Pope Benedict - and his great drive for ecumunism... an exercise in the papal office as true pastor of the Christian flock

If there has been one constant value that is evident in the pontificate of Benedict XVI (aka B16), it has been his creativity and openness to searching for ways of bringing back into the Catholic communion those who have broken away. His overtures to the Anglican communion and the Pius X Society have been well published and debated.

This current overture to the Orthodox Churches is another example of his willingness to explore every avenue possible to heal the 1000+ year old rupture that split the western and eastern halves of the ancient Catholic Church. Clearly he is willing to explore new liturgical forms (as with the Anglicans). Now he has evidently opened up the possibility of redefining the role of Peter's successor in a way that maintains the essential truth of this divine office, while at the same time presenting it in a manner that is palatable to those in the Orthodox communion.

Check out this article is you want to learn more.