OL VIII, June 2004, Washington , DC
"What's Our Bottom Line?"
Bishop Kallistos of Diokleia - " Many Orthodox see the greatest difficulty in their relations with the Catholic Church as being the existence and the activity of the Eastern Catholic Churches. Here, I wish to disagree. I do not think that this is the main point at issue, and I very much regret that because of this question the Catholic-Orthodox international dialogue seems to be making little progress. My own feeling as an Orthodox is that the Eastern Catholic Churches have undoubtedly a right to exist. And I would add at once that we Orthodox need to ask forgiveness for the way in which we’ve often treated the Eastern Catholics in the past. And not only that, I would also add that we Orthodox should see the Eastern Catholics as our best friends in the Catholic Church, as those who are best able to understand us. "