The Pope and Patriarch Bartholomew are asking that everything possible be done to end the war.
Istanbul (Turkey), Nov 29 (EFE)
Pope Leo XIV and the Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, signed a joint declaration on Saturday, expressing their alarm at the international situation and calling for peace in the world and urging all possible efforts to end wars, on the third day of the Pope’s visit to Turkey.
“Together we fervently raise our voices to invoke God’s gift of peace upon our world. Tragically, in many regions of our planet, conflict and violence continue to destroy the lives of so many people,” they stated in the declaration, which they signed after celebrating a joint ceremony at the Patriarchal Church of St. George in Istanbul.
The declaration calls on those “with civil and political responsibilities to do everything possible to ensure that the tragedy of war ceases immediately,” and asks “all people of good will to support our plea.”
And above all, they rejected “any use of religion and the name of God to justify violence.”
The Pope and the spiritual leader of 300 million Orthodox Christians affirmed that they believe “that authentic interreligious dialogue, far from being a cause of syncretism and confusion, is essential for the coexistence of peoples of different traditions and cultures.”
They urged “all men and women of good will to work together to build a more just and compassionate world, and to care for the creation that God has entrusted to us,” because “only in this way can the human family overcome indifference, the desire for domination, greed for profit, and xenophobia.”
“Although we are deeply alarmed by the current international situation, we do not lose hope. God will not abandon humanity,” they wrote.
Furthermore, in the document, both leaders affirm their shared desire to continue exploring a possible solution for celebrating the Feast of Feasts together each year (Easter).
Earlier, Leo XIV met with leaders and representatives of Christian churches and communities at the Syrian Orthodox Church of Mor Ephrem, located in Yeşilköy, on the European side of the Turkish city. This church was the first and, to date, only church built in Turkey since the founding of the Republic.
In a brief address, Leo XIV invited everyone to journey together on the spiritual path leading to the Jubilee of Redemption in 2033, with a view to returning to Jerusalem, to the Cenacle, the site of Jesus’ Last Supper with his disciples, where he washed their feet, and the site of Pentecost—a path leading to full unity.
