HOLY AND GREAT COUNCIL DOCUMENT

Draft Synodical Document

Πέμπτη 28 Ιουνίου 2018

POPE FRANCIS: TO DELEGATION FROM ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE, ''INCREASE OPPORTUNITIES FOR CATHOLICS AND ORTHODOX TO WORK AND PRAY TOGETHER''. 'THANKS TO BARTHOLOMEW FOR ACCEPTING INVITATION TO BARI''


“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”.