Ecumenism and Interfaith Relations

The Council of Nicaea 1,700 years ago recognized that Christian unity had to be based on a common faith and should be demonstrated by a common celebration of Easter, the most sacred feast of the Christian year, said speakers at a Rome conference.

Blessed Iuliu Hossu, the Romanian Greek Catholic bishop of Cluj-Gherla, was named a cardinal “in pectore” — secretly — by St. Paul VI in 1969.

During a special audience with religious leaders who came to Rome for the inauguration of his papal ministry, Pope Leo XIV vowed to continue working toward Christian unity and promoting dialogue among all religions.

Dialogue and bridge-building have emerged as early indicators of what Pope Leo XIV’s interreligious approach to Jews and Muslims may look like, giving hope that Pope Francis-era advances in the church’s interfaith relations will continue, experts told OSV News.

Among his first messages, Pope Leo XIV expressed his intention to strengthen the Catholic Church’s ties with the Jewish community.

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.”

Britain’s King Charles III and Queen Camilla confirmed their plans to meet at the Vatican with Pope Francis in early April in an announcement March 18.