A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY
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| Volume 7 Number 46 - Wednesday, November 23, 2005 |
A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY |
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The Orthodox Christian Laity
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The Orthodox Christian News Service |
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On November 19, the world Orthodox leader was in Ravenna,
Italy, to receive an honorary degree, he met with
Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, who carried a message
from the Pope. After an ecumenical Vespers service
in the Byzantine rite, the French cardinal read
the papal message aloud. Pope Benedict said that he is anxious to visit the Ecumenical
Patriarchate "when it pleases God." He
also confirms his intention to work "with all
my energy for the holy cause of promoting
Christian unity." The Holy Father had hoped to visit Istanbul in November, to join
Patriarch Bartholomew in celebrating the feast of
St. Andrew, the patron of the Constantinople
patriarchate. But the plans for that trip were
thwarted when the government of Turkey indicated
that the Pope would be welcome to visit in 2006,
not this year. Patriarch Bartholomew had issued his own invitation for the Pope to
visit immediately after Benedict XVI was elected
to the pontificate. The Ecumenical Patriarch has
made several trips to Rome, most recently in
November 2004, to meet with Pope John Paul II .
(He also traveled to Rome for the late Pontiff's
funeral in April of this year.) Pope John Paul had
also accepted an invitation to visit Istanbul, but
his declining health made the trip impossible. The Orthodox leader responded to the latest message from Pope
Benedict by assuring the Pontiff of "our
constant prayerful participation in the very high
spiritual mission to which he has been called in
succeeding the unforgettable John Paul II.” He
said that he looked forward to the Pope's visit,
hoping that it could take place soon.
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