Patriarch Bartholomew hopes to "open a new era" in relations with new pope

Patriarch Bartholomew. Photo: Screenshot from ecumenicalpatriarchate video

Patriarch Bartholomew stated that he looks at the new Pope, Leo XIV, "with Christian hope" and will attend his enthronement at the Vatican to propose "developing dialogue between the East and the West." He made this announcement on May 8, 2025, during an event at the amphitheater of the Basil and Elise Goulandris Foundation in Athens.

In his speech, delivered just hours after the election of the new Pope, Patriarch Bartholomew expressed hope that Leo XIV would contribute to peace, "not only in the social sphere but also by offering answers to the existential questions that continue to trouble humanity."

"We look at the new pontiff with Christian hope. I intend to come to his enthronement and propose developing dialogue between the East and the West. Let him combine his visit to Nicaea with an official visit to the Ecumenical Patriarchate on the occasion of our feast of Saint Andrew on November 30," he suggested.

The Primate of the Church of Constantinople also expressed his expectation that the new head of the Roman Catholic Church would help bring an end to wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as prevent conflict between India and Pakistan.

"I hope that we can open a new era in our bilateral relations and in relations between the East and the West," concluded the Patriarch.

As previously reported by the UOJ, on May 8, 2025, the Vatican conclave elected a new Pope – Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost – who chose the name Leo XIV.

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