Pope, ecumenical patriarch to share sermon during Vatican Mass

Published: 2004-06-22

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope John Paul II and Ecumenical Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople will profess the faith together and share the pulpit during a Mass on the June 29 feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, the Vatican said. The patriarch's visit to Rome will mark the 40th anniversary of Pope Paul VI's historic 1964 meeting with Ecumenical Orthodox Patriarch Athenagoras. On June 22 the Vatican announced details of the Mass, which will be celebrated in the evening on the steps of St. Peter's Basilica. The pope plans to welcome Patriarch Bartholomew to the basilica before the liturgy. Concelebrating with the pope will be several recently appointed archbishops, who will receive the pallium, a circular white band of wool that symbolizes their authority and their unity with the pontiff. As in a similar liturgy in 1995, the pope and the patriarch will recite the profession of faith and deliver a "shared sermon," expected to touch on the prospects for ecumenical dialogue.

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