Will the “path of dialogue” jointly welcomed by Pope Leo XIV and Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople actually produce results and the desired “unity of faith,” or is it destined simply to weaken the Catholic Church?
Now several weeks on from Leo XIV’s first papal voyage to Turkey and Lebanon, the trip has naturally become one of the most poignant moments of his still young pontificate. In Lebanon, the American pope became associated with a sign of hope for the nation and the region amidst the backdrop of violence. In Turkey, Leo’s focus was decidedly more ecumenical, as he tackled a priority he outlined in the very earliest days of his reign.
Organized to mark the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, the papal voyage to Turkey was in many ways one of the most notable acts of ecumenism in recent years. A joint ecumenical prayer service at the historic site of the Council drew Christian leaders together once again, 1700 years after the original event, whilst the signing of a declaration by Leo and Patriarch Bartholomew emphasized the “spiritual brotherhood” and the dialogue underway between East and West.
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