Sint. Synodality, he added, offers a promising path, citing Pope Francis’ 2022 remark, later echoed in the Catholic Church’s Synod on Synodality: “The journey of synodality… is and must be ecumenical, just as the ecumenical journey is synodal.”
Looking ahead to the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, Pope Leo expressed hope that it would inspire new “ecumenical synodal practices” among Christian traditions. Invoking the intercession of saints, particularly Saint Isaac of Nineveh—recently added to the Roman Martyrology—he prayed for Christians in the Middle East to bear witness to the risen Christ and for the day when both Churches can celebrate together at the same altar.
The audience underscores the deepening ties between the Catholic Church and the Assyrian Church of the East, rooted in a shared commitment to unity and mutual respect, as both communities continue their pilgrimage toward full communion.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from vatican.va
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