Vatican City, 30 November 2014 (VIS) –
After celebrating Holy Mass in the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit,
Francis transferred at midday to the seat of the Ecumenical
Patriarchate in Phanar, the world centre of Orthodoxy.
The Orthodox Church has 300 million
faithful, present especially in Eastern and Northern Europe, along
the north-east coast of the Mediterranean and in the Middle East. It
consists of various patriarchal Churches who maintain their autonomy
while remaining linked to each other in a spirit of faith. The
Ecumenical Patriarchate is the “primus inter pares” with respect
to the other Orthodox patriarchates, and co-ordinates their
activities. Its ecclesiastical jurisdiction includes not only
Istanbul, but extends also to four other Turkish dioceses, Mount
Athos, Crete, Patmos and the Islands of the Dodecanese and, following
emigration, dioceses in Central and Western Europe, the Americas,
Pakistan and Japan. Finally, it is the point of reference for
Orthodox faithful throughout the world in territories not under the
direct jurisdiction of the other Orthodox patriarchates. For
centuries, the seat of the Patriarchate was next to the Cathedral of
Hagia Sophia. Following the fall of Constantinople in 1453, it was
transferred from 1601 to the quarter of Phanar. The Ecumenical
Patriarch is His Holiness Bartholomaios I, whose commitment to
inter-orthodox cooperation and ecumenical dialogue is well-known, as
well as his interest in the protection of the environment, earning
him the moniker “the green Patriarch”.
The Pope was received by the Patriarch
in the Church of St. George, where an ecumenical liturgy took place
in which both prayed for the unity of God's holy Churches. After
Bartholomaios' discourse, Pope Francis addressed those present.
“Each evening brings a mixed feeling
of gratitude for the day which is ending and of yearning trust before
the oncoming night. This evening my heart is full of gratitude to God
who allows me to be here in prayer with Your Holiness and with this
sister Church after an eventful day during my Apostolic Visit. At the
same time my heart awaits the day which we have already begun
liturgically: the Feast of the Apostle Saint Andrew, Patron of this
Church. In the words of the prophet Zachariah, the Lord gives us anew
in this evening prayer, the foundation that sustains our moving
forward from one day to the next, the solid rock upon which we
advance together in joy and hope. The foundation rock is the Lord’s
promise: 'Behold, I will save my people from the countries of the
east and from the countries of the west… in faithfulness and in
righteousness'.
“Yes, my venerable and dear Brother
Bartholomaios, as I express my heartfelt 'thank you' for your
fraternal welcome, I sense that our joy is greater because its source
is from beyond; it is not in us, not in our commitment, not in our
efforts – that are certainly necessary – but in our shared trust
in God’s faithfulness which lays the foundation for the
reconstruction of his temple that is the Church. 'For there shall be
a sowing of peace'; truly, a sowing of joy. It is the joy and the
peace that the world cannot give, but which the Lord Jesus promised
to his disciples and, as the Risen One, bestowed upon them in the
power of the Holy Spirit”.
He continued, “Andrew and Peter heard
this promise; they received this gift. They were blood brothers, yet
their encounter with Christ transformed them into brothers in faith
and charity. In this joyful evening, at this prayer vigil, I want to
emphasise this; they became brothers in hope. What a grace, Your
Holiness, to be brothers in the hope of the Risen Lord! What a grace,
and what a responsibility, to walk together in this hope, sustained
by the intercession of the holy Apostles and brothers, Andrew and
Peter! And to know that this shared hope does non deceive us because
it is founded, not upon us or our poor efforts, but rather upon God’s
faithfulness”.
“With this joyful hope, filled with
gratitude and eager expectation, I extend to Your Holiness and to all
present, and to the Church of Constantinople, my warm and fraternal
best wishes on the Feast of your holy Patron”.
Francis and Bartholomaios then recited
the Lord's Prayer together in Latin and imparted their blessing, the
Pope in Latin and the Patriarch in Greek, after which they retired to
the second floor for a private meeting.
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