“We cooperated decisively for a greater rapprochement of our Churches” and “for the promotion of theological dialogue,” Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew told ANSA, referring to Pope Francis, immediately after his arrival in Rome to attend the Pontiff’s funeral.
He also recalled their joint efforts on both the refugee issue and addressing the consequences of environmental destruction.
“We worked with dedication for the further rapprochement of our Churches, to promote theological dialogue between us, to overcome difficulties, but above all to highlight all that unites us, so that this journey may lead us to the blessed day when we will once again share the Common Cup,” said Bartholomew.
Calling the Pope a “brother,” he referred to the meeting that had been scheduled for May in Nicaea, Bithynia, on the occasion of the 1,700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council.
The Ecumenical Patriarch emphasized that “the God of life and death decided otherwise, calling him to His side, and now Brother Francis will pray from Heaven for all of us and for the unity of the Churches.”
Continuing, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew emphasized that the primates of the two Churches walked together “the path of awakening the powerful of the world and every man of good will on the refugee and immigration issues. We sent a common message from Lesvos in every direction, in order for all our well-meaning fellow human beings to realize that behind the soulless numbers there are faces of our suffering and frightened brothers.”
“We shared common concerns about our testimony as pastors, about the witness of our Churches in modern societies, which are facing multiple challenges in a world troubled by conflicts and wars,” he added, highlighting the joint efforts to address the destruction of the environment and the effects of climate change. “We shared common views on the need to protect God’s Creation, to preserve our common Home, at a time when the planet is experiencing daily environmental degradation and the consequences of climate change, as a result of our own selfish behavior,” Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew said.
