Current issues in the development of orthodox­catholic institutional dialogue

Abstract

At present, a fairly extensive historical literature has emerged devoted to the themes of the Brest Council of 1596 and subsequent events, the main characters, the struggle between the Uniates and the Orthodox, etc. At the same time, the perspective of historical research does not include consideration of the very principle of union as a way to achieve the unity of Christians. The study addresses the problem of union as a factor complicating dialogue between the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches. It seems relevant to consider how, in modern conditions, the union affects interfaith contacts. This topic is especially important in the context of understanding the revival of religious life in Belarus and the reflection of Belarusian society on the religious component of national identity. Also, research on this topic is updated in the light of the crisis in the institutional Orthodox­Catholic dialogue. As a result of theological dialogue at the end of the 20th – beginning of the 21st centuries. The churches made a retrospective analysis of the union and concluded that the given formula of the union does not provide the results that the confessions strive for in relation to each other. Despite decades of intensive dialogue and the adoption of common theological conclusions, the problem of union was not completely overcome.