Patriarch Athenagoras, published after their meeting of 6 January 1964). Our
meeting, another encounter of the Bishops of the Churches of Rome and
Constantinople founded respectively by the two Brothers the Apostles Peter and
Andrew, is a source of profound spiritual joy for us. It presents a
providential occasion to reflect on the depth and the authenticity of our
existing bonds, themselves the fruit of a grace-filled journey on which the
Lord has guided us since that blessed day of fifty years ago.
 2. Our fraternal encounter today is a new and necessary step on the journey
towards the unity to which only the Holy Spirit can lead us, that of communion
in legitimate diversity. We call to mind with profound gratitude the steps
that the Lord has already enabled us to undertake. The embrace exchanged
between Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras here in Jerusalem, after many
centuries of silence, paved the way for a momentous gesture, the removal from
the memory and from the midst of the Church of the acts of mutual
excommunication in 1054. This was followed by an exchange of visits between
the respective Sees of Rome and Constantinople, by regular correspondence and,
later, by the decision announced by Pope John Paul II and Patriarch Dimitrios,
of blessed memory both, to initiate a theological dialogue of truth between
Catholics and Orthodox. Over these years, God, the source of all peace and
love, has taught us to regard one another as members of the same Christian
family, under one Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and to love one another, so
that we may confess our faith in the same Gospel of Christ, as received by the
Apostles and expressed and transmitted to us by the Ecumenical Councils and
the Church Fathers. While fully aware of not having reached the goal of full
communion, today we confirm our commitment to continue walking together
towards the unity for which Christ our Lord prayed to the Father so 'that all
may be one'.
 3. Well aware that unity is manifested in love of God and love of neighbour,
we look forward in eager anticipation to the day in which we will finally
partake together in the Eucharistic banquet. As Christians, we are called to
prepare to receive this gift of Eucharistic communion, according to the
teaching of Saint Irenaeus of Lyon, through the confession of the one faith,
persevering prayer, inner conversion, renewal of life and fraternal dialogue.
By achieving this hoped for goal, we will manifest to the world the love of
God by which we are recognized as true disciples of Jesus Christ.
 4. To this end, the theological dialogue undertaken by the Joint
International Commission offers a fundamental contribution to the search for
full communion among Catholics and Orthodox. Throughout the subsequent times
of Popes John Paul II and Benedict the XVI, and Patriarch Dimitrios, the
progress of our theological encounters has been substantial. Today we express
heartfelt appreciation for the achievements to date, as well as for the
current endeavours. This is no mere theoretical exercise, but an exercise in
truth and love that demands an ever deeper knowledge of each other's
traditions in order to understand them and to learn from them. Thus we affirm
once again that the theological dialogue does not seek a theological lowest
common denominator on which to reach a compromise, but is rather about
deepening one's grasp of the whole truth that Christ has given to his Church,
a truth that we never cease to understand better as we follow the Holy
Spirit's promptings. Hence, we affirm together that our faithfulness to the
Lord demands fraternal encounter and true dialogue. Such a common pursuit does
not lead us away from the truth; rather, through an exchange of gifts, through
the guidance of the Holy Spirit, it will lead us into all truth.
 5. Yet even as we make this journey towards full communion we already have
the duty to offer common witness to the love of God for all people by working
together in the service of humanity, especially in defending the dignity of
the human person at every stage of life and the sanctity of family based on
marriage, in promoting peace and the common good, and in responding to the
suffering that continues to afflict our world. We acknowledge that hunger,
poverty, illiteracy, the inequitable distribution of resources must constantly
be addressed. It is our duty to seek to build together a just and humane
society in which no-one feels excluded or marginalised.
 6. It is our profound conviction that the future of the human family depends
also on how we safeguard - both prudently and compassionately, with justice
and fairness - the gift of creation that our Creator has entrusted to us.
Therefore, we acknowledge in repentance the wrongful mistreatment of our
planet, which is tantamount to sin before the eyes of God. We reaffirm our
responsibility and obligation to foster a sense of humility and moderation so
that all may feel the need to respect creation and to safeguard it with care.
Together, we pledge our commitment to raising awareness about the stewardship
of creation; we appeal to all people of goodwill to consider ways of living
less wastefully and more frugally, manifesting less greed and more generosity
for the protection of God's world and the benefit of His people.
 7. There is likewise an urgent need for effective and committed cooperation
of Christians in order to safeguard everywhere the right to express publicly
one's faith and to be treated fairly when promoting that which Christianity
continues to offer to contemporary society and culture. In this regard, we
invite all Christians to promote an authentic dialogue with Judaism, Islam and
other religious traditions. Indifference and mutual ignorance can only lead to
mistrust and unfortunately even conflict.
 8. From this holy city of Jerusalem, we express our shared profound concern
for the situation of Christians in the Middle East and for their right to
remain full citizens of their homelands. In trust we turn to the almighty and
merciful God in a prayer for peace in the Holy Land and in the Middle East in
general. We especially pray for the Churches in Egypt, Syria, and Iraq, which
have suffered most grievously due to recent events. We encourage all parties
regardless of their religious convictions to continue to work for
reconciliation and for the just recognition of peoples' rights. We are
persuaded that it is not arms, but dialogue, pardon and reconciliation that
are the only possible means to achieve peace.
 9. In an historical context marked by violence, indifference and egoism, many
men and women today feel that they have lost their bearings. It is precisely
through our common witness to the good news of the Gospel that we may be able
to help the people of our time to rediscover the way that leads to truth,
justice and peace. United in our intentions, and recalling the example, fifty
years ago here in Jerusalem, of Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras, we
call upon all Christians, together with believers of every religious tradition
and all people of good will, to recognise the urgency of the hour that compels
us to seek the reconciliation and unity of the human family, while fully
respecting legitimate differences, for the good of all humanity and of future
generations.
 10. In undertaking this shared pilgrimage to the site where our one same Lord
Jesus Christ was crucified, buried and rose again, we humbly commend to the
intercession of the Most Holy and Ever Virgin Mary our future steps on the
path towards the fullness of unity, entrusting to God's infinite love the
entire human family.
 'May the Lord let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! The Lord
look upon you kindly and give you peace!'".
 Jerusalem, 25 May 2014.

___________________________________________________________

 ECUMENICAL ENCOUNTER IN THE HOLY SEPULCHRE: LET US NOT DEPRIVE THE WORLD OF
THE PROCLAMATION OF THE RESURRECTION
 Vatican City, 26 May 2014 (VIS) - After signing the Joint Declaration, the
Holy Father and the Patriarch Bartholomew went to the Basilica of the Holy
Sepulchre to take part in an ecumenical celebration. The Pope entered the
Square by the Muristan arch, while the Patriarch entered by the gate of St.
Helena. The celebration continued with the participation of the Ordinaries of
the Holy Land, the Syrian archbishop, the Ethiopian archbishop, the Anglican
bishop, the Lutheran bishop, and others. It was also attended by the general
consuls of the five countries who guarantee the "Statu quo" of the Basilica
(France, Belgium, Spain, Italy and Greece), and the other consuls of the
"Corpus separatum" of Jerusalem (Switzerland, the United States, Turkey, and
the United Kingdom).
 The Holy Sepulchre is, according to tradition, the place where the burial,
crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ took place. After the repression
of the Jewish revolt in 135, Jerusalem underwent a radical change: the Jews,
Samaritans and Judeo-Christians were expelled and their return was prohibited.
Hadrian, with the intention of eliminating every trace of the religion that
had provoked two violent revolts, destroyed all places of worship, and the
Holy Sepulchre suffered the same fate: it was razed to the ground, its
cavities filled with earth, and a temple to the goddess Venus-Ishtar was built
over it. During the first ecumenical Council of Nicaea, the bishop of
Jerusalem, Macarius, invited the emperor Constantine to restore to light the
Holy Sepulchre, which, beneath the rubble, was perfectly preserved. The
Basilica of the Resurrection to be built there at the behest of the Empress
Helena, mother of Constantine, and went on to have a tumultuous history
throughout the centuries. The stone that sealed the tomb was broken during the
Persian invasion of 614 and it went on to suffer further damages until the
decision of the Crusaders in 1099 to enclose all the monuments to the death
and Resurrection of Christ in a single building, which remained almost
unaltered until the end of the nineteenth century. Further damages resulted
from the earthquake in 1927 and the first Arab-Israel war in 1948.
 The Basilica continues to be regulated according to the "Statu quo", and it
is the property of three communities: the Latins (represented by the Friars
Minor), the Greek Orthodox and the Armenian Orthodox; the Coptic Orthodox,
Syrian Orthodox and the Ethiopian Orthodox may officiate in the Basilica. At
the entrance, in the atrium, there is the Stone of the Anointing, which
according to tradition indicates the place where Jesus, deposed from the
Cross, was anointed.
 Pope Francis and the Patriarch Bartholomew were received by the three
superiors of the communities of the "Statu Quo" (Greek Orthodox, Franciscan
and Armenian Apostolic). The Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos
III and the Custodian of Jerusalem, Fr. Pierbattista Pizzaballa, O.F.M. Cap.,
and the Armenian Apostolic Patriarch, His Beatitude Archbishop Nourhan
Manougian, venerated the Stone of the Anointing, followed by the Pope and the
Ecumenical Patriarch.
 After the proclamation of the Gospel and the words of Patriarch Bartholomew,
the Holy Father gave an address in which he commented that the Basilica,
"which all Christians regard with the deepest veneration", his pilgrimage in
the company of my "beloved brother in Christ, His Holiness Bartholomew, now
reaches its culmination. We are making this pilgrimage in the footsteps of our
venerable predecessors, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras, who, with
courage and docility to the Holy Spirit, made possible, fifty years ago, in
this holy city of Jerusalem, an historic meeting between the Bishop of Rome
and the Patriarch of Constantinople. I cordially greet all of you who are
present. In a special way I express my heartfelt gratitude to those who have
made this moment possible: His Beatitude Theophilos, who has welcomed us so
graciously, His Beatitude Nourhan Manougian and Father Pierbattista
Pizzaballa".

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