"We are awaiting the Pope’s visit with brotherly love. It will be important for our country and for Catholic-Orthodox relations". In the words of the ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, there are great expectations for the forthcoming meeting with Benedict XVI, of which the website of the patriarchate provides all the details. On November 29th, the Pope will be received by Bartholomew I and will take part in a "doxology of peace" in the Cathedral of Saint George’s. The rite includes the worship of the relics of Saint Gregory the theologian and Saint John Chrysostom, and will be followed by a private meeting between the two leaders. On November 30th, also in the ecumenical cathedral, Benedict XVI will take part in a "divine liturgy" with official speeches, the exchange of the kiss of peace and the blessing of the people. After the liturgy, a "joint statement of ecumenical solidarity" will be read and signed. Benedict XVI will go be back in the Vatican on December 1st after receiving Bartholomew I in the Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Spirit.
