Pope, Orthodox patriarch say unified Europe presents opportunities

Published: 2004-07-01

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- At the end of three days of meetings and liturgies, Pope John Paul II and the spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians said European unity offers new opportunities for Catholic-Orthodox cooperation. As the European Union moves to include more Eastern countries, members of both churches should join in a common witness of the faith against terrorism, religious intolerance and attacks against human life, said a joint statement signed July 1 by the pope and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople. Together, the two churches can help "restore to the European continent the awareness of its European roots," it said. The two leaders signed the statement after eating lunch together at the Vatican. Earlier in the day, the patriarch inaugurated a church for Orthodox liturgical use in Rome, which had been presented as a gift by the pope. The events in Rome marked the 40th anniversary of the historic meeting between Pope Paul VI and Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras in Jerusalem in 1964.

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