ORTHODOX PLAN FOR CONTACTS WITH ROME

Catholic Herald Correspondent ROME ROME
'THE Eastern Orthodox Churches are almost A certain to set up a permanent commission for contact with the Holy See. It will probably comprise six Metropolitans — two Russians, a Serb, and three Greeks — representing all the constituent Churches of the Ortho
dox communities.
Two of the members arc likely to come from Constantinople and one from the Church of Greece, according to Mgr. Aristide Brunello, national delegate of the Italian Catholic Association for Eastern Christians.
A report of his views. appearing in the Italian Catholic paper 11 Quotidian°, says that Patriarch Athenagoras of Constantinople does not appear to be planning to come to Rome to see the Pope at the moment.
"But", the report goes on, "the Pan Orthodox Conference at Rhodes, from August 23 to September 3, in which all the Orthodox Churches are participating, will name a top level, permanent commission charged with the task of going to Rome and establishing systematic contacts with the Catholic Church."
From statements made by Metropolitan Chrysostomos Costantinidis, secretary of the PanOrthodox Synod, some members of the commission are expected to remain permanently in Rome, and a second commission may be set up at a later date to deal specifically with doctrinal questions.
Delegates
The Orthodox Church of Greece—the only one not represented at the 1963 Pan-Orthodox gathering—has decided to take part in the Rhodes conference this year.
Its delegates will be the Metropolitans of Angolis, Trikkis and Kythera. With them will he two advisers, Professor P. Tremhelas and Mr. I. Karmiris.
Several Greek newspapers have criticised this selection, because of the three delegates' known reserve and caution concerning relations with Rome.
Observers note. however, that although the appointments reflect a certain aloofness in Orthodox circles regarding dialogue with Roman Catholics, Pope Paul's recent action in returning the relic of St. Andrew to Patras has dramatically changed the climate of feeling and stirred popular imagination.
This has made it much easier for the Greek Church to join in this year's discussions.
Helicopter flight for Pope Paul
Ur Alan AlcElwain ROME
POPE PAUL will travel to Orvieto on Tuesday by helicopter, and will return to Castelgandolfo on the same day. He is the first Pope to use this form of transport.
It was at Orvieto, in 1264, that Pope Urban IV extended the feast of Corpus Christi to the universal Church. Pope Paul will go there as a pilgrim for the 700th anniversary of that event.
When the feast was inaugurated in the 13th century, the dogma of the real presence was being attacked widely in Europe. The chief assailants were the disciples of Berengarius, an archdeacon in the French city of Angers, who had declared two centuries before that Christ was only present "symbolically".
The traditional story is that a pilgrim priest, Peter of Prague, on his way to Rome in 1263. stopped at Bolsena, near Orvieto to say Mass. and was assailed by sudden doubts at the consecration. He then saw the host transformed into the living flesh of Christ, and drops of blood spattered the corporal and altar cloths.
Pope Urban is said to have ordered the corporal to be brought to Orvieto and had a cathedral built to house the relics. The reliability of the story has of course, been severly questioned, especially as Pope Urban made no reference to it in the Bull establishing the feast.
Nevertheless, the relics attributed to Peter of Prague are kept in °niches basilica to this day, and the town is a pilnrirnage centre of Eucharistic devotion.
Protestants confer
The World Council of Reformed Protestant Churches this week opened its 19th general assembly at St. Paul's Church, Frankfurt, where 700 delegates will discuss the state of the Church. They are to discuss "the unexpected confrontation with a Roman Catholic Church which is suddenly showing possibilities of true renovation."