Pat Bartholomew: Mutual lifting of anathemas is a step to full unity with RCC

Patriarch Bartholomew. Photo: romfea.gr

On December 7, 2025, in a sermon marking the 60th anniversary of the mutual lifting of anathemas by Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras and Pope Paul VI, Patriarch Bartholomew emphasized the significance of that act as the first step toward the “much desired restoration of full communion between our Churches.”

According to the Patriarch, the revocation of the 1054 anathemas “constitutes a tangible token and sign of this new beginning." He added that "this event gave powerful momentum to the dialogue of love, to which we have added the necessary dialogue of truth through our Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue.”

“We cannot let the forces of complacency or the lure of fanaticism undermine our pursuit of unity. We must recognize these dangers and work diligently to avoid them.,” the Ecumenical Patriarch stated.

He urged the faithful to "consciously embrace respect, honour, and above all love for one another, so that our mutual encounters, whether large or small, manifest or hidden, can each become a source for the exchange of spiritual gifts, a sharing of life, and thus a concrete further step towards unity.”

Earlier, the UOJ reported that the purpose of the Patriarch’s meeting with the Pope was to present the Phanar as the head of Orthodoxy.

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