“It is my prayerful
hope that there will be increased opportunities for us Catholics and
Orthodox at all levels to work together, pray together and proclaim
together the one Gospel of Jesus Christ received from the apostolic
preaching, in order to experience ever more fully in our shared journey
the unity that by God’s grace already joins us”. Pope Francis said this
at the end of his address to the delegation from the Ecumenical
Patriarchate of Constantinople received in audience today on the eve of
the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul.
The delegation, as is customary,
will attend the celebrations on behalf of Patriarch Bartholomew and the
Holy Synod. “Your presence at these celebrations in honour of the
principal patrons of the Church of Rome is a sign of the growth of
communion between the Catholic Church and the Ecumenical Patriarchate”,
Pope Francis said, stressing that “to commemorate the Apostles, their
teachings and their witness is to be mindful of the common roots of our
sister Churches, but also to acknowledge our common mission in the
service of the Gospel, for the sake of bringing about a new humanity,
ever closer to God”.
In the face of “a gradual dimming of the light of faith”, “contempt
for the dignity of the human person, the idolatry of money, the spread
of violence, a totalizing view of science and technology, and the
reckless exploitation of natural resources” are “only a few of the grave
signs of a tragic reality to which we must not resign ourselves”, the
Pope remarked. Hence, Pope Francis shared the view expressed by
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew during his recent visit to Rome to take
part in the International Conference on “New Policies and Life-Styles
in the Digital Age”, in which he invited to “reject the cynical phrase
‘there is no alternative’”, saying: “Our Churches can create new
possibilities of transformation for our world” in a spirit of community
and solidarity. “This convergence of views with my beloved brother
Bartholomew”, Pope Francis said, “is being translated into a concrete
common effort”. “Even in recent months – the Pontiff recalled -, the
Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Catholic Church have cooperated in
initiatives involving important issues such as combating modern forms of
slavery, protecting creation and promoting peace”. Finally, he
expressed his sincere thanks to Bartholomew “for having readily accepted
my invitation to meet on 7 July next in Bari, together with the Heads
of Churches and Christian Communities in the Middle East, in order to
pray and reflect on the tragic situation afflicting so many of our
brothers and sisters in that region”.