"My presence here today is bound to renew the common commitment to continue on the way to reinstating with God’s grace the full communion between the Church of Rome and the Church of Constantinople". This was said this morning by Benedict XVI, during the Divine Liturgy celebrated in the Patriarchal Church of Saint George, in Istanbul, on the occasion of the feast of Saint Andrew the Apostle, the patron saint of the Church of Constantinople. "You can rest assured he added that the Catholic Church is ready to do all it can to overcome the obstacles and to look, along with our Orthodox brothers and sisters, for more and more effective means of pastoral cooperation to such end". Then, the Pope mentioned that "the two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew (which the Churches of Rome and Constantinople come from, editor’s note), were two fishermen, whom Jesus called to become fishers of men. Jesus Resurrected, before his Ascension, sent them, along with the other Apostles, with the mission to make all nations their disciples, by baptising them and proclaiming His lessons", but "this task, left to us by the holy brothers Peter and Paul, is far from being accomplished". Quite the opposite, "today he highlighted it is even more urgent and necessary". (to be continued)
