Participants in the Plenary of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches met with Pope Francis at the Vatican.
Its prefect, Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, thanked the Pope for advancing relations between the Latin and Eastern Churches, and expressed his concern about prospect of war in Ukraine, where over 60% of the country is Orthodox Christian.
The Pope recalled how past wars ravaged communities of Eastern Christian, just as they threaten to do today.
POPE FRANCIS
'We are attached to wars, and this is tragic.'
He also denounced the conflicts in Syria, Iraq, Ethiopia, and Lebanon which have displaced millions from their homes in what he called the “motherland of the Eastern Catholic Churches.”
POPE FRANCIS
'We had hoped that there would be no need to repeat similar words in the third millennium; yet humanity still seems to fumble in the dark.'
The Pope' remarks came during a liturgical conference taking place in Rome, which he described as an opportunity for those from different confessions to get to know each other, and walk together towards unity.
JM
