During his speech following the celebration of the Liturgy on the feast day of Saint Andrew the Apostle, Patriarch Bartholomew underlined the deeper meaning of every divine liturgy, which brings into communion heaven and earth, eternity and all time, past, present and future. The Holy Liturgy is the sacramental revelation of the entire truth of our faith and the place of total communion in the body of Christ.
Subsequently, His all holiness expressed his sadness over the fact that the Orthodox and Roman Catholics could not commonly conduct divine services, as well as his wish that the day will soon come for full Communion.
Within the framework of the Eucharist which we owe to the Creator of the universe for all His gifts, the Patriarch expressed his heartfelt gratitude for this visit by the Pope, which he defined as an expression of filial love and honor towards the Orthodox Church, as well as a sign of mutual will for “in spiritum love and trust” in truth, towards the restoration of full communion of the Churches.
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Thursday, November 30, 2006