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On the Feast Day of Saint Andrew the First-Called, the Thronal Feast of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, November 30, 2025, His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew addressed his homily in the Venerable Patriarchal Church of St. George to his illustrious guest, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV. In this homily, he not only welcomed the Pope of Rome to the Phanar, the Sacred Center of the Ecumenical Patriarchate; he also elucidated the central importance of Christian unity, making it clear why he has pursued the reunion of the Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic Church, and continues to do so. This homily is a valuable statement of why Christians of different faith traditions should strive to overcome what divides them and heed the words of the Lord, “that they all may be one” (John 17:21).
Addressing his “beloved brother in Christ, Pope Leo,” His All-Holiness stated that “it is with feelings of sincere joy and thanksgiving that we welcome you again today to this sacred center of Orthodoxy, as Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras welcomed Pope Paul VI, as Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios welcomed Pope John Paul II, and as our Modesty welcomed your illustrious predecessors Benedict XVI and Francis.”
After detailing the calling the two brothers Andrew and Peter, “the first Apostles of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” the Ecumenical Patriarch stated that “as successors of the two holy Apostles, the founders of our respective Churches, we feel bound by ties of spiritual brotherhood, which obligate us to work diligently to proclaim the message of salvation to the world.”
His All-Holiness then explained why unity is so central to the Gospel. He quoted Saint Paul’s declaration that “there is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Eph. 4:4-6), and pointed out that this statement was the motto of Pope Leo’s Apostolic Journey.
In addition, His All-Holiness pointed out the the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea, the 1700th anniversary of which he and the Pope of Rome had just commemorated, “strengthened ecclesiastical unity.” The Ecumenical Patriarch noted that “the Nicene Council was convened by the Emperor Constantine primarily to resolve the division caused within the Church by the Arian heresy and to decide on a common date for the annual celebration of Pascha, the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, the foundation of our faith.” He stated that the First Ecumenical Council “remains the foundation in our quest for Christian unity today.”
In that context, His All-Holiness stated: “We can only pray that issues such as the ‘filioque’ and infallibility, which the [Joint International Commission for theological dialogue between the two sister Churches] is currently examining, will be resolved such that their understanding no longer serve as stumbling blocks to the communion of our Churches.”
The Ecumenical Patriarch emphasized that the resolution of such differences was not a matter of idle theological speculation or simply a gesture of good will. He declared: “In the end, Christian unity is not a luxury. It is the ultimate prayer of our Lord Jesus Christ: ‘that…all may be one’ (Jn. 17:21) and also the essential condition for the mission of the Church.” As such, he continued, “Christian unity is an imperative, particularly in our tumultuous times, when the world is fractured by wars, violence and all kinds of discrimination, while it is devastated by the desire for domination, the quest for profit, and the unrestrained exploitation of natural resources.”
This unity was an essential precondition for the effectiveness of the Church’s salvific appeal to the world: “Faced with so much suffering,” His All-Holiness said, “the whole creation that is ‘groaning’ (Rom. 8:22) expects a unified message of hope from Christians unequivocally condemning war and violence, defending human dignity and respecting and caring for God’s creation.” He explained that “we cannot be complicit in the bloodshed taking place in Ukraine and other parts of the world and remain silent in the face of the exodus of Christians from the cradle of Christianity or be indifferent to the injustices suffered by the ‘least of the brothers’ of our Lord (Matt. 25:31-46).”
His All-Holiness accordingly declared: “We cannot ignore the problems of pollution, waste and climate change. We must act as peacemakers (Matt. 5:9), show ourselves as those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (Matt. 5:6), and we must behave as good stewards of creation (Gen. 1:26).” As peacemakers, above all, with those among us who are, like us, disciples of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
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