· Message of Bartholomew ·
The recent meeting on the island of Lesvos and the publication of the Encyclical Laudato Si’ were addressed in the message Patriarch Bartholomew sent to Pope Francis on the eve of the Solemnity of Sts Peter and Paul.
In the message – consigned by the Ecumenical Delegation on Thursday, 28 June — the Patriarch emphasized that “our common efforts and initiatives with regard to the global challenges of our time will continue because they constitute a good witness for the Church of Christ, serving humankind and the world, while at the same time manifesting and strengthening our spiritual responsibility before the challenges of our time for the benefit of the Christian world and humanity as a whole”.
“Your Holiness and dear Brother, we have been blessed as guardians of invaluable traditions of divine love and human charity, heirs also of vital truths pertaining to human beings as citizens of the world and citizens of heaven, which we are obliged to preserve in their integrity, remaining faithful to the Lord who “came not to be served, but to serve” (Matt 20:28) as well as to the venerable founders of the Churches of Rome and Constantinople, the brothers Peter and Andrew, who sealed their witness to His truth on the cross in a manner worthy of Christ.
Our endeavors are nurtured by this endless source for the advancement of the journey toward the desired unity of our Churches. The dialogue that continues between the Orthodox Church and the most holy Church of Rome is a domain that produces theological knowledge, ecumenical experience and mutual enrichment.
The texts of this dialogue of truth confirm our common Christians models and express our faith that the Truth of the Church is a person — namely, the incarnate, suffering and risen Word of God. Dialogue in Truth implies speaking the truth in love (cf. Eph 4:15), ‘abiding’ in love (cf. Jn 15:9) as the bond of perfection (Col 3:15)”.
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