We know that Chiara Lubich had a privileged relationship with Athenagoras, former Patriarch of Constantinople. A few day before the historical trip of Pope Montini to Istanbul, Chiara had gone to visit the Patriarch. Vatican Radio interviewed her on July 18, 1967:

What are your first impressions from your recent encounter with Patriarch Athenagoras?

”As soon as I found myself in the presence of this great person of our times, I had the impression of having before me the completely open heart of a father. He was a father who loves people and even in his venerable age, he presents a youthful, fresh spirit, rich of the greatest hope and faith.

My first impression was not that of finding myself before a non-Catholic brother, but finding a soul as if we were already of the same reality.

Throughout the whole conversation he always showed the highest appreciation for the Holy Father Paul VI. I had the impression that he follows all the events of the Catholic Church with extreme attention and veneration, especially the activities of the Holy Father.

After your recent conversation with Athenagoras, what do you think of the forthcoming meeting between Pope Paul VI and the Patriarch?

Given the deep belief of Athenagoras in the charity towards Christ and towards his brothers and sisters as the core of Christianity, I think that the act of the Holy Father to anticipate the visit of the Patriarch to Rome, is the best gesture to show that the Catholic Church is the Church of love, where the Pope, the successor of Peter, is the one who loves the most.

Do you therefore also think that there will be positive prospects and expectations after this encounter?

I think that Patriarch Athenagoras will manifest his conviction that love is the way to reach unity in the truth. This is the way that the Holy Father Paul VI also indicated in a recent talk addressed to a group of Orthodox students.

They have similar viewpoints concerning the way to reach unity, so we can hope that the Holy Father and Athenagoras may find very effective solutions to start theological dialogues and I think that with this atmosphere we can hope for everything.

On the other hand the figure of this great patriarch, like a prophet standing up with his faith and love for Constantinople, cannot but have a great influence on the Orthodox world, which he himself will visit soon before reaching Rome.

Could you tell us how the vision of Patriarch Athenagoras on the ecumenical problem was expressed during your conversation?

The ecumenical vision of the Patriarch, whose humility and holiness are visible from his every attitude and word, was clear in the last part of the long conversation, when he spoke to us about his recent Easter message. “I have the habit of publishing a message every Easter,” he explained. “The last one said: ‘The first ten centuries of Christianity were for the dogmas and the organization; the next ten centuries saw misfortunes, schisms and the division. The third era – this one – is the era of love. We meet in the same chalice through this way of charity. Of course,” he continued, “we need theologians, but the differences are too small and faded by the sun of love. The differences have lost their colour thanks to the sun of charity. In the first thousand years we lived in communion; then we separated.’” Therefore, referring to the recent annulment of the reciprocal excommunications by the Catholic and Orthodox churches, he affirmed: “Now the schism is gone; why don’t we return to the same chalice? We believe that we have the same Mother, the Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, as the Pope said; we have the same baptism: the door of the Church. Tell me: why don’t we return to the same chalice?”