Patriarch Bartholomew announced the Pope's visit to Phanar

Constantinople Patriarch Bartholomew announced the visit of Pope Leo XIV to Phanar for the joint celebration of the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council. The head of the Phanar noted that the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Vatican are working together to restore unity. He made this statement during a sermon in one of the churches in Istanbul.

«His Holiness Pope Leo, who is also the head of state, will first travel to Ankara to greet the President of the Republic of Turkey, Mr. Erdogan, and then come here to visit Nicaea with him, where the First Ecumenical Council was held. Then he will arrive at our Patriarchate to attend the Divine Liturgy of St. Andrew the First-Called. We are conducting a theological dialogue with our sister Catholic Church, the goal of which is to achieve unity among divided Christians,» — Bartholomew said.

Earlier, Ukraine’s ambassador to the Vatican, Andriy Yurash, said that the Vatican was considering a visit by Pope Leo XIV to Ukraine. According to the diplomat, the newly elected Pope Leo XIV has shown exceptional attention to Ukraine from the first days of his pontificate. On the day of his first public statement, he devoted the central part of his speech to the Ukrainian issue.