Addressing a group of Anglican and Roman Catholic pilgrims from Britain, including bishops and clergy, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew said:
“We pray that a worthy successor to Pope Francis will be elected, so that we can continue the ecumenical relations and dialogue that we began several decades ago, as we have also done with the Anglican Communion.”
He also mentioned that this year Easter was celebrated with great joy and spiritual uplift, and especially that all Christians around the world celebrated it on the same day, which he described as a special blessing from God.
“With the late Pope Francis, we had recently worked to reach an agreement to celebrate Easter together, always, from now on – all Christians on the same day. Unfortunately, our efforts were not completed in time. However, we still have hope that the new Pope will be as supportive as the late Francis was, so that we can achieve this historic milestone,” the Ecumenical Patriarch said, among other things.
Referring to the 1,700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea in Bithynia – an occasion he and the late Pope Francis had planned to commemorate together with a visit to the city this May – he said:
“We now hope that his successor, the new Pope of Rome, will be willing to fulfill Francis’ dream – a dream he deeply cherished – and that we will go together again in this year of 2025, the anniversary of the Council, and make our pilgrimage.”
“And perhaps this pilgrimage of the new Pope will coincide with his official visit to the Ecumenical Patriarchate, on the occasion of our Throne Feast on November 30, the Feast of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called, the founder of the Church of Constantinople.”
Source: ANA-MPA / Translated by Ioanna Georgakopoulou
