Common Declaration of Pope Paul VI and Pope Shenouda III
The statement signed at the Vatican on 10 May 1973 by Pope Paul VI and Shenouda III, Pope of Alexandria and head of the Coptic Orthodox Church. It contains a common confession of faith about Christ and says that the differences dating from 451 cannot be ignored.
The declaration was made at the Vatican at the end of the two men’s meetings. Its third paragraph confesses, in conformity with the first three ecumenical councils, that Jesus Christ is perfect God with respect to his divinity and perfect man with respect to his humanity, and that in him divinity and humanity are united in a real and perfect union without mingling, commixtion, confusion, alteration, division or separation. It does not use the phrases “one nature” or “two natures” and does not name the Council of Chalcedon.
The seventh paragraph says that theological differences have existed since the year 451, widened by non-theological factors, and that they cannot be ignored; the eighth sets up a joint commission to study them. The text speaks of a search for perfect communion and does not claim to have restored it. See Ancient Christological Divisions Are Addressed.
Cited in
- 1973 to 1994, firm date