CONSTANTINOPLE – Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and Pope Francis of Rome demanded an end to the violent persecution of Christians in the Middle East and called for dialogue with Muslims to work together to promote peace and justice in the region, during the Pope’s recent official visit to the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The two leaders issued a common declaration in which they wrote: “Inspired by common values and strengthened by genuine fraternal sentiments, Muslims and Christians are called to work together for the sake of justice, peace, and respect for the dignity and rights of every person.”
Pledging their unity for peace and stability in the Middle East, both religious leaders proclaimed that “we cannot resign ourselves to a Middle East without Christians, who have professed the name of Jesus there for two thousand years. Many of our brothers and sisters are being persecuted and have been forced violently from their homes. It even seems that the value of human life has been lost, that the human person no longer matters and may be sacrificed to other interests. And, tragically, all this is met by the indifference of many.” Accordingly, “we call on all those who bear responsibility for the destiny of peoples to deepen their commitment to suffering communities, and to enable them, including the Christian ones, to remain in their native land.”
They echoed those sentiments regarding Ukraine, “a country of ancient Christian tradition,” and called upon “all parties involved to pursue the path of dialogue and of respect for international law in order to bring an end to the conflict and allow all Ukrainians to live in harmony.”
Pope Francis was enthusiastically greeted with the ringing of church bells upon arrival at the Ecumenical Patriarchate on November 29 on the occasion of the celebration of St. Andrew the Apostle, patron saint of the Church of Constantinople. The pope was received at the patriarchal gate by the Metropolitans of Nicaea and Chalcedon. Bartholomew then escorted Francis into the Patriarchal Cathedral of St. George.
The two leaders followed the Doxology Service, after which they blessed the faithful crowded inside the Patriarchal Cathedral. Also in attendance were the consul generals in Constantinople.
Bartholomew presented Francis with an icon of St. George painted on Mt. Athos. In return, Francis offered to Bartholomew a copy of an 11th century Greek manuscript from the Vatican library and a copy of a 9th century mosaic of Christ from St. Peter’s Basilica.
Afterward, the pope was received in the Patriarchal Office for a private discussion with the Patriarch. Before leaving, Pope Francis was introduced the members of the Holy Synod.
Francis was greeted with much energy and exuberance for a second time upon his arrival at the Patriarchate on , where he attended the Divine Liturgy in commemoration of the Feast of St. Andrew. The pope was received by Metropolitan John of Pergamon and the Patriarchal Court, which escorted him to the special guest throne of the Patriarchal Church of St. George.
During the service, Bartholomew and Francis exchanged the kiss of peace, a symbol of reconciliation and love, and the Lord’s Prayer was read by Pope Francis in Latin.
PATRIARCH’S MESSAGE
“We are profoundly grateful to Your Holiness for the precious gift of Your blessed presence among us, together with Your honorable entourage,” Bartholomew addressed Francis. “We embrace you wholeheartedly and honorably, addressing you fervently with a greeting of peace and love. We fraternally welcome Your Holiness as bearing the love of St. Peter to his brother, St. Andrew, whose sacred feast we celebrate today. In accordance with a holy custom established and observed for decades now by the Churches of Senior and New Rome, official delegations exchange visits on the occasion of their respective patronal feasts in order to demonstrate by this manner as well the fraternal bond between the two chief Apostles, who together came to know Jesus Christ and to believe in Him as God and Savior. These Apostles transmitted this common faith to the Churches founded by their preaching and sanctified by their martyrdom. This faith was also jointly experienced and articulated into doctrine by our Church Fathers, who assembled from East and West in ecumenical councils, bequeathing it to our Churches as an unshakable foundation of our unity. It is this same faith, which we have together preserved in both East and West for an entire millennium, that we are once again called to deposit as the basis of our unity in order that, ‘being in full accord and of one mind’ (Phil. 2.2), we may press on with Paul ‘forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead’ (Phil. 3.13).”
With more words of praise for Francis, Bartholomew added: “Your hitherto brief tenure at the helm of Your Church has already manifested You in people’s conscience today as a herald of love, peace and reconciliation. You preach with words, but above and beyond all with the simplicity, humility and love toward everyone that you exercise your high ministry. You inspire trust in those who doubt, hope in those who despair, anticipation in those who expect a Church that nurtures all people. Moreover, You offer to Your Orthodox brothers and sisters the aspiration that during Your tenure the rapprochement of our two great ancient Churches will continue to be established on the solid foundations of our common tradition, which always preserved and acknowledged in the constitution of the Church a primacy of love, honor and service within the framework of collegiality, in order that “with one mouth and one heart” we may confess the Trinitarian God and that His love may be poured out upon the world.”
POPE’S MESSAGE
Pope Francis replied: “I believe that it is important to reaffirm respect for this principle as an essential condition, accepted by both, for the restoration of full communion, which does not signify the submission of one to the other, or assimilation. Rather, it means welcoming all the gifts that God has given to each, thus demonstrating to the entire world the great mystery of salvation accomplished by Christ the Lord through the Holy Spirit. I want to assure each one of you here that, to reach the desired goal of full unity, the Catholic Church does not intend to impose any conditions except that of the shared profession of faith. Further, I would add that we are ready to seek together, in light of Scriptural teaching and the experience of the first millennium, the ways in which we can guarantee the needed unity of the Church in the present circumstances. The one thing that the Catholic Church desires, and that I seek as Bishop of Rome, “the Church which presides in charity”, is communion with the Orthodox Churches. Such communion will always be the fruit of that love which “has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (cf. Rom 5:5), a fraternal love which expresses the spiritual and transcendent bond which unites us as disciples of the Lord.”
Also speaking to those who suffer around the world, Francis said: “We hear this resoundingly here, because some neighboring countries are scarred by an inhumane and brutal war. Taking away the peace of a people, committing every act of violence – or consenting to such acts – especially when directed against the weakest and defenseless, is a profoundly grave sin against God, since it means showing contempt for the image of God which is in man. The cry of the victims of conflict urges us to move with haste along the path of reconciliation and communion between Catholics and Orthodox. Indeed, how can we credibly proclaim the message of peace which comes from Christ, if there continues to be rivalry and disagreement between us (cf. Paul VI, Evangelii Nuntiandi, 77)?
Regarding challenges facing young people, Francis said “tragically, there are many young men and women who live without hope, overcome by mistrust and resignation. Many of the young, influenced by the prevailing culture, seek happiness solely in possessing material things and in satisfying their fleeting emotions. New generations will never be able to acquire true wisdom and keep hope alive unless we are able to esteem and transmit the true humanism which comes from the Gospel and from the Church’s age-old experience. It is precisely the young who today implore us to make progress towards full communion. I think for example of the many Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant youth who come together at meetings organized by the Taizé community. They do this not because they ignore the differences which still separate us, but because they are able to see beyond them; they are able to embrace what is essential and what already unites us.”
He concluded: “Your Holiness, we are already on the way towards full communion and already we can experience eloquent signs of an authentic, albeit incomplete union. This offers us reassurance and encourages us to continue on this journey. We are certain that along this journey we are helped by the intercession of the Apostle Andrew and his brother Peter, held by tradition to be the founders of the Churches of Constantinople and of Rome. We ask God for the great gift of full unity, and the ability to accept it in our lives. Let us never forget to pray for one another.”
MUSLIM SOLIDARITY, TOO
following in the footsteps of Pope Benedict XVI, who visited Turkey in 2006, Francis prayed alongside the Grand Mufti of Istanbul, Rahmi Yaran, who had his palms turned toward the sky in a Muslim prayer, inside the 17th-Century Sultan Ahmet mosque.
“May God accept it,” Yaran told the Pope at the conclusion of a poignant moment of Christian-Muslim understanding.
The Vatican spokesman, Rev. Federico Lombardi called it a moment of “silent adoration.” Lombardi, who was standing behind the pope, said Francis told the mufti two times that we must “adore” God and not just praise and glorify him.
Francis nodded, smiled, and looked up in awe as Yaran gave him a tour of the Blue Mosque, famed for its elaborate blue tiles and cascading domes. Francis listened intently through an interpreter as Yaran explained verses of the Muslim holy book.
Presenting the pope with a blue, tulip-designed tile, Yaran said he prayed to God that his visit would “contribute to the world getting along well and living in peace.”
“We are in need of prayers. The world really needs prayers,” Yaran said.
After he left, Francis walked a short distance – greeting crowds for the first time in his visit – to tour the nearby Hagia Sofia, which was the main Byzantine church in Constantinople before being turned into a mosque (it is now a museum) following the Muslim conquest of the city in 1453.
A few dozen well-wishers outside Hagia Sophia waved a combination of the Turkish and the flag of the Holy See. One carried a banner that read: “You are Peter.”
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