Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew calls for Christian unity in Assisi

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople called for full communion between Christian churches during a peace forum in Assisi on October 27. Speaking at the forum "The Ecumenical Patriarchate: From the East to the Global World," the Orthodox leader rejected the idea that the division between Christians should be accepted as natural. He stated that the Orthodox Church will continue to hope for unity until the joint celebration of the Eucharist is restored.

During his address, which marked 35 years since his election in 1991, Bartholomew condemned the use of religion to justify armed violence. He described invoking the name of God to justify homicide as blasphemy. He also noted the experiences of new martyrs in Africa and other regions, observing that persecutors do not distinguish between different Christian confessions.

Bartholomew recalled a 2025 prayer shared in Niceia with Pope Leo XIV and stated that what unites Christians is older than what separates them. He also renewed his request to reopen the Halki School, which has been closed since 1971, stating that a church unable to train its clergy in its own land is wounded in its mission.