Patriarch Bartholomew and the Pope sign a declaration toward full communion

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and Pope Leo XIV sign the declaration. Photo: Vaticannews

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and Pope Leo XIV signed a Joint Declaration in Istanbul affirming their commitment to the path toward restoring full communion and rejecting the use of religion to justify violence. This was reported by Vatican News.

The document was signed during Pope Leo’s visit to the Patriarchal Church of St. George, where the pontiff and Patriarch Bartholomew offered a joint doxology on the eve of the feast of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called.

Main Points of the Declaration

In the text, the Pope and the Patriarch stated: “We reject any use of religion and the name of God to justify violence.” According to them, the goal of restoring unity has direct significance for peace. They also appealed to political leaders to make every effort to end wars.

The Nicene Confession as a Basis for Dialogue

The signatories recalled the 1700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea, marked the day before, calling it “a providential event of unity.”

They noted that Christians are united by the faith professed in the Nicene Creed: the confession of Jesus Christ: “This is the saving faith in the person of the Son of God, true God from true God, homoousios with the Father, who for us and our salvation was incarnate and dwelt among us, was crucified, died and was buried, arose on the third day, ascended into heaven, and will come again to judge the living and the dead."

“Endowed with this common confession, we can face our shared challenges in bearing witness to the faith expressed at Nicaea with mutual respect, and work together towards concrete solutions with genuine hope.,” the Joint Declaration said.

Easter on the Same Day

Leo XIV and Patriarch Bartholomew noted as “a gift of Divine Providence” that this year all Christians celebrated Easter on the same day. They reaffirmed their readiness to work “toward celebrating the Feast of Feasts together every year":

We hope and pray that all Christians will, “in all wisdom and spiritual understanding” (Col 1:9), commit themselves to the process of arriving at a common celebration of the glorious resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

A Reminder of the 60th Anniversary of the Lifting of the Anathemas

The declaration also recalls the 60th anniversary of the 1965 decision of Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras to lift the mutual anathemas of 1054. The current signatories describe that step as the foundation of dialogue built on “trust, respect, and mutual compassion.”

Speaking of their support for the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church, the religious leaders stated that at this stage the Commission is addressing issues historically regarded as contentious.

“They commend theological dialogue, fraternal contacts, common prayer, and cooperation in areas where joint initiatives are already possible, encouraging all the faithful to welcome the progress made so far and to 'labour for [its] continued increase,'’” the Vatican reported.

A Call to Peace and Interreligious Dialogue

The central theme of the document is described as the ethical and spiritual imperative of rejecting the abuse of religion.

"We 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 and exhort all men and women of good will to work together to build a more just and supportive world, and to care for creation, which is entrusted to us by God," the signatories stated.

According to them, genuine interreligious dialogue is necessary for the coexistence of peoples. "Only in this way can the human family overcome indifference, desire for domination, greed for profit and xenophobia," the Joint Declaration sums up.

As the UOJ reported, the Pope visited the Blue Mosque in Istanbul – a symbol of the arrival of Islam in the Ottoman Empire.

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