Ecumenical Relations

The year 1997 marked the 100 anniversary of the founding of the Polish National Catholic Church in America. A dialogue, which was initiated in 1981, between the Roman Catholic and the Polish National Catholic Churches bore fruit when, in February 1992, an emissary from the Vatican delivered a message aimed at healing the rift between the two communities. The Emissary, Edward Cardinal Cassidy, read a letter from Pope John Paul II during a joint religious service at St. Stanislaus BVM Cathedral, PNCC, in Scranton, that marked an important milestone towards reconciliation. Cardinal Cassidy expressed regret for past antipathies and acknowledged past and present concordance between both churches. Further dialogue culminated in a Joint Declaration on Unity, which was agreed to in May 2006. Going to the following site can access the full text of the Declaration:

www.usccb.org/seia/jointdeclaration.shtml

Further meetings continue to explore both the similarities as well as the differences between our two churches. Guided by the Holy Spirit, let us pray that this dialogue enriches and benefits both churches and their peoples.