Pontiff wraps up Turkey visit by addressing plight of Christians in Syria and iraq and calls for ‘constructive dialogue’ with Islam

The pope has concluded a three-day trip to Turkey by attending a religious service in Istanbul led by the ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the pre-eminent spiritual leader of 300 million Orthodox Christians worldwide.

Afterwards, both men condemned the violent persecution of many Christian communities in the Middle East, and called for peace in Ukraine.

In a joint declaration signed by Pope Francis and Bartholomew after the divine liturgy to commemorate the Feast of Saint Andrew the Apostle, the leaders expressed concern for the increasingly volatile situation in both Syria and Iraq, and urged the international community not to turn away from their responsibility to those being oppressed and driven from their homes.

“Many of our brothers and sisters are being persecuted and have been forced violently from their homes”, the text read. “It even seems that the value of human life has been lost, that the human person no longer matters and may be sacrificed to other interests. And, tragically, all this is met by the indifference of many.”

They also highlighted the importance of inter-faith dialogue and religious tolerance and freedom, calling for “constructive dialogue with Islam based on mutual respect and friendship.”

The fourth reigning pope to come to the predominantly Muslim country, Francis’s visit came at a time of great difficulties for Middle Eastern Christian communities, especially in Syria and Iraq where civil war and the growing influence of Islamic State militants who have captured large swaths of both countries have displaced millions of people, with almost 2 million Syrian refugees living in Turkey.

On Sunday, the 77-year-old Argentinian pontiff repeated his call to put an end to all forms of fundamentalism not through military interventions, but by eradicating poverty, hunger and marginalisation around the world, all of which facilitated the recruitment of terrorists.

During his three-day visit to Turkey, the pope has drawn attention to the persecution of Christians in the Middle East while discussing relations with Islam. He has also addressed the schism between Catholicism and Orthodoxy.

In an unprecedented gesture of humility and respect towards the Orthodox church, Francis bowed before Bartholomew and asked for his blessing on Saturday during a joint ecumenical service in Istanbul at the Patriarchal Church of St George, the first pontiff ever to do so. Bartholomew, with whom Francis is said to share close personal ties, was last year also the first Orthodox patriarch to attend a papal inaugural mass since the split between the churches almost 1,000 years ago.

The ecumenical patriarchy expressed satisfaction with the pontiff’s visit to Turkey and the renewed commitment for cooperation between the two churches.

“The Pope’s visit was an overwhelming success, exceeding our expectations and aspirations”, John Chryssavgis, theological adviser to the Patriarch of Constantinople, said. “There is a special connection – I would say inspired and spirited friendship – between these two visionary leaders. We are very blessed to have such primates on the thrones of Rome and Constantinople at the same time and at a critical point in history.”