If you have never visited an Orthodox Church, then I would invite you to get an interesting overview of just how different Orthodox Churches are.   Click here to open up a 4-minute video now.

The Second Vatican Council was a watershed in terms of readjusting the Catholic Church’s pastoral approach toward. Over two thousand bishops were called to Rome between 1962 and 1965 to discuss how the Church would face the challenges of the modern world. The Church, according to Peter A. Huff, largely redirected its concern from internal stability to external dialogue.  Seventeen Orthodox Churches sent observers to the council who participated in discussions, specifically on ecumenism between the two churches. One of the council’s primary concerns was to bring about the unity of all Christians.  Significantly, at the close of the council Pope Paul VI and Orthodox Patriarch Athenagoras mutually lifted their respective excommunications in the Catholic–Orthodox Joint Declaration of 1965. This removal of excommunications was the first step toward restoring full communion between their churches.

Dialogue and ecumenism

The Vatican II Decree on Ecumenism has driven Catholic efforts to reach out to the Orthodox over the last 60 years.^{[Notes 2]} The dialogue that took place between 1963 and 1979 has been described as a “dialogue of charity”.  This transitioned into a “dialogue of doctrine” with reference to the history and tradition of the early Church.  Here is the mutually agreed statement of 1999:

The Orthodox and Catholic members of our Consultation acknowledge, in both of our traditions, a common teaching and a common faith in one baptism, despite some variations in practice which, we believe, do not affect the substance of the mystery. We are therefore moved to declare that we also recognize each other’s baptism as one and the same.  [source]

For more information regarding the diversity within the Orthodox Churches, click here.