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ISTANBUL – Pope Leo XIV and Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople issued a joint call for peace Saturday, condemning violence and urging faithful to work for a better world.

“The goal of Christian unity includes the objective of contributing in a fundamental and life-giving manner to peace among all peoples,” Leo and Bartholomew said in a joint declaration published Nov. 29.

They issued a joint call for “God’s gift of peace upon our world,” noting that, “Tragically, in many regions of our world, conflict and violence continue to destroy the lives of so many.”

“We appeal to those who have civil and political responsibilities to do everything possible to ensure that the tragedy of war ceases immediately, and we ask all people of good will to support our entreaty,” they said.

Pope and patriarch together rejected the use of religion to defend or justify violence, or the perpetuation of violence in God’s name.

Authentic interreligious dialogue, they said, “far from being a cause of syncretism and confusion, is essential for the coexistence of peoples of different traditions and cultures.”

In the spirit of the Second Vatican’ Council’s document Nostra Aetate on relations with other faiths, they urged faithful “to work together to build a more just and supportive world, and to care for creation, which is entrusted to us by God.”

“Only in this way can the human family overcome indifference, desire for domination, greed for profit and xenophobia,” they said.

Bartholomew and Leo said they are “deeply alarmed by the current international situation,” but insisted that despite current challenges, “we do not lose hope. God will not abandon humanity.”

The call for peace in the joint declaration, issued on the third day of Pope Leo’s Nov. 27 – Dec. 2 trip to Turkey and Lebanon, was highly significant given the conflict raging in nearby Gaza, and with tensions remaining high between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah forces.

Both situations remain tenuous, and risk thrusting the entire region into a full-blown violent conflict if tensions escalate further.

Pope Leo has made the pursuit of peace a hallmark of his pontificate in his first six months, and his joint appeal for peace from Turkey during his first international trip adds weight to the message of peace and dialogue he wants to send to the international community.

Prior to holding a meeting with Bartholomew I and signing the joint declaration Saturday, Pope Leo visited the Patriarchal Church of Saint George, where they prayed the Doxology together, a traditional hymn of praise to God.

In a brief greeting at the church, Leo voiced gratitude for the development of “a sincere and fraternal friendship” with his predecessors who also visited, “based on shared faith and a common vision of many of the main challenges facing the Church and the world.”

“I am certain that our own encounter will also help to strengthen the bonds of our friendship, which already began to deepen when we first met at the start of my ministry as Bishop of Rome,” he said, noting that Bartholomew I was present at the May 18 inaugural Mass of his reign.

In the joint declaration, Leo and Bartholomew pledged commitment to continuing to walk “with firm determination on the path of dialogue, in love and truth, towards the hoped-for restoration of full communion between our sister Churches.”

“Christian unity is not merely the result of human efforts, but a gift that comes from on high,” they said, and recalled their joint commemoration, together with representatives of other Christian churches, of the 1700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea, held Friday in modern-day Iznik.

Convened in 325, the First Council of Nicaea dispelled the Arian heresy denying Jesus’s divinity and produced the Nicene Creed still recited during Masses.

Leo and Bartholomew voiced hope that the commemoration would “spur us on to be continuously open to the same Holy Spirit who spoke through Nicaea, as we wrestle with the many challenges of our time.”

They acknowledged that there are still challenges on the path to restoring full communion but said it is the faith expressed in the Nicene Creed that “binds us together.”

They voiced confidence that the joint commemoration of the event would inspire fresh impetus to pursue the path of unity, and applauded the fact that this year, during the Jubilee of Hope, the Orthodox and Catholic dates for Easter coincide.

Bartholomew and Leo said they are committed to continuing the process of finding a common date for Easter, and voiced hope that all Christians would commit themselves to the process of arriving at a common celebration of the glorious resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

They voiced gratitude for the progress made in bettering relations since the Second Vatican Council and urged those still resistant to dialogue “to listen to what the Spirit says to the Churches, who in the current circumstances of history urges us to present to the world a renewed witness of peace, reconciliation and unity.”

Closing their declaration, Leo and Bartholomew voiced their joint faith in Jesus as the Son of God, and entrusted to God “every human being, especially those in need, those who experience hunger, loneliness or illness.”

“We invoke upon each member of the human family every grace and blessing,” they said.

Leo is scheduled to celebrate Mass at Volkswagen Arena in Istanbul Saturday afternoon, at the last event on his third day in Turkey.

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