Our World
(from Catholic Near East January – February 1995)
A Historic Accord
Posted: 01 Jan 1995
On 11 November 1994, Pope John Paul II and Mar Dinkha IV, Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East, signed a historic declaration of common faith at the Vatican. The ceremony brought to an end more than 1,500 years of misunderstanding over the identity of Christ.
“Our Lord Jesus Christ is true God and true than, perfect in his divinity and perfect in his humanity,” the declaration stated. “His divinity and his humanity are united in one person, without confusion or change, without division or separation.”
The agreement also cited common beliefs about the sacraments and the apostolic succession of bishops.
The Assyrian Church of the East, traditionally established by the Apostles Thomas and Bartholomew in what is now Iraq, has about 400,000 faithful living in Iraq, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, North America, Australia and India.