VATICAN CITY - Pope John Paul II proposed Saturday that the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church create a joint institution to try to improve relations and help heal the 1,000-year schism between them.
The pontiff made the suggestion in a meeting with the head of Romania's Orthodox Church, Teoctist, who has spent a week at the Vatican meeting with the pontiff and other officials.
The two church leaders issued a joint statement calling for "concrete" ways to improve dialogue between the two churches and help "attain the full visible unity of all the disciples of Christ."
But the pontiff went further, suggesting in his comments to Teoctist that a "solid institutional structure" might help forge unity. Without elaborating, he urged both sides give the idea "serious reflection."
The pontiff has made healing the 1,000-year rift with Orthodox Christians a hallmark of his 24-year papacy, and has visited several mostly Orthodox countries, including Romania in 1999.
But the Orthodox Church has continually accused Roman Catholics of poaching converts from among people who traditionally would have been Orthodox, and the dispute has so far thwarted the pope's long-sought visit to Russia.
Teoctist referred to the dispute in his comments to the pontiff, decrying the "competition" among Christians for souls in the former Eastern Bloc, particularly after the fall of communism.
"Without taking into consideration the existence of local churches, which during difficult times of persecution kept alive the flames of faith by sacrifice, these groups of alleged evangelizers assaulted our faithful, considering these territories as spiritual "voids" or as "lands of mission" where the Gospel hadn't been announced," Teoctist said.
John Paul acknowledged the "tensions" between the two churches. He noted that the Roman Catholic Church had also been a victim of proselytism by "new communities or religious movements, which aren't historically rooted and which invade countries and regions where traditional churches are present."
Later Saturday, Teoctist and three top Catholic cardinals participated in an ecumenical service organized by the Sant'Egidio Catholic community, in which the churchmen honored martyrs of the 20th century, particularly those who perished for their faith in Europe.