From 20 to 23 October 2026, Archbishop Bernd Wallet of Utrecht and Bishop Harald Rein of Switzerland visited the Phanar, the headquarters of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul. They were received by His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of his enthronement and discussed the continuation of cooperation.
Archbishop Bernd expressed his appreciation for the Patriarch’s commitment to Christian unity, the care of creation, and Orthodox–Old Catholic relations.
The official dialogue between the two church families had already concluded in 1987 with a series of agreed statements. However, the intended establishment of full communion between the churches was not achieved.
At the initiative of the Patriarch and the International Bishops’ Conference (IBC), a (Permanent) International Orthodox–Old Catholic Working Group was established to maintain contacts and facilitate annual exchanges on developments within each church family.
The Orthodox–Old Catholic Working Group (OOCWG) was constituted in 2004. Since 2009, Metropolitan Professor Dr Kyrillos Katerelos and Bishop Dr Harald Rein have served as its co-chairs.
The OOCWG last met in March 2018 in Bern. Following an interruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the resignation of Bishop Dr Matthias Ring, who had been expected to succeed Harald Rein as co-chair, the Working Group is now expected to reconvene in Amersfoort and Utrecht in autumn 2027.
The Patriarchate and the International Old Catholic Bishops’ Conference have now decided to continue this work. The two church families remain particularly close in their understanding of the Church, rooted in the ecclesiology of the local church in the early Church, and in their commitment to synodality. Nevertheless, differing developments within our churches present challenges for further cooperation.
Deacon Oecumenius Amanatidis, who holds a senior position in the Patriarchate’s Department for Ecumenical Relations, is expected to become the new secretary. Both co-chairs have been asked to continue in their roles.
At the next meeting, the Working Group will discuss the contemporary significance of the documents of the Holy and Great Council of Crete (2016) for relations between the two church families.
During the anniversary celebrations, Archbishop Bernd and Bishop Harald also had the opportunity to meet many Orthodox bishops. The Anglican Communion was represented by Bishop Graham Usher of Norwich, who until recently served as a member of the International Commission for Anglican–Orthodox Theological Dialogue and currently takes the lead on environmental issues and the care of creation within the Church of England.
