Vatican City, Nov 30, 2019 / 14:07 pm
Marking the feast of St. Andrew the Apostle, Pope Francis sent a message to Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople on Saturday, voicing his desire for full communion between the Catholic and Orthodox.
"It is with great spiritual joy and in profound communion of faith and charity that I join the prayer of the Church of Constantinople in celebrating the feast of its holy patron, the Apostle Andrew, the first-called and brother of the Apostle Peter," the pope said in his letter.
Each year, the Holy See sends a delegation to Istanbul on Nov. 30, the feast of St. Andrew the Apostle, while the Patriarchate of Constantinople sends a delegation to Rome each year on the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, celebrated June 29.
Leading the Holy See delegation this year was Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.