Pope Francis, Patriarch Bartholomew Unite To Appeal For Global Aid To Victims Of Islamic Extremists

In an extraordinary display of Christian unity, Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople kissed the head of Pope Francis on Saturday as they issued a joint declaration urging world leaders to extend more assistance to victims of Islamic extremists in Iraq and Syria, including Christians who have been living in the region for 2,000 years.

"The terrible situation of Christians and all those who are suffering in the Middle East calls not only for our constant prayer but also for an appropriate response on the part of the international community," the two leaders of the biggest Christian churches said on Sunday.

Francis represents the 1.2 billion-strong Catholic Church while Bartholomew is the spiritual leader of the world's 300 million Orthodox Christians.

During an Ecumenical Prayer in the Patriarchal Church of Saint George in Istanbul on Saturday, the Pope turned to the Patriarch and asked him "to bless me and the Church of Rome." Pope Francis then bowed in a remarkable display of papal deference to the Orthodox Patriarch.

Responding, Bartholomew blessed and embraced him. Not yet done, he traced the sign of the cross on the Pope's head and kissed it.

The two Christian brothers have met several times before, including in Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulcher during the Pope's trip to the Holy Land in May, and at the Vatican in June for an invocation for peace between Israel and Palestine.

Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi said it was not the first time that the Pope had asked for blessing from another brother, but this was the first time that the Pope's head was kissed.

After the Mass in honor of St. Andrew the Apostle, who is the patron and founder of the Orthodox Church, whose feast was celebrated on Sunday, the Bishop of Rome and the Patriarch of Constantinople held a private meeting.

In their joint declaration, Francis and Bartholomew called for "constructive dialogue" with Islam "based on mutual respect and friendship."

"Inspired by common values and strengthened by genuine fraternal sentiments, Muslims and Christians are called to work together for the sake of justice, peace and respect for the dignity and rights of every person, especially in those regions where they once lived for centuries in peaceful coexistence and now tragically suffer together the horrors of war," they said.

The Catholic and Orthodox churches split in 1054 over differences on the primacy of the papacy.

Addressing the Orthodox faithful gathered in St. George Church, Pope Francis assured them that unity wouldn't mean sacrificing their rich liturgical or cultural patrimony or "signify the submission of one to the other, or assimilation."

"I want to assure each one of you gathered here that, to reach the desired goal of full unity, the Catholic Church does not intend to impose any conditions except that of the shared profession of faith," he said.

Lombardi noted the novelty in the Pope's message. While theologians from both churches continue to debate the divisions between them, Francis and Bartholomew are "pushing with incredible strength toward union," the Vatican spokesman said.

Speaking out against the resurgence of Islamic extremism in the region, Bartholomew underscored that Christians are being persecuted regardless of their particular confession.

"The modern persecutors of Christians do not ask which church their victims belong to," he said. "The unity that concerns us is regrettably already occurring in certain regions of the world through the blood of martyrs," he said.

Francis supported Batholomew's view, saying people of all faiths could not remain indifferent to the cries of the victims of the "inhumane and brutal" war in the region.

"Taking away the peace of a people, committing every act of violence, or consenting to such acts, especially when directed against the weakest and defenceless, is a profoundly grave sin against God," he said.

Pope Francis also condemned the attack on Muslim worshippers at the main mosque in northern Nigeria's biggest city, Kano, on Friday in which at least 81 people were killed.

The Pope earlier prayed in one of Istanbul's most important mosques alongside the Grand Mufti of Istanbul, Rahmi Yaran.

He later met a large group of young refugees, mostly from Iraq and Syria, Christians and Muslims among them, and thanked Turkey for sheltering so many displaced civilians.