Patriarch Bartholomew marks ‘historic moment of Christian unity,’ says Bishop Burbdige

Meeting with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I during his apostolic visit to the U.S. was “incredible,” and marked a “historic moment of Christian unity,” said Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Arlington, Va.

The bishop shared his thoughts during the Sept. 23 episode of his weekly “Walk Humbly” podcast, recalling how he was “deeply honored to have been invited to be part of” what he called a “very impactful occasion.”

Patriarch Bartholomew — the spiritual leader of the majority of the world’s Orthodox Christians, numbering some 300 million worldwide — made his eighth apostolic visit to the U.S. Sept. 14-25, accompanied by Greek Orthodox Archbishop Elpidophoros of America and other Orthodox clergy.

The itinerary included stops in Washington, where he met with President Donald Trump on Sept. 15 and spoke at a State Department dinner the following evening, and New York, where amid the United Nations General Assembly, he met with U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Concluding the visit was a Sept. 24 dinner at which Patriarch Bartholomew received the Templeton Prize for his ecumenical call to care for creation.

Bishop Burbidge was a special guest at a Sept. 17 welcome doxology service for the patriarch, which took place at St. Katherine’s Greek Orthodox Church in Falls Church, Virginia, followed by a patriarchal audience and blessing.

In an interview published Sept. 18 by the Arlington Catholic Herald, the newspaper of the Diocese of Arlington, Bishop Burbidge said he was honored by the invitation to attend a portion of Patriarch Bartholomew’s visit, which the bishop described as “a great blessing to the Greek Orthodox Church in the United States.”

“It was a prayerful and joyous event,” Bishop Burbidge told the newspaper. “His gracious words and reflections regarding the deep and efficacious love of God that motivated him to create us, redeem us, and draw us closer to himself as a family of God, renewed my commitment to pray for full, visible communion between our churches.”

In his podcast, Bishop Burbidge said the visit of Patriarch Bartholomew — “one of the most respected leaders of world Orthodoxy” — was “a profound reminder of our shared baptism and our common call to witness to Christ.

“Anything highlighting unity within the church in our world these days is a good thing,” said Bishop Burbidge.

In particular, the encounter was “a local blessing with global significance,” with the doxology service taking place “right here in Falls Church, Virginia,” he said — something that “shows how the work of … Christian unity is not just global, but also local, alive in our own neighborhoods and communities.”

The event was also an “opportunity to strengthen the bonds of fraternity,” said Bishop Burbidge, adding, “We had a warm embrace which was symbolic of that fraternity and a step forward, pray God, in ecumenical dialogue.”

The apostolic visit evoked the call issued by both the patriarch and the late Pope Francis — with whom he was close — for ” greater closeness between Catholics and Orthodox,” said Bishop Burbidge. “It was really a wonderful moment, and the joy that was present — it was just a very, very beautiful event.”

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