ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, will attend Pope Francis' installation Mass — the first time a patriarch from the Istanbul-based church has attended a papal investiture since the two branches of Christianity split nearly 1,000 years ago.
Bartholomew said he is doing that to underscore the importance of "friendly ties" between the churches and expectations that the new pontiff will advance rapprochement efforts that began decades ago.
Bergoglio brought Jewish, evangelical Christian, Greek Orthodox and Muslim leaders into the Metropolitan Cathedral to pray for peace in the Middle East.
Last November, he welcomed Jews for a joint service on the 74th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the night in 1938 when nearly 200 synagogues were destroyed, Jewish shops were looted and tens of thousands of Jews were sent to be exterminated in Adolf Hitler's Germany.
Bartholomew attended the Vatican funeral of Pope John Paul II in 2005, and hosted Benedict during a 2006 visit to Istanbul, the sprawling city formerly called Constantinople and the ancient spiritual center of the Orthodox churches.
Francis is familiar with Orthodox traditions from 14 years of heading the Argentine church's commission on Eastern Rite Christians, which is within the Catholic fold but follows Orthodox religious customs, including some married clergy in lower ranks.
For Orthodox, the new pope's choice of Francis is also important for its reference to the Italian town of Assisi, where Pope John Paul II began conferences encouraging interfaith dialogue and closer bonds among Christians.
Some mostly Muslim countries were sending delegations, including Bahrain, Lebanon and Jordan, whose King Abdullah II congratulated Francis on his election, saying he's committed to dialogue with the Holy See.
Bartholomew said he is doing that to underscore the importance of "friendly ties" between the churches and expectations that the new pontiff will advance rapprochement efforts that began decades ago.
Bergoglio brought Jewish, evangelical Christian, Greek Orthodox and Muslim leaders into the Metropolitan Cathedral to pray for peace in the Middle East.
Last November, he welcomed Jews for a joint service on the 74th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the night in 1938 when nearly 200 synagogues were destroyed, Jewish shops were looted and tens of thousands of Jews were sent to be exterminated in Adolf Hitler's Germany.
Bartholomew attended the Vatican funeral of Pope John Paul II in 2005, and hosted Benedict during a 2006 visit to Istanbul, the sprawling city formerly called Constantinople and the ancient spiritual center of the Orthodox churches.
Francis is familiar with Orthodox traditions from 14 years of heading the Argentine church's commission on Eastern Rite Christians, which is within the Catholic fold but follows Orthodox religious customs, including some married clergy in lower ranks.
For Orthodox, the new pope's choice of Francis is also important for its reference to the Italian town of Assisi, where Pope John Paul II began conferences encouraging interfaith dialogue and closer bonds among Christians.
Some mostly Muslim countries were sending delegations, including Bahrain, Lebanon and Jordan, whose King Abdullah II congratulated Francis on his election, saying he's committed to dialogue with the Holy See.
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