Following Friday’s joint pilgrimage of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and Pope Leo XIV to Nicaea, where they marked the 1,700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council, attention now turns to the Roman Pontiff’s presence at the Phanar.
Today, Saturday, November 29, at 3:30 p.m. local time (2:30 p.m. Athens time), the Pope, accompanied by his delegation, will arrive at the Ecumenical Patriarchate, where he will be formally welcomed by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.
The two Church leaders will enter together into the patriarchal church of Saint George, after which a Doxology will be celebrated. In attendance will be Patriarch Theodore of Alexandria, hierarchs of the Churches of Constantinople and Rome, as well as representatives of the diplomatic corps.
The ceremony for the signing of the Joint Declaration is scheduled to follow in the Throne Hall of the Patriarchal House. After the declaration is signed, the hierarchs from both sides, along with the members of the papal delegation, will be formally presented before the two primates withdraw for their private meeting in the Patriarch’s office.
The first day’s program at the Phanar will conclude with Great Vespers, presided over by Patriarch Theodore of Alexandria.
Earlier in the day, the Pope will visit the historic Sultanahmet Mosque, after which he will meet with the heads of local churches and Christian communities at Mor Ephrem Church of the Syriac Orthodox Church. At 5:00 p.m., he will preside over a large public Divine Liturgy at Istanbul’s indoor events venue, the “Volkswagen Arena.”
On the morning of the following day, Sunday, November 30, the feast of Saint Andrew the First-Called and founder of the Church of Constantinople, a patriarchal and synodal Divine Liturgy will be celebrated. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew will preside, with Patriarch Theodore of Alexandria concelebrating.
The Divine Liturgy for the Throne Feast of the Ecumenical Patriarchate will be attended by the Pope of Rome, a representative of the Greek government, diplomats, and other dignitaries.
At the conclusion of the service, the Ecumenical Patriarch and the Pope will exchange official addresses. Immediately afterward, the two primates will bless the faithful from the balcony of the Patriarchal House.
At midday on Sunday, Pope Leo XIV, following a luncheon with the Ecumenical Patriarch, will depart by air from Constantinople for Beirut, where he will continue the second stage of his apostolic journey.
Yesterday, Friday, November 28, the two church leaders visited Nicaea in Bithynia to mark the 1,700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council. There, they recited the Creed together, using the original wording “proceeding from the Father,” without the filioque, as preserved in the tradition of Eastern Christianity.
“We return to this cradle of the Christian faith,” the Ecumenical Patriarch said in his address, delivering a message of unity. “Let us hear all the voices of the faithful calling for unity,” he added.
“Despite everything that has transpired over the centuries, and the turmoil, difficulties, and divisions it brought, we approach this sacred anniversary with shared reverence and a shared sense of hope,” Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew noted.
The Pope emphasized the need for global reconciliation and fraternity, denouncing any use of religion to justify war, violence, or forms of fundamentalism or fanaticism. He stressed the role of religions as forces for peace, dialogue, and cooperation, and highlighted the universal need for Christian unity.
