Ecumenical pilgrimage ends with commitment to seek unity (Photos)
In the final days of their historic pilgrimage, “From Old Rome to New Rome,” the ecumenical group of pilgrims journeyed through the streets of old Constantinople and prayed together at the site of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea. The spiritual leader of Eastern Orthodox Christians also joined the group for a farewell dinner, where he prayed for unity among Christians and peace in the world.
Following their July 20 meeting with the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the pilgrims led by Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., Archbishop of Newark, and His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, spent the following day visiting several important sites in Istanbul.
Originally known as Byzantium, the city underwent a dramatic transformation in 324 A.D. when Constantine the Great moved the seat of his empire there from Rome.
A church-turned-mosque and a common creed
The pilgrims visited the Hagia Sophia, once the largest church in the world. After Constantinople fell to the Ottomans in 1453, the city became known as Istanbul, and Hagia Sophia was turned into a mosque. In 1935, the site became a museum but was transformed into a mosque again in 2020. A few of the original Christian mosaics remain visible, though many of those are covered.
After visiting another church-turned-mosque, the group went to the Church of St. Anthony of Padua and held a prayer service for Christian unity led by Cardinal Tobin.
As reported by the Orthodox Observer, the group next traveled fifty miles southeast to Lake İznik and the city of Nicaea. It was there that the First Ecumenical Council convened in 325 A.D., eventually giving birth to the Nicene Creed, expressing the common set of beliefs shared by Christians. Though few physical traces from that time remain, the site holds profound significance for all Christians as a symbol of unity.
In a key moment for the pilgrimage, Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Byzantine Catholic believers recited the Nicene Creed together.
Committed to unity
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, spiritual leader of Eastern Orthodox Christians, joined the group for a farewell dinner on the final night of the pilgrimage. In his remarks, Patriarch Bartholomew recalled his own history of pursuing Christian unity with Popes John Paul II, Benedict XVI, Francis, and the current pontiff, Pope Leo XIV.
“We have much to perform, to do together, east and west, Rome and Europe,” Patriarch Bartholomew told the gathering. “The anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, the first ecumenical council in the history of Christianity, can be and must be a milestone from which we start a new era, a new period of collaboration.”
The Patriarch also fondly recalled his relationship with the recently departed Pope Francis. He recalled when the two men traveled to Jerusalem together to pray for unity and peace at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which contains the empty tomb where Jesus was laid following his crucifixion, and where he rose from the dead.
After Pope Leo was enthroned, the Patriarch said that he went to the tomb of Pope Francis and “thanked him for his love for the Orthodox Church, especially the church of Constantinople. And I promised him to continue our collaboration with his successor, Leo XIV.”
View the photo gallery to see more images of the ecumenical pilgrimage “From Old Rome to New Rome.” We thank the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and the Orthodox Observer for sharing Brittainy Newman’s photos with us.
Featured image: Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., and His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros pray with pilgrims at the site of the First Ecumenical Council at Nicaea. (Photos by Orthodox Observer/Brittainy Newman)
