Head of Phanar: Concelebration with Catholics is a goal yet to be achieved

Patriarch Bartholomew. Photo: Nikos Papachristou

On December 6, 2024, during a sermon at St. Nicholas Church in Istanbul, Patriarch Bartholomew declared that a joint Easter celebration with the Pontiff should become "a brilliant opportunity to reach an agreement with Pope Francis on establishing a unified date for the celebration of Easter for the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches, following the canons of our Church," reports the fosfanariou website.

The head of Phanar is "optimistic" that "the Anglican Church and other Protestant communities will gladly accept such an agreement."

Patriarch Bartholomew cited Finland as an example, where the local Orthodox body under the Phanar has celebrated Easter together with Catholics for many years. He emphasized that Christians should celebrate Easter jointly, just as they celebrate Christmas together.

The Patriarch addressed opponents of this initiative, assuring them that there is currently no intention of Eucharistic communion with Catholics or other denominations.

"This agreement will concern exclusively the date of Easter and not liturgical concelebration with our Catholic brothers, as such concelebration presupposes full communion between our two Churches – a goal we have not yet achieved, despite significant progress in theological dialogue," stated the Head of Phanar.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that believers in Greece are protesting against the ecumenical actions of the head of Phanar.

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