Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew greets pilgrims (Photos)
On the sixth day of their ecumenical pilgrimage, the group of pilgrims, led by Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., Archbishop of Newark, and His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, spent their first day in Istanbul, visiting the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.
The group traveled to the Patriarchal Cathedral Church of Saint George, where Archbishop Elpidophoros presided at the Divine Liturgy. Afterwards, the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople and the spiritual leader of Eastern Orthodox Christians, greeted the pilgrims, telling them that their pilgrimage was “a powerful and visible testimony to the Spirit at work in our midst, guiding us along the path of reconciliation, understanding, and unity.”
Referring to the message that Pope Leo XIV had addressed to the pilgrims on July 17, Patriarch Bartholomew said that he, also, “shared this desire for unity — a unity not grounded in uniformity, but in the shared truth of the Gospel, in mutual love, and in our common baptism into the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Prayers for a wounded world
“Your presence here reminds us that the ecumenical journey is not only a theological endeavor; it is a spiritual calling,” the Patriarch said. “We must return to Jerusalem, the upper room where the Holy Spirit descended, and where fear was transformed into proclamation. In this pilgrimage of hope, may each of you be strengthened by the fire of Pentecost, bearing Christ to a world wounded by war, injustice, and despair.”
Patriarch Bartholomew condemned the recent military strike on Gaza’s only Catholic parish, Holy Family Church, calling it “an attack not only on a place of worship, but on a sanctuary where hundreds of people, irrespective of religion, found a home and a shelter during this period of trial and tribulation.”
“We ask Your Eminence, Cardinal Tobin, to convey our most heartfelt condolences to our brother Pope Leo,” the Patriarch said.
He ended his address by asking the Lord to bless the pilgrims and their journey.
“A dialogue of love”
The pilgrims were then received by Patriarch Bartholomew in a private audience. During the audience, Cardinal Tobin addressed the Patriarch, comparing the ecumenical pilgrimage, entitled “From Old Rome to New Rome,” to the friendship that formed between Pope Paul VI and Orthodox Patriarch Athenagoras during the 1960s, which Cardinal Tobin called “a dialogue of love after centuries of silence.”
Cardinal Tobin also highlighted the Jubilee Year of Hope instituted by Pope Francis, saying it was a time to “walk together.”
“We come here in hope,” Cardinal Tobin said. “And I think we have experienced, in different ways, what His disciples experienced on the way to Emmaus, when they realized that someone else was walking with them — one who opened the scriptures, one who made their hearts burn, and one they recognized in the breaking of the bread.”
Cardinal Tobin then thanked Patriarch Bartholomew for his address in the cathedral, “especially when you looked forward to the day when we would gather around the holy table, when we would fulfill the prayer of Jesus in Chapter 17 of the Gospel of John, ‘that they may be one, Father, as we are one.’”
From Old Rome to New Rome
Three days previously, the ecumenical group met privately with Pope Leo XIV in his residence at Castel Gandolfo.
Following their encounter with the Pope, the group visited a Byzantine monastery housing a renowned collection of ancient manuscripts. Their final days in Rome were included a visit to Saint Mary Major, where they prayed at the tomb of Pope Francis and held a second ecumenical prayer service led by Archbishop Elpidophoros. They also visited the Colosseum and the city’s only Greek Orthodox Church.
With the “Old Rome” portion of the pilgrimage completed, the pilgrims then headed off to “New Rome” and their meeting with Patriarch Bartholomew.
After their visit to Istanbul, the pilgrims will embark on the last leg of their journey to Nicaea, site of the Council of Nicaea, which gave birth to the Nicene Creed.
View the photo gallery to see images of the meeting of Cardinal Tobin and Archbishop Elpidophoros with Patriarch Bartholomew, along with highlights of the group’s final pilgrimage stops in Rome. We thank the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and the Orthodox Observer for sharing Brittainy Newman’s photos with us.
Featured image: Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople (center) poses with Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., Archbishop of Newark, and His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America.
