Pope: Catholics and Orthodox work together and proclaim the one Gospel together

Francis met a delegation from the Ecumenical Patriarchate, in Rome for the feast of Saints Peter and Paul. "This convergence of views with my beloved brother Bartholomew is being translated into a concrete common effort". In fact, there are numerous fields of collaboration against modern slavery, for example, or for the defence of creation and the search for peace.

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - The hope that the opportunities will be multiplied so that Catholics and Orthodox can work together, pray together and proclaim the one Gospel together was expressed today by Pope Francis in the meeting with the delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate (in the picture ), on a visit to Rome as part of the traditional exchange of delegations for the respective patron saints' festivals: on 29 June in Rome for Saints Peter and Paul and on 30 November in Istanbul for the celebration of Saint Andrew.

The delegation, led by the Archbishop of Telmissos Job, Co-chair of the international mixed commission for theological dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church, recalled the "common roots" of the two Churches and affirmed the need to "become aware of the common mission at the service of the Gospel to generate a new humanity ". An urgent mission, given the growing secularization under way in many societies of Christian tradition. "Contempt for the dignity of the human person, the idolatry of money, the spread of violence, a totalizing view of science and technology, the reckless exploitation of natural resources: these are only a few of the grave signs of a tragic reality to which we must not resign ourselves."

Faced with this reality, Francis recalled that, in a recent speech in Rome, Patriarch Bartholomew said: "We reject the cynical sentence: there is no alternative". And he cited the words of the Patriarch himself, affirming to share them fully: "Our Churches can create new possibilities for transformation for our world. In fact, the Church itself is an event of transformation, sharing, love and openness. [...]In our Churches we experience the blessed certainty that the future does not belong to ‘having’ but to ‘being’, not to ‘pleonexia’ but to ‘sharing’, not to selfishness but to communion – nor does it belong to division but to love".

The convergence of visions "with my beloved brother Bartholomew - Francis said - is being translated into a concrete common effort". In fact, there are numerous fields of collaboration against modern slavery, for example, or for the defense of creation and the search for peace.

The Pope then recalled that on July 7th he will meet Bartholomew in Bari, "to pray and reflect on the tragic situation that afflicts so many brothers and sisters" in the Middle East. He concluded : "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."

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