:<small>"...The liturgical renewal in our own century took up this alleged model and developed from it a new idea for the form of the liturgy. The Eucharist - so it was said - had to be celebrated ''versus populum'' (toward the people). The altar - as can be seen in the normative model of St. Peter's - had to be positioned in such a way that priest and people looked at each other and formed together the circle of the celebrating community. This alone - so it was said - was compatible with the meaning of the Christian liturgy, with the requirement of active participation. This alone conformed to the primordial model of the Last Supper. These arguments seemed in the end so persuasive that after the Council [Vatican II] (which says nothing about "turning toward the people") new altars were set up everywhere, and today celebration ''versus populum'' really does look like the characteristic fruit of Vatican II's liturgical renewal."</small><br>

(Pope [[Benedict XVI]]. ''[http://books.google.ca/books?id=Wf0llOhrfY4C&source=gbs_navlinks_s The Spirit of the Liturgy].'' Transl. John Saward. Ignatius Press, 2000. p.77.)</ref>

*1979 [[w:Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue Between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church|Joint Commission of Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches for Theological Dialogue]] established.

*1980 Extraordinary [http://www.impantokratoros.gr/conference-mountathos.en.aspx Joint Conference of the Sacred Community of Mount Athos], April 9-22, resolved publicly to state the opinion of the Athonite fathers on the subject of dialogue with the heterodox;<ref group="note">"..."Orthodoxy is not one of the churches, but The Church herself. She has preserved precisely and authentically the teaching of [[Jesus Christ|Christ]] in its pristine splendor and in all its purity. Over and above a simple, unbroken historical continuity and consistency there exists in her a spiritual and ontological authen­ticity. The same Faith, the same Spirit, the same life. It is this which constitutes the distinguishing feature of Orthodoxy and which justi­fies her claim that she is and remains The Church" (''Episkepsis'', #227, March 15, 1980)...From the Orthodox point of view there is no justification for Optimism in regard to the dialogue, and for this reason no haste should be exhibited concerning it. The Roman Catholics are pressing the dialogue, hoping to strengthen themselves by annexing Orthodoxy to themselves, for they are confronted by very powerful internal disturbances and crises, as is well known. The number of former Ro­man Catholics who have converted to Orthodoxy also disturbs them. But Orthodoxy has no reason to hasten towards dialogue since the papists remain so obdurate and immovable as regards infallibility, uniatism, and the rest of their pernicious teachings. Hastening the dialogue under such conditions is equivalent to spiri­tual suicide for the Orthodox." (''[http://www.impantokratoros.gr/conference-mountathos.en.aspx The Announcement of the Joint Conference of the Abbots of Mount Athos]. April 9-22, 1980.)</ref> [[w:Greece – Holy See relations|Greece and the Vatican City State]] formally established diplomatic relations; Pope [[John Paul II]] called the first officially recognized synod of the [[Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church]] (UGCC), presided over by controversial wartime Metr. (now Cardinal) Josyf Slipyj.<ref>''[http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/pages/S/L/SlipyYosyf.htm Slipy, Yosyf].'' '''Encyclopedia of Ukraine''', Vol. 4, 1993.</ref>