Phanar head praises RCC for "ecumenical initiatives" in Ukraine

Patriarch Bartholomew. Photo: zen.yandex.ru

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople expressed satisfaction with the cooperation of the Roman Catholic Church and the OCU in environmental issues, reports the RISU website.

Patriarch Bartholomew sent a message to the organizers and participants of the XIII Ecumenical Social Week, organized by the Institute of Ecumenical Studies of the Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU) in cooperation with academic institutions and authorities and public organizations.

The document says that "the event brings together widely-known speakers from the Roman Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox Churches with the aim of proclaiming and promoting the preservation and protection of God's creation."

The Phanar head stated: “We are always glad to learn about the joint care and efforts of various ecumenical institutions in Ukraine, and especially about the close cooperation of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Catholic Church when it comes to the vision of changing the world for the benefit of all people."

Moreover, Patriarch Bartholomew is “deeply impressed by the unique contribution of the Institute of Ecumenical Studies of the UCU, which offers curricula in the field of ecumenical relations and dialogue and coordinates numerous conferences and publications to promote peace and reconciliation at the national, regional and global levels”.

Patriarch Bartholomew also noted that one must always remember "the spiritual importance of establishing closer communication and maintaining fraternal relations between our church confessions and communities."

As reported earlier, the Phanar called for interreligious dialogue to preserve the environment.

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