Pope Leo XIV met with faith leaders at the Vatican on Monday, emphasizing his commitment to continue Pope Francis’ legacy on synodality in relation to ecumenical dialogue with other churches and religions.
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Inviting representatives of other Christian churches, ecclessial communities, and other religions who attended his Sunday inauguration Mass to the Apostolic Palace for a private audience, the Holy Father stated his desire to continue the Church’s “ecumenical journey and interreligious dialogue” following the legacy of his predecessors St. John XXIII and Pope Francis.
“Synodality and ecumenism are closely linked,” he said. “I wish to assure you of my intention to continue Pope Francis’ commitment to promoting the synodal character of the Catholic Church and to developing new and concrete forms for an ever more intense synodality in the ecumenical field.”
“Today is the time for dialogue and for building bridges,” he added. “Therefore I am happy and grateful for the presence of the representatives of other religious traditions, who share the search for God and his will, which is always and only the will of love and life for men and women and for all creatures.”
Expressing his particular fraternal affection for the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem, and Assyrian Patriarch Mar Awa III in the meeting, Leo XIV highlighted the need for Christian unity in light of the 1,700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea to be celebrated on May 20.
“That council represents a fundamental stage in the development of the Creed shared by all the Churches and ecclesial communities,” the Holy Father said. “While we are on the path towards the reestablishment of full communion among all Christians, we recognize that this unity can only be unity in faith.”
“As bishop of Rome, I consider one of my primary duties to seek the reestablishment of full and visible communion among all those who profess the same faith in God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,” he added.
During the audience, Pope Leo reiterated the importance of a dialogue and fraternity — founded upon the shared belief in one God — with Jews and Muslims in order to achieve peace.
“Even in these difficult times, marked by conflicts and misunderstandings, it is necessary to continue with enthusiasm this very precious dialogue of ours,” he said.
“This approach, based on mutual respect and freedom of conscience, represents a solid basis for building bridges between our communities,” he added.
Toward the end of the audience, the pontiff reiterated his calls for peace and the need for leaders of all faith traditions to be united, “through the testimony of our brotherhood,” for the good of humanity.
“In a world wounded by violence and conflict, each of the communities represented here brings its own contribution of wisdom, compassion, and commitment to the good of humanity and the protection of our common home,” Pope Leo said.
“I am convinced that, if we are in agreement and free from ideological and political conditioning, we can be effective in saying ‘no’ to war and ‘yes’ to peace, ‘no’ to the arms race and ‘yes’ to disarmament, ‘no’ to an economy that impoverishes peoples and the Earth and ‘yes’ to integral development,” the Holy Father concluded.
This article was originally published on Catholic News Agency.
