“I have a keen desire that the words which Saint Paul addressed from the East to the faithful of the Church of Rome may resound today on the lips of Christians of the West with regard to their brothers and sisters of the Eastern Churches: ‘First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world’ (Rom 1:8). The Apostle of the Gentiles then immediately and enthusiastically stated his intention: ‘For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you, that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine’ (Rom 1:11-12). Here the dynamic of [East and West] meeting is wonderfully portrayed: knowledge of the treasures of [each] other’s faith” (Orientale Lumen 22, Pope John Paul II).
