Pope Francis: audience, “ecumenical meeting” with “brothers” Tawadros and Bartholomew “made fruitful” by “blood of martyrs in recent attacks”

“Christians, in Egypt as in any other country of the world, are called to be leaven of fraternity. This is possible only if they live Christ’s communion within themselves”. This is the point made by Pope Francis as he recounted the highlights of his trip to Egypt during his general audience today. He recalled that, “thanks to God, we were able to give a strong sign of communion together with my dear brother Pope Tawadros II, Coptic Orthodox Patriarch”. “We reaffirmed our commitment, also with the signing of a Joint Declaration, to walking together, and pledged not to repeat the Baptism that had been administered in our respective Churches”, the Pope remarked. “We prayed together for the martyrs in the recent attacks which have tragically hit that venerable Church; their blood made fruitful that ecumenical meeting which was also attended by the Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew. “The Ecumenical Patriarch, my dear brother”, Pope Francis added off the cuff.