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CajunRick
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Posted: Sat Nov 18th, 2006 03:36 pm |
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Important for Our Country, Says Bartholomew I
ISTANBUL, Turkey, NOV. 17, 2006 (Zenit.org).- The ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, awaits Benedict XVI's visit to Turkey with "fraternal love," says the Orthodox patriarchate.
The Orthodox patriarch will receive the Pope on Nov. 29-30 at the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul.
Benedict XVI's three-day visit to Istanbul comes at the personal invitation of the Orthodox patriarch on the occasion of the feast day of St. Andrew the Apostle, the older brother of St. Peter.
St. Andrew traveled across Asia Minor and is considered the founder of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, present-day Istanbul.
"We are awaiting the Pope's visit with fraternal love and great anticipation," Bartholomew I in the communiqué from the patriarchate. "It will be very important for our country and Orthodox-Catholic relations."
Benedict XVI is scheduled to arrive in Istanbul, on Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 29, to be received by the patriarch. The Pope will participate in a Doxology of Peace at the Patriarchal Cathedral of St. George.
The prayer service will include a mutual veneration of the relics of St. Gregory the Theologian and St. John Chrysostom, and will be followed by a private meeting between the two Church leaders.
Divine Liturgy
The next morning, Benedict XVI is scheduled to participate in the Divine Liturgy at St. George Cathedral where both religious leaders will deliver official addresses, exchange the kiss of peace, and jointly bless the faithful present.
After the Divine Liturgy, a common declaration of ecumenical solidarity will be read and signed. Following the signing, the Pope will join Bartholomew I for lunch at the patriarchate.
After receiving the Orthodox patriarch at the Roman Catholic Church of the Holy Spirit and celebrating a Mass, Benedict XVI will depart for Vatican City on Friday, Dec. 1.
Bartholomew I is the archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome and the ecumenical Patriarch.
"The Ecumenical Patriarch is a living witness to the world of Orthodoxy's painful and redemptive struggle for religious freedom and to the innate dignity of humankind," explained a communiqué issued by the patriarchate.
"As a citizen of Turkey, His All Holiness's personal experience provides him a unique perspective on the continuing dialogue among the Christian, Islamic and Jewish worlds," added the patriarchate.
"For his inspiring efforts on behalf of religious freedom and human rights," it said, "Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew was heralded as a Bridge Builder and Peacemaker and awarded the Congressional Gold Medal by the U.S. Congress in 1997."
The above article is available from Zenit.
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