Thanks to patriarch’s support ‘much progress’ has been made
Source: ANSA.it
(ANSA) – Vatican City, November 30 – Pope Benedict XVI on Friday urged the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I to “continue with confidence along the path that leads to the recovery of full communion” between the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches. In a message conveyed by a papal delegation to Istanbul for the feast of St Andrew the Apostle, the pontiff said “much progress” had been made “on this road” thanks to the “assiduous and active support” of Bartholomew I . “Even though the road ahead still seems long and difficult, our intention to continue in this direction remains unchanged,” he added. The Vatican delegation was led by Cardinal Kurt Koch, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.
He was accompanied by the Council Secretary, Bishop Brian Farrell, and by its undersecretary Monsignor Palmieri. The delegates took part in a solemn liturgy presided by Bartholomew I and met with the Ecumenical Patriarch and members of the synodal commission responsible for relations with the Catholic Church.