Church leaders from the different Eastern Catholic rites have been gathered in Rome this week to mark the centenary of the foundation of the Pontifical Oriental Institute and the Congregation for Eastern Churches. Pope Francis visited the Institute on Thursday and issued a mesage praising its "high achievements" and reminding it to be always attentive to the "enormous challenges facing [...]
Pope Francis has sent a handwritten message to Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, full of well-wishes for his name day. The feast day of the apostle St. Bartholomew is celebrated in the Oriental Churches on 11 June. "May Catholics and Orthodox continue on the path towards full communion, working together to promote peace, cooperation, and dialogue [...]
In just one week’s time, Pope Francis takes off on a journey to the Egyptian capital Cairo, where he will visit the prestigious al-Azhar centre of Islamic studies. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, spiritual leader of the Orthodox world, is also expected to join the Holy Father there, alongside the Coptic Pope Tawadros II. Both Pope Francis and [...]