Pope Francis sent a message to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew on the feast of St. Andrew, the patron saint of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. “With the heartfelt affection reserved for beloved brothers,” writes Pope Francis, “I offer my prayerful best wishes to Your Holiness, to the members of the Holy Synod, to the clergy, monks and all the faithful, and – together with my Catholic brothers and sisters – join your own prayer on this festive occasion.” Writing for the first time as Pope to mark this feast, Pope Francis assures the Patriarch of his intention to pursue fraternal relations between the Church of Rome and the Ecumenical Patriarchate, saying that it is for him a source of great reassurance to reflect on the depth and the authenticity of our existing bonds, the fruit of a grace-filled journey along which the Lord has guided the Churches at Rome and at Constantinople since the historic encounter in Jerusalem between Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras, the fiftieth anniversary of which we will celebrate shortly. Text from page en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/11/30/pope_francis_to_patriarch_bartholomew:_world_needs_our_common_witness/en1-751301 of the Vatican Radio website Text from page en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/11/30/pope_francis_to_patriarch_bartholomew:_world_needs_our_common_witness/en1-751301 of the Vatican Radio website en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/11/30/pope_francis_to_patriarch_bartholomew:_world_needs_our_common_witness/en1-751301
Posted on: Mon, 02 Dec 2013 22:12:40 +0000