‘We look toward the new pontiff with Christian hope,’ says ecumenical patriarch

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople said he hopes Pope Leo XIV will “be a dear brother and collaborator for the rapprochement of our Churches, for the unity of the whole Christian family, and for the benefit of all of humankind.” The patriarch was one of several Church leaders in the Christian East who welcomed the May 8 election of Pope Leo, noting his first words to the crowd in St. Peter’s Square were about peace. Patriarch Bartholomew was at an event in his o