JERUSALEM – His All-Holiness Ecumenical
Patriarch Bartholomew, spiritual leader of over 300 million Orthodox Christian
faithful worldwide, arrived in Israel today in order to meet with Pope Francis
on May 25 and 26, 2014 in the Holy City of Jerusalem. At Ben Gurion
International Airport, His All-Holiness was greeted by His Excellency
Uzi Landau, Israeli Minister of Tourism, His Beatitude Patriarch
Theophilos III of Jerusalem, and the Consuls General of Greece and Turkey in
Jerusalem, Mr. George Zacharioudakis and Mr. Mustafa Sarnic. After arriving in
Jerusalem, the Ecumenical Patriarch proceeded to the Church of the Resurrection
(Holy Sepulcher) and led a service of Thanksgiving in advance of his meetings
with Pope Francis.
There are three planned
meetings between the two world religious leaders, following the pattern
established in 1964 during the meetings of their predecessors, Pope Paul VI and
Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras. The first meeting will occur at the Apostolic
Delegation in the Old City of Jerusalem, where they will sign a Joint
Declaration. The second meeting will be at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher,
where they will lead an ecumenical gathering in a Service of Thanksgiving. The
third meeting will take place on the Mount of Olives at the residence of the
Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, where they will seal their pilgrimage
and fraternal exchange.
The initiative for this
meeting originated during the installation of the new Pontiff in March of
2013. In a manifestation of Christian love and mutual respect, Ecumenical
Patriarch Bartholomew personally attended the enthronement of Pope Francis.
This was the first time in history that a Primate of Constantinople attended
the installation of the Primate of Rome. During these celebratory days, the
agreement to commemorate this remarkable anniversary was born in their private
meeting.
Subsequently, each Primate
announced their intention to journey to Jerusalem for the immediate purpose of
commemorating the 50th anniversary of the meeting of their predecessors, Pope
Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras. That meeting, in 1964, was the first time an
Ecumenical Patriarch and a Pope had met in over five hundred years. This
historic encounter led to the Lifting of the mutual and limited Anathemas
(December 7, 1965) that occurred over one thousand years before, in the year 1054.
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