Pope received Patriarch John X

Patriarch John X is head of the Patriarchate of Antioch for the Byzantine Orthodox, one of the most ancient Christian communities. He is also the leader of many Christians in Syria and Lebanon, himself a Syrian by nationality. The talks between him and the Pope thus focused not only on ecumenical relations between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, but also on the tragic situation in Syria.

However, the visit also had a poignant personal note as the Patriarch’s own brother, the Orthodox Bishop of Aleppo, Boulos Yazji, together with the Syrian Orthodox Bishop of Aleppo Gregorios Yuhanna Ibrahim, were kidnapped months ago by gunman and their whereabouts are not known (see here).

At the end of the meeting, the two men took a few moments to pray for each other.

View video clip here