Pope Francis received the delegation of the Patriarch of Constantinople on June 28. Following tradition, the Constantinople Church sends a delegation every year to participate in the Apostolic Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul in Rome on June 29, and the Catholic Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Andrew on November 30. Japan sent a delegation to Istanbul to congratulate.
(Vatican News Network)To celebrate the Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul, “The exchange of delegations between the Church of Rome and the Church of Constantinople every year is a sign of our shared communion. Although we have not achieved complete communion, It’s true.” This is what the Pope said when he received the delegation of the Patriarch of Constantinople in the Vatican on June 28.
The Pope pointed out that this year’s celebration of our saint’s festival was carried out in “a world situation that is still struggling to escape the deep crisis caused by the pandemic”. The Pope stated that there is something more serious than this crisis, and that is to “ignore it, rather than learn from it.” This is a lesson of humility. It shows us that “you cannot live a healthy life in an unhealthy world, or as usual without knowing our mistakes.”
What does all this mean for us Christians? The Pope said: “We are called to seriously reflect on whether we want to go back to what we did before or face the challenges of the crisis.” “The current crisis requires us to distinguish, discern and filter what we do. It is lasting, what is short-lived.”
The Pope explained that every crisis represents a crossroads where we can “close ourselves and seek our own safety and expediency”, or “we can open our hearts to others; the latter will bring Risks, but it also brings the fruits of grace promised by God”. “If we submit to love and the Holy Spirit, He will open the way to renew brotherhood.”
At the end of his speech, the Pope pointed out, “The testimony of the growing communion between us Christians will also be a sign of hope for many people, who will be inspired to promote more general brotherhood and make a cure for the mistakes of the past. “Reconciliation” action.The Pope emphasized that this is the only way to the dawn of a peaceful future
Finally, the Pope thanked all those present and asked them to convey his cordial and courteous greetings to Patriarch Bartholomew.
Following tradition, the Church of Constantinople sends a delegation every year to participate in the feast of the Apostles of St. Peter and St. Paul in Rome on June 29. This year’s delegation is composed of the Metropolitan Metropolitan Emmanuel ( Emmanuel of Chalcedon), accompanied by the Greek Orthodox Bishop Joseph (Iosif) and Deacon Barnabas Grigoriadis (Barnabas Grigoriadis) of Buenos Aires, Argentina, arrived in Rome on June 27 and On June 29th, attended the solemn mass of the Pope at St. Peter’s Basilica.
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