Address of Pope Leo XIV to representatives of other Churches and ecclesial communities
and of other religions, present in Rome for the Eucharistic Celebration
for the beginning of his Petrine Ministry
The representatives included:
Anglican, Methodist and Lutheran leaders
Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople,
Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem
Catholicos Awa III, Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East
Buddhist monks, presenting him with gifts during a meeting
A Muslim Leader presenting him with a prayer bead
Representatives of the Jewish, Sikh and Jain communities
“I wish to assure you of my intention to continue Pope Francis’ commitment
to promoting the synodal nature of the Catholic Church
and to developing new and concrete forms for ever stronger synodality in ecumenical relations”
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
It is with great joy that I greet all of you, representatives of other Churches and ecclesial Communities, as well as of other religions, who have taken part in the celebration of my Inauguration as Bishop of Rome and Successor of Peter
I express my fraternal affection to His All-Holiness Bartholomew, His Beatitude Theophilos III and His Holiness Mar Awa III, and to each of you I am deeply grateful for your presence and prayers, which are a great comfort and encouragement.
One of the strong emphases of the pontificate of Pope Francis has been that of universal fraternity.
In this regard the Holy Spirit has truly “urged” him to make great strides in advancing the initiatives already taken by previous Popes, especially since St. John XXIII.
The Pope of ‘Fratelli Tutti’ promoted both the ecumenical journey and interreligious dialogue.
He did this above all by cultivating interpersonal relationships, in such a way that, distracting from ecclesial bonds, the human aspect of the encounter was always valued.
May God help us to appreciate his witness!
My election took place during the year of the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea. This Council represents a milestone in the formulation of the common creed of all Churches and Ecclesial Communities.
While we are journey towards the restoration of full communion among all Christians, we recognize that this unity can only be unity in faith.
As Bishop of Rome, I consider one of my priorities to seek the restoration of full and visible communion among all those who profess the same faith in God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Indeed, unity has always been a constant concern of mine, as the motto I chose for my episcopal ministry testifies: In Illo uno unum, (translated In Him alone, one).
It is an expression of Saint Augustine of Hippo who reminds us that even though we are many. in the One — that is Christ — we are one” (Enarr. in Ps., 127, 3).
Moreover, our communion is realized to the extent that we meet in the Lord Jesus.
The more faithful and obedient we are to him, the more united we are to one another.
We Christians are therefore all called to pray and work together to achieve this goal, step by step, which is and remains the work of the Holy Spirit.
Aware, moreover, that synodality and ecumenism are intimately linked, I wish to assure you of my intention to continue Pope Francis’ commitment to promoting the synodal nature of the Catholic Church and to developing new and concrete forms for ever stronger synodality in ecumenical relations.
Our common journey can and must also be understood in the broad sense of the inclusion of all, in the spirit of human fraternity to which I referred earlier.
Now is the time for dialogue and building bridges.
I am therefore pleased and grateful for the presence of representatives of other religious traditions, who share the search for God and his will, which is always and only the will of love and life for men and women and for all creatures.
You have witnessed the remarkable efforts made by Pope Francis in favor of interreligious dialogue.
Through his words and actions, he has opened new paths of encounter, to promote “the culture of dialogue as the path; mutual collaboration as the code of conduct; mutual understanding as the method and standard” (A Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together, Abu Dhabi, 4 February 2019).
I thank the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue for the essential role it plays in this patient work of promoting meetings and concrete exchanges aimed at building relationships based on human fraternity.
In a special way I greet our Jewish and Muslim brothers and sisters.
Because of Christianity’s Jewish roots, all Christians have a special relationship with Judaism.
The conciliar declaration Nostra Aetate (no. 4) underlines the greatness of the spiritual heritage shared by Christians and Jews and encourages mutual knowledge and esteem.
The theological dialogue between Christians and Jews remains ever important and dear to my heart.
Even in these difficult times, marked by conflicts and misunderstandings, it is necessary to maintain the momentum of this precious dialogue of ours.
Relations between the Catholic Church and Muslims have been marked by a growing commitment to dialogue and fraternity, fostered by esteem for these our brothers and sisters who “worship the one God, living and subsistent, merciful and almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, who has also spoken to humanity”
This approach, based on mutual respect and freedom of conscience, is a solid foundation for building bridges between our communities.
To all of you, representatives of other religious traditions, I express my gratitude for your participation in this meeting and for your contribution to peace.
In a world wounded by violence and conflict, each of the communities represented here brings its own contribution of wisdom, compassion and commitment to the good of humanity and the preservation of our common home.
I am convinced that united and free from ideological and political conditioning, we can effectively say “no” to war and “yes” to peace, “no” to the arms race and “yes” to disarmament, “no” to an economy that impoverishes peoples and the earth and “yes” to integral development.
The witness of our Fraternity, which I hope we will be able to give with effective gestures, will certainly help to build a more peaceful world, something that all men and women of good will desire in their hearts.
Dear friends, thank you once more for your closeness.
Let us ask God’s blessing in our hearts: may his infinite goodness and wisdom help us to live as his children and as brothers and sisters of one another, so that hope may grow in the world.
I offer you my heartfelt thanks.
