Istanbul, Grech meets Bartolomé: Building Bridges in Times of Divisions. The Secretary General of the Synod in Turkey will present the implementation phase of the Synod in the context of the meeting of the Secretaries General of the Bishops' Conferences of Europe. At the Fanar, the Patriarch of Constantinople greeted the participants and encouraged them to seek dialogue in the face of "divisions, fear, and violence." The Patriarch's words also included a reminder of Francis and Leo XIV's expectation for the 1700th anniversary of Nicaea. Salvatore Cernuzio - Vatican City. A fraternal meeting, marked by an embrace reminiscent of the numerous exchanges between Pope Francis, took place yesterday, June 17, in the early evening at the Fanar between the Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartolomé I, and Cardinal Mario Grech.

The General Secretary of the Synod, currently in Istanbul for the Meeting of the General Secretaries of the Bishops' Conferences of Europe (CCEE), presented the process of accompanying the implementation phase of the Synod to all participants. His program also included a stop in Nicaea, now Iznik, the seat of the First Ecumenical Council, which marks the 1700th anniversary of the Council and where, as is well known, the visit of Pope Leo XIV is expected, continuing the desire of his predecessor, Francis. Gratitude for Francis and joy for Leo Bartolomé spoke precisely from the memory of Pope Francis and the "great concern" surrounding Pope Leo's visit in his address to the participants of the CCEE meeting. The Patriarch began by expressing his gratitude "for the personal friendship and unwavering commitment of Pope Francis" ("a true friend of Orthodoxy," he called him), whose pontificate had been "a time of warmth and mutual encouragement." He then reiterated his...

He later reiterated his joy at the election of his successor, Robert Francis Prevost, with whom he had already met twice. "We trust," the Patriarch said, "that under his leadership, the bonds between our two Churches will continue to deepen in truth and love. We pray that his pontificate will be marked by spiritual discernment and prophetic courage, as the Church continues to bear witness in a world seeking direction and unity." The Importance of Dialogue The Patriarch of Constantinople devoted considerable space to the importance of ecumenical and interreligious dialogue, especially in this "time marked by divisions, fear, and violence" in which "we are called to build bridges, not walls." In particular, the relationship with the Roman Catholic Church—theological dialogue, revived almost half a century ago, following the lifting of the mutual anathema in 1965—is fundamental to "continuing a path of constant and serious encounter." A certain path.

"un camino de encuentro constante y serio". A camino ciertamente no exento de desafíos, pero al mismo tiempo "marcado por momentos de gracia, por una comprensión cada vez más profunda y por un sincero deseo de la unidad querida por Cristo". Luego está el dialogue con las demás Antique churches of the Orient, with traditions of Protestants and with numerous organizaciones intercristianas: no "procesos formales", but also "encuentros espirituales", occasions for a "renovation of compromise with the Evangelio". el Primado ortodoxo, Explicando que las relations with los líderes Judíos, Muslimes y otros líderes religiosos se mantienen desde de hace mucho tiempo, en la creencia de que “la paz, el entendimiento mutuo y el respeto a la dignidad de cada ser humano deben ser compromisos fundamentales para todas las tradiciones religiosas”.

wlinks is the documentation from the Vatican