(Vatican Radio) Calling Pope Francis his “beloved brother in Christ,” the head of the Orthodox Church, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I on Sunday recalled their gathering last May at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem on the fiftieth anniversary of the historic ecumenical meeting of their predecessors, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras. Welcoming…
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(Vatican Radio) In an address upon conclusion of the Divine Liturgy celebrated by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I at the Orthodox Church of St. George in Istanbul, Pope Francis said “the one thing that the Catholic Church desires and that I seek as Bishop of Rome…is communion with the Orthodox Churches.” Below, please find the complete…
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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis and the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, spiritual leader of the Orthodox world, on Sunday signed a Joint Declaration reaffirming their desire to overcome the obstacles dividing their two Churches. The two leaders also deplored the terrible situation facing Christians and all who are suffering in the Middle East and called for…
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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis’s final engagement in Turkey was a meeting with a group of around 50 young people that included many refugees from Syria, Iraq and other countries of the Middle East and Africa. The youths are being cared for by the local Salesian community in Istanbul. In his address, the pope assured the…
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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis participated in an ecumenical prayer service on Saturday evening with the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I. Below, please find the full text of Pope Francis’ remarks on the occasion. ****************************************** Your Holiness, my dear Brother, Each evening brings a mixed feeling of gratitude for the day which is ending and…
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