ABSTRACT:

The author focuses on the six Oriental Orthodox Churches that did not receive the Christological teachings of the Council of Chalcedon in 451 and have not been in full communion with the rest of the Christian world since that time. The article briefly describes the individual churches and their present situation, identifies certain characteristics of those churches, and then focuses on the achievement of the international dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox that has been in progress since 2004. It concludes with reflections on the prospects for the reestablishment of full communion and the role the Bishop of Rome might play among these reconciled churches.