Patriarch Bartholomew: We are moving toward restoration of full unity with RCC

Patriarch Bartholomew speaking at an RCC church in Istanbul. Photo: Nikos Papachristou

Patriarch Bartholomew took part in a Catholic Mass marking the first anniversary of the election of Pope Leo XIV, held on May 9, 2026, at the Church of the Holy Spirit in Istanbul’s Harbiye district. In his remarks, he once again spoke of the Church of Constantinople’s path toward full unity with the RCC.

“Looking back over the past year, we can only thank God for the deepening rapprochement that continues to inspire our two Sister Churches – Rome and Constantinople. This irreversible path, which began in 1964 with the prophetic meeting of Pope Paul VI and Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras, has profoundly shaped the journey of reconciliation on which we continue to walk with hope, trust, and faith in God,” the Patriarch said.

According to him, “the Council of Nicaea is not merely a memory, but a horizon: a point of spiritual orientation from which the path toward the restoration of full communion can once again be seen.”

As the UOJ reported, the head of the Phanar stated that the “common chalice” with Catholics is inevitable. Dialogue between the Orthodox and Catholic Churches has continued since 1964, when Patriarch Athenagoras of Constantinople and Pope Paul VI mutually lifted the anathemas of 1054. Since then, the two sides have regularly exchanged delegations and held joint theological meetings.

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