(Milan/e.p.) - Mar Dinkha IV, the head of the Assyrian Church of the East, has responded positively to a proposal from Patriarch Raphael I Sako, head of the Chaldean Catholic Church, to come into full communion.

Expressing gratitude for the overture, which Patriarch Sako sent in birthday wishes on Sept. 15, the head of the Assyrian Church of the East said his Church was “very happy with your message to us regarding your good will to renew the dialogue with us aiming for unity.”

He added: “We also agree and support you in this good aim to be close to each other as brothers in Christ and the sons and daughters of one nation.

“This was the aim of the Assyrian Church of the East in the past and nowadays, and so it will be in the future,” he continued. “Let it be for us a joint action with you and with other sister churches with faith and Divine Love that is sincere and pure.”

Although he did not give any concrete details of when unity might be achieved, Mar Dinkha said he hoped that when he and the patriarch next meet, they will discuss “the difficulties facing the sons and daughters of our Church and nation in the Middle East and in the whole world, and we will establish a Joint Committee to have discussions for the purpose of joint action.”

In his letter, Patriarch Sako suggested that the two Eastern churches should “begin dialogue for unity, which is the desire of Jesus.” Full union with the (Catholic) Chaldean Church would also bring the Assyrian Church into union with the Holy See, he said.

“The beginning of this dialogue is urgent today, in the face of great challenges that threaten our survival,” Patriarch Sako wrote, referring to the instability facing Iraq’s Christian minority. “Without unity, there is no future for us,” he said.

The Assyrian Church of the East, officially the “Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East,” is a Syriac Church historically centered in Mesopotamia and dates back to 431. Unlike other churches that trace their origins to antiquity, the modern Assyrian Church of the East is not in full communion with any other Churches, either Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, or Catholic. Its headquarters are currently in Illinois in the United States.

The Chaldean Catholic Church, headquartered in Baghdad, was established in the sixteenth century when some Assyrian bishops sought the restoration of full communion with the Roman Pontiff. , it shares historical roots with the Assyrian Church, and the faithful of each body share the sacraments. The two churches each share a common faith, language, liturgy and ecclesial tradition, but there is no formal agreement between them.

In his letter of reply, posted on the church’s website Oct. 3, Mar Dinkha said he and his church offered their greetings “filled with truthful love, hoping that you are in good health and protected in peace with the sons and daughters of your church from the political waves and storms in the Middle East.”

He ended by praying for the patriarch and all the Iraqis specifically, and for all Christians in the Middle East in general. “The Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, protect you in a Christian Flock for His Holy Apostolic Catholic Church,” he wrote. “The Grace and Mercies of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you forever.”

© www.terrasanta.net - 10 oct 2013