On 29th June, 1967, Pope Paul VI invited Patriarch Athenagoras to send some representatives to Rome. Since then, the leaders of the two Churches have exchanged visits: on 29th June, the feast of Saints Peter and Paul, a delegation from the Patriarchate of Constantinople comes to Rome – at times, the Patriarch himself has come; while on 30th November, the feast of Saint Andrew, a delegation from the Vatican travels to the Patriarchate on behalf of the Pope. According to Tradition, Saint Peter, bishop of Rome and Saint Andrew, founder of the episcopal see of Constantinople, were brothers. These visits are a reminder for these two Churches that see themselves as sisters, to commit to reconciliation and to strengthen the bonds of solidarity.

On this feast day, which is meaningful for the journey toward unity among the Churches, we are publishing a video with reflections gathered at the conclusion of the Conference entitled “Called to hope – Key players of dialogue” promoted by Centro Uno, the international secretariat for Christian unity of the Focolare Movement. The event brought together 250 people from 40 countries and 20 Christian Churches, with over 4000 people worldwide following it via streaming.

Turn on subtitles and pick the language you want (International Version)