Greetings of Pope Francis to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew

On 22 October, the Holy Father addressed a letter of best wishes to His Holiness Bartholomew I on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of his election as Archbishop of Constantinople and Ecumenical Patriarch.

Expressing his joy and gratitude to God for the deep friendship which binds the two heads of the Church, Pope Francis gave thanks for the Patriarch's incessant commitment to the safeguarding of creation and to promoting the dialogue aimed at the restoration of the unity of Christians: "With God’s help, this is the path along which we will most certainly continue to walk together, for the closeness and solidarity between our Churches are an indispensable contribution to universal brotherhood and social justice, of which humanity is so urgently in need".