Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale986
Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale988
Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale990
Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale992
Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale994
Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale996
Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale998
Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale1000
Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale1002
Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale1004
Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale1006
Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale1008
Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale1010
Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale1012
Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale1014
Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale1016
Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale1018
Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale1020
Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale1022
Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale1024
Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale1026
Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale1028
Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale1030
Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale1032
Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale1034
Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale1036
Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale1038
Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale1040
Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale1042
Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale1044
Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale1046
Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale1048
Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale1050
Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale1052
Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale1054
Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale1056
Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale1058
Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale1060
Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale1062
Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale1064
Congregatio de Causis Sanctorum 1065
Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale1066
Congregatio de Causis Sanctorum 1067
Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale1068
Congregatio pro Episcopis 1069
Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale1070
Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale1060
to whom I have entrusted the task of conveying to you my warmest fraternal
greetings on the Feast of Saint Andrew, the brother of Saint Peter and the
protector of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
On this joyful occasion commemorating the birth into eternal life of the
Apostle Andrew, whose witness of faith in the Lord culminated in his mar-
tyrdom, I express also my respectful remembrance to the Holy Synod, the
clergy and all the faithful, who under your pastoral care and guidance con-
tinue even in difficult circumstances to witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The memory of the holy martyrs compels all Christians to bear witness to
their faith before the world. There is an urgency in this call especially in our
own day, in which Christianity is faced with increasingly complex challenges.
The witness of Christians will surely be all the more credible if all believers in
Christ are « of one heart and soul ».1
Our Churches have committed themselves sincerely over the last decades
to pursuing the path towards the re-establishment of full communion, and
although we have not yet reached our goal, many steps have been taken that
have enabled us to deepen the bonds between us. Our growing friendship and
mutual respect, and our willingness to encounter one another and to recog-
nize one another as brothers in Christ, should not be hindered by those who
remain bound to the remembrance of historical differences, which impedes
their openness to the Holy Spirit who guides the Church and is able to trans-
form all human failings into opportunities for good.
This openness has guided the work of the Joint International Commission
for Theological Dialogue, which held its eleventh plenary session in Cyprus
last month. The meeting was marked by a spirit of solemn purpose and a
warm sentiment of closeness. I extend once again my heartfelt gratitude to
the Church of Cyprus for its most generous welcome and hospitality. It is a
source of great encouragement that despite some difficulties and misunder-
standings all the Churches involved in the International Commission have
expressed their intention to continue the dialogue.
The theme of the plenary session, The Role of the Bishop of Rome in the
Communion of the Church in the First Millennium, is certainly complex, and will
require extensive study and patient dialogue if we are to aspire to a shared
integration of the traditions of East and West. The Catholic Church under-
stands the Petrine ministry as a gift of the Lord to His Church. This ministry
should not be interpreted in the perspective of power, but within an ecclesiol-
1 Acts 4:32.