Christians cannot escape the "urgency" of the search for
unity, in a world "hungry and thirsty for truth, love, hope, peace and
unity." On the occasion of the feast of Saints Peter and Paul, the patron saints of the Church of Rome, these are the sentiments echoed by the Pope and the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who - as has now become customary since 1969 - has sent a delegation - and a message - for the celebration
The Orthodox delegation, led by Ioannis (Zizioulas), Metropolitan of Pergamon, co-chair of the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church was received by Francis, with whom he then had lunch.
The search for unity, in the words of the Pope, "is important for our own witness, to finally announce with one voice the good news of the Gospel."
"I am confident that the effort to reflect together, complex and laborious though it is, will bear fruit in due course. I find it reassuring to know that Catholics and Orthodox share a notion of dialogue that is not about seeking a theological lowest common denominator on which to reach a compromise, but is rather about deepening our grasp of the sole truth that Christ has given to his Church, a truth that we never cease to understand better, as we follow the Holy Spirit's promptings".
"Our faith - writes Bartholomew in his message - is not a compilation of diverse opinions promulgated to integrate discussion in a harmonious way; it is the revelation of the singular truth expressed through and in the divine person of Jesus Christ".
"We are not ignorant - he adds - We are not ignorant of the existing impediments to the desirable unity of all Christians. Nevertheless, we shall not cease working with all our strength and aspiring to the All-Holy Spirit. Today, the same Spirit also renders us "bold heralds" of Christian unity ."
The Ecumenical Patriarch also emphasizes simplicity that characterizes the style of Pope Francis. "This spirit - he adds - must surely also characterize relations among Churches and Christians, who for reasons known to the Lord are divided today."
" It is our personal hope that the incomplete dialogues among the various Churches - and especially the dialogue between our two great Churches of Roman Catholicism and Orthodox Christianity, a dialogue of love, theology and truth - will continue to bear fruit in a spirit of simplicity and fraternity, of mutual understanding and truthfulness, in order to bring about the desired result of rapprochement through the unique authenticity in Christ".
"We must not - concluded the Pope - be afraid of encounter and true dialogue. This does not lead us away from the truth; rather, through an exchange of gifts, it leads us, under the guidance of the Spirit of Truth, towards the whole Truth .