"Praying for total unity". The invitation comes from the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, during the Divine Liturgy of Saint Andrew, celebrated in the Patriarchal Church of Saint George in Istanbul, in the presence of Benedict XVI. "Today’s celebration said Bartholomew I to the Pope teaches us how to extend our horizons, even if there are still many differences between us". The Patriarch acknowledged "the shared willingness to keep walking towards unity, towards the truth of the Gospel. That is why, Your Holiness, we are more united than ever before in eternity and in time, through the saints and through our predecessors, for restoring the full communion of our Churches: this is God’s will and command". At the end of the liturgy, the Pope presented Bartholomew I with a chalice, and the Patriarch reciprocated the present with a Gospel.
