WASHINGTON (AP) – The U.S. Roman Catholic Church announced that its delegates and those from the Polish National Catholic Church pledged to overcome remaining obstacles and achieve ''full communion between our churches.''
The 60,000-member Polish church, based in Scranton, Pa., broke with the Roman church in 1904 due to lay parishioners' control over property and hiring of priests.
The declaration said dialogue has discovered "no doctrinal obstacle that would impede the further growth" toward unity, though differences on the papacy remain.
The Vatican's Council for Promoting Christian Unity stated in 1993 that Polish National members in the United States and Canada may receive Roman Catholic Communion and other sacraments. The Polish church issued parallel guidelines in 1998.
The Polish co-chairman for the talks, Prime Bishop Emeritus John Swantek, said, "We have much in common, but there are some problematic matters which we are determined to resolve."
The Roman Catholic co-chairman is Bishop Edward Kmiec of Buffalo, N.Y.
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