Assyrian Church of the East

==Ecumenical relations==
On November 11, 1994, a historic meeting between Patriarch Dinkha IV and [[Pope John Paul II]] took place in [[Rome]]. His Holiness, the Pope, and the patriarch signed a document titled "[[Common Christological Declaration Between the Catholic Church and the Assyrian Church of the East]]". One side effect of this meeting was that the Assyrian Church of the East's relationship with the fellow [[Chaldean Catholic Church]] began to improve.{{sfn|Mooken|2003|p=18}}

Since 1995, the Assyrian Church of the East is a full member of the [[Middle East Council of Churches]].'''<ref name=":0222"/>'''

The lack of a coherent institution narrative in the [[Liturgy of Addai and Mari|Anaphora of Addai and Mari]], which dates to apostolic times, has caused many Western Christians, and especially Roman Catholics, to doubt the validity of this [[anaphora (liturgy)|anaphora]], used extensively by the Assyrian Church of the East, as a prayer of consecration of the [[Eucharist|eucharistic elements]]. In 2001, after a study of this issue, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (later [[Pope Benedict XVI]]), then Prefect of the [[Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith]], promulgated a declaration approved by [[Pope John Paul II]] stating that this is a valid anaphora. This declaration opened the door to a joint synodal decree officially implementing the present ''Guidelines for Admission to the Eucharist between the Chaldean Church and the Assyrian Church of the East''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/documents/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_20011025_chiesa-caldea-assira_en.html|title=Guidelines for admission to the Eucharist between the Chaldean Church and the Assyrian Church of the East|website=vatican.va}}</ref>