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The Pope and the Patriarch |
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Written by 'Open Democracy'
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Monday, 04 December 2006 10:00 |
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"The Pope and the Patriarch", "The presence of the pope at the Phanar provided much-needed support for the patriarch. Bartholomew needed the visit of the Roman pontiff far more than Benedict needed the commitment of Bartholomew to ecumenical progress. And it is not just the Turkish government with which the Patriarch has to contend, but with other parts of the Orthodox world. Alexei, the patriarch of Moscow, (the "third Rome", after Rome itself and Constantinople), is presiding over a renaissance in the Russian Orthodox church, which on the one hand is becoming intensely nationalistic, while on the other it is vying with Constantinople for leadership of Orthodox Christians worldwide."
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