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Pope ends Turkey trip seeking unity with Orthodox

In this photo provided by Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, right, kisses Pope Francis' head during an ecumenical prayer at the Patriarchal Church of St. George in Istanbul, Saturday, Nov. 29, 2014. The two major branches of Christianity represented by Bartholomew and Francis split in 1054 over differences on the power of the papacy. The two spiritual heads will participate in an ecumenical liturgy and sign a joint declaration in the ongoing attempt to reunite the churches. (AP Photo/L'Osservatore Romano, ho) In this photo provided by Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, right, kisses Pope Francis' head during an ecumenical prayer at the Patriarchal Church of St. George in Istanbul, Saturday, Nov. 29, 2014. The two major branches of Christianity represented by Bartholomew and Francis split in 1054 over differences on the power of the papacy. The two spiritual heads will participate in an ecumenical liturgy and sign a joint declaration in the ongoing attempt to reunite the churches. (AP Photo/L'Osservatore Romano, ho)

By Associated Press November 30, 2014 1 min read

ISTANBUL (AP) – Pope Francis is wrapping up his three-day visit to Turkey with a liturgy alongside the spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians and a meeting with young refugees who have fled Syria, Iraq and other conflict zones.

Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I will issue a joint declaration at the end of their meeting Sunday, which falls on an important feast day for the Orthodox Church.

The Catholic and Orthodox churches split in 1054 over differences on the primacy of the papacy, and there was a time when patriarchs had to kiss popes’ feet. At the end of a joint prayer service Saturday, Francis bowed to Bartholomew and asked for his blessing, a remarkable display of papal deference to an Orthodox patriarch that underscored Francis’ hope to end the schism.