Cardinal Kurt Koch, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, led a Vatican delegation to Istanbul as Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew celebrated the Feast of St. Andrew, the patronal feast of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.
As the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, Cardinal Koch read aloud Pope Francis’s message to the Ecumenical Patriarch.
The Ecumenical Patriarchate (CNEWA profile) holds a primacy of honor among the Orthodox churches. It is customary for a Vatican delegation to visit the Ecumenical Patriarchate on November 30 for the feast day; it is also customary for an Orthodox delegation to visit Rome on June 29 for the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, Rome’s patronal feast day.