Dialogue between the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity and the Communion of Protestant Churches in Europe enters a temporary pause
Vatican/Vienna, 25 June 2026
The Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity (DPCU) and the Communion of Protestant Churches in Europe (CPCE) announce that the dialogue conducted between them in its present form is to pause for approximately two years.
This moratorium was discussed jointly at a meeting of the mandate givers and those responsible for both delegations in Rome on 9 December 2025. At its meeting on 29 May 2026 in Doorn, the Netherlands, the Council of the CPCE endorsed this orientation. The members of the Joint Commission were informed of this in a joint letter from Cardinal Kurt Koch and Bishop Marko Tiitus, one of the Presidents of the CPCE and representative of the CPCE Council at the meeting of the mandate givers in Rome.
The pause does not mean the end of the dialogue. It is intended to allow for an evaluation of the experience gained so far and for clarification of the conditions for a possible continuation of the dialogue.
The work undertaken in recent years has not been without fruit. It has deepened mutual understanding and helped both sides to articulate more clearly important theological affirmations that can be recognized together, as well as those questions that require further clarification. These include, in particular, the understanding of the dialogue process itself, questions of authoritative reference texts and criteria of common teaching, and ecclesiological questions concerning church unity, church communion, authority, and ministry.
The contacts between the DPCU and the CPCE are to be maintained during this phase. Towards the end of 2027, the next steps are to be considered and a meeting of the mandate givers in winter 2027/2028 is to be prepared. At that meeting, it is to be discussed when and in what form the dialogue may be continued.
The DPCU and the CPCE thank the members of the Joint Commission for their commitment, perseverance, and openness in this demanding process. Both sides trust that the Holy Spirit will accompany them on the further path and guide their common search for the unity of the Church.