Istanbul (Turkey), Nov 30 (EFE).- Pope Leo XIV called on this Sunday for Christians to work together to achieve peace in a time of «bloody conflicts» and ecological crisis, and for the good use of technology, in a speech after the Divine Liturgy in the Cathedral of St. George, in the last act of his visit to Turkey before traveling to Lebanon.
On the day of the celebration of St. Andrew, the patron saint of Orthodox Christians, the Pope moved to the Church of St. George in the Phanar, the Orthodox quarter of Istanbul, to participate in the long ceremony officiated by the Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I.
«There have been many misunderstandings and even conflicts between Christians of different Churches in the past, and there are still obstacles that prevent us from being in full communion, but we must not backtrack on our commitment to unity and we cannot stop considering ourselves brothers and sisters in Christ and loving one another as such,» said Leo XIV.
He explained that in recent years, «a path of reconciliation, peace and growing communion between Catholics and Orthodox has opened up, which has also grown thanks to frequent contacts, fraternal encounters and a promising theological dialogue».
The Pope wished that «no effort be spared for all the autocephalous Orthodox Churches to return to actively participate in this commitment» and said that in turn he will continue the efforts of his predecessors to «seek full communion among all who are baptized».
On his first international trip marked by ecumenism, the union of Christians, the pontiff stressed the importance of responding together to the various challenges of our time.
«Above all, in this time of bloody conflicts and violence in nearby and distant places, Catholics and Orthodox are called to be builders of peace.
Another challenge that Christians must face, he pointed out, «is the threatening ecological crisis» that «requires a spiritual, personal and community conversion, to change course and safeguard creation».
While he also urged working together on the «use of new technologies, especially in the field of communication» to promote a responsible use of them, at the service of the integral development of people, and universal accessibility, so that such benefits are not reserved for a small number of people and the interests of a few privileged».
Before this event, the Pope also attended the cathedral of the Armenian Apostolic Church, the branch that has the largest number of faithful in Turkey, with about 60,000, although this church is not in communion with the Catholic or Orthodox Church.
In this place, the Pope wanted to thank «the brave Christian witness of the Armenian people over the centuries, often in tragic circumstances».
More than one and a half million Armenians died at the hands of the Ottoman Empire during World War I, something that Turkey has not yet recognized.
Pope Leo XIV is on his first apostolic trip outside Italy since his election as pontiff, visiting Turkey and Lebanon from November 27 to December 2.
