The Patriarchate of Constantinople has announced the visit of Pope Leo XIV to the Phanar

The Patriarchate of Constantinople has announced the upcoming visit of Pope Leo XIV to the Phanar, which will take place at the end of November. The visit is timed to coincide with the joint celebration of the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council in Nicea and will be in response to Patriarch Bartholomew’s invitation.

According to the Greek news agency Romfea.gr, the Patriarchate expressed joy at the upcoming event, which «emphasizes the desire for Christian unity.» The central occasion for the meeting will be a joint commemoration of the historic anniversary of the Council that laid the foundations of Christian doctrine.

According to the program, on November 28, the heads of the churches will arrive in Nicea of Bithynia, the site of the Council of 325. In the following days, November 29 and 30, Pope Leo XIV will make an official visit to the residence of the Ecumenical Patriarchate at the Phanar (Istanbul), where he will take part in the celebrations on the occasion of the feast day of the Church of Constantinople — the day of commemoration of its founder, the Holy Apostle Andrew.

Recall that Patriarch Daniel of Bulgaria is expected to raise the issue of his visit to the Patriarchate of Constantinople at the upcoming meeting of the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Church. The move, which could take place late this year or early next year, would follow more than a year after his election and would be an important development in relations between the two Churches.