Bari, Italy, Jul 2, 2018 / 08:48 am
Pope Francis' visit to Bari this Saturday to pray for peace in the Middle East will have a strong ecumenical focus, the city's archbishop has said.
Taking place July 7, the day of prayer and reflection will include leaders of Catholic and Orthodox Churches in the Middle East, and will have an "authentically ecumenical breath," Archbishop Francesco Cacucci of Bari-Bitonto told Vatican News.
He said the day's events will "combine the ecumenical vision of the Christian Churches and [give] particular attention to the Middle East, to invoke peace, but also to be close to our Christian brothers, who live in suffering."
Pope Francis announced April 25 he would hold the day primarily for "prayer and reflection on the dramatic situation of the Middle East which afflicts so many brothers and sisters in the faith."