Audience to representatives of Churches and Christian Communions and of other religions

On Monday, May 19, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV received the representatives of Churches and Christian Communions and of other religions who had attended the inaugural celebration of his Pontificate the day before.

In his speech to the assembly, the Pope emphasized that his election took place in the year of the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, which "represents a milestone in the formulation of the Creed shared by all Churches and Ecclesial Communities,." Pope Leo affirmed that full communion among all Christians "can only be unity in faith." He then assured: "As Bishop of Rome, I consider one of my priorities to be that of seeking the re-establishment of full and visible communion among all those who profess the same faith in God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit."

The Holy Father also stated: "unity has always been a constant concern of mine, as witnessed by the motto I chose for my episcopal ministry: In Illo uno unum", underlining that “our communion is realised to the extent that we meet in the Lord Jesus. The more faithful and obedient we are to him, the more united we are among ourselves”. Recalling that "synodality and ecumenism are closely linked", Pope Leo stated his “intention to continue Pope Francis’ commitment to promoting the synodal nature of the Catholic Church and developing new and concrete forms for an ever stronger synodality in ecumenical relations”.

Addressing more specifically the Representatives of the Jewish community, the Holy Father declared: “Because of the Jewish roots of Christianity, all Christians have a special relationship with Judaism. The conciliar Declaration Nostra Aetate (no. 4) emphasises the greatness of the spiritual heritage shared by Christians and Jews, encouraging mutual knowledge and esteem. The theological dialogue between Christians and Jews remains ever important and close to my heart. Even in these difficult times, marked by conflicts and misunderstandings, it is necessary to continue the momentum of this precious dialogue of ours”.

Also participating in the audience were Patriarch Bartholomew, Patriarch Theophilus III, Patriarch Mar Awa III and Patriarch Sahag, who had previously met the Holy Father for a private conversation.

_{Photos © Vatican Media}