Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew will travel to the Vatican tomorrow to attend the funeral of the late Pope Francis, as he announced today during the Divine Liturgy held at the Church of Saint George of Ptochokomeio in Constantinople.
Addressing the faithful, including Greek pilgrims in attendance, the Patriarch referred to the departed pontiff with deep emotion, calling him “a friend of Orthodoxy.”
“I would like to ask for your prayers for the repose of Pope Francis, who was a friend of Orthodoxy,” said the Patriarch.
He went on to share details of his visit: “This afternoon, together with my delegation, we will fly to Rome to attend tomorrow morning, on behalf of our Ecumenical Patriarchate, the funeral service of Pope Francis. We will return the same evening.”
The Patriarch recalled Pope Francis’ first official visit to the Phanar after his election and enthronement, as well as their historic joint pilgrimage to Jerusalem: “We knelt together, side by side, in front of the Tomb of the Lord and prayed for the unity of the Christian world and for peace across the globe,” he noted.
Special mention was made of the planned, yet now canceled, visit of Pope Francis to Nicaea next month to commemorate the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council.
“He was due to come to our country and together we would go to Nicaea, where the First Ecumenical Council was convened, to honor the memory of the Holy Fathers and exchange thoughts and wishes for the future of Christianity. All of this, of course, was canceled — or rather, postponed.”
Expressing hope for the future, the Patriarch concluded: “I believe that his successor will come, and we will go together to Nicaea to send a message of unity, love, brotherhood, and shared path toward the future of Christianity.”
Watch the full video of the Patriarch’s remarks [after the 1:00:00 mark]
