Orthodox mission

for Rome Catholic Herald Correspondent
ATHENS
TWO senior members of the
Greek Orthodox Church are waiting in Athens for word to proceed to Rome to establish the first official contact between the Orthodox and Roman Churches for many centuries.
The two prelates are Metropolitan Meliton of Elioupolis and Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Myra—arrived in Athens this week on their way to Rome. They are understood to be waiting the return of Cardinal Bea, head of the Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity, who is on a Continental speaking tour. His return is expected at any time.
The Orthodox Metropolitans will hand to Cardinal Bea the decisions adopted by the last Pan-Orthodox conference in Rhodes on November 1 last. This conference, the third of its kind, was attended by representatives of fourteen Eastern Orthodox Churches. It decided that "each Church is free to develop personal relations with the Roman Catholic Church in an effort to dispel any existing difficulties".
This decision was in effect a compromise one. Some of the Orthodox Churches, especially those in Communist countries, did not want to establish any official contact with Rome until the end of the Vatican Council.
The conference therefore decided that a preliminary requirement for useful dialogue with Rome was "adequate preparation and the creation of appropriate conditions".
Metropolitan Chrysoslomos said that they were carrying with them a letter of recommendation from Patriarch Athenagoras for Pope Paul. He added that a return mission from the Vatican might visit Greece to bring the discussions further.