^{Pope Francis & Patriarch Bartholomew I exchanging friendly words. (www.vaticannews.va)}

In 2013, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio ascended to the papal office, the position which followers of Roman Catholicism believe Petrine authority has continued from for nearly 2,000 years. In his time as Pope Francis, he was radically in favour of social justice and universal fraternity, evidenced by his signing of the Encyclical “Fratelli Tutti” in 2020.1 This side to Francis’ character didn’t go without the occasional vitriol, however, as some people viewed his social acceptance as proof of his Leftist identity.2

Dimitrios Archontonis became the spiritual director of the Eastern Orthodox Church in 1991. As Patriarch Bartholomew I, he has mirrored the late Pope Francis in many ways while remaining unique, and has remarked on the importance of embracing Christian traditions while acknowledging the wrongs that have occurred because of them.3 There are many other times during his leadership where he has openly rejected social injustice around the world - but his niche has been in environmentalism, which the Patriarch has been a vocal advocate of for many years.4

Despite both leaders having some theological and ecclesial mismatches, the friendship between Pope Francis and the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew proved to be one of the most important and fruitful factors in closing the gap created by the Great Schism of 1054 AD.

“My Brother Andrew”

The week after Pope Francis was elected by the papal conclave in March 2013, he prioritised maintaining the positive relations between the Roman and Orthodox Churches. Greeting Patriarch Bartholomew I in a letter, “My Brother Andrew”, Francis was cleverly alluding to a fraternal bond between two significant Disciples of Christ in the Gospels. Simon Peter (predominantly referred to as ‘Peter’), who was the Disciple that Christ gave the keys to Heaven,5 became the first Bishop of Rome according to the foundational history of Roman Catholicism, and thus was the inaugural holder of the papal title. Andrew in the Gospels is mentioned to be the brother of Peter, who was a fellow fisherman.6 Essentially, Pope Francis was recognising the importance of the brotherly friendship that the Pope and the Patriarch must share in keeping with their positions as the East and West’s most ancient Churches.

The Ecumenical Patriarch was receptive of this, and reciprocated the desire to found and maintain a friendship with Pope Francis. The two were in communication with each-other as dear friends, not distinguishing themselves but seeing both parties as being united in Christ. The Patriarch is quoted to have called Pope Francis a “precious brother in Christ” and “a true friend of Orthodoxy”.7 These words were delivered by him when addressing the news of Pope Francis’ passing in April 2025, and served a poignant reminder of the importance of the inter-ecclesial friendship that the two spiritual leaders shared.

Tackling “So-whatism”

^{The two spiritual leaders. (Archons.org)}

Pope Francis in his book, ‘Let Us Dream: The Path to a Better Future’, released in 2020, shares that there is a growing indifference in the world. Humanity seems uninterested in the affairs going on in the lives of others, and we will regret this in the future. “So-whatism” is the term that Pope Francis uses to describe this lack of interest in the people and the world around us, and wants to encourage us all to take a deep look at our priorities and our interactions with the world.8 In fact, Francis was so interested in the lives of the poor and meek, that the internet coined a new term for him: “Bishop of Slums”, after he became Archbishop of Buenos Aires.9 Then-Archbishop Bergoglio, he was devoted to serving the needs of the socioeconomically challenged and showed grace to them during their hardships.10

The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is familiar with tackling indifference across the world, and he has chosen to rise above obstinance and has used his position to spearhead environmental change. This has gained him the moniker of “Green Patriarch” for his wanting to take ecological change seriously.11 In 1994, at the Theological School of Halki, started was a series of five seminars that took place over the course of four years that covered important subjects such as politics, religion, and justice. However, the first seminar to take place surrounded ecology, and it looked to create discussion between theologians and environmentalists, and to spread awareness about the dangers of the worsening environment on a global scale. The Theological School of Halki was visited by then-Prince Charles of the British Royal Family, where Patriarch Bartholomew warmly and kindly received him, forming an unusual but very well-received friendship.12

Setting Examples

Pope Saint John Paul II is highly regarded as one of the most inspiring Pope’s of our time. This comes as no surprise, as the public relished his jovial nature and admired his stand against Communism.13 However, Pope John Paul II was deeply human, and he tapped into that side of his being whenever he could. He would have shared in Pope Francis’ “Fratelli Tutti” sentiment as well, and most likely the two would have been great friends. The titular credits of Francis’ Encyclical, Fratelli Tutti, originate from the words of St. Francis of Assisi, who upheld the principle of loving all God’s creatures rigorously.14 In fact, it’s easy to imagine the three engaging in a cordial chat, for their outlooks on love. In a book written by Jeffrey Tranzillo, he takes a look at the philosophical and theological nature of Pope John Paul II’s take on ‘love’, and in the book is written:

“For that reason, our every experience of love on the human plane propels us naturally outward, even if only implicitly, to a greater love - to Love itself: to God, who is the supreme measure of personal love.” 15

^{The Ecumenical Patriarch at the Pope Francis’ funeral Mass, April 26, 2025. (Greekcitytimes.com)}

In the modern day, we have our examples found in Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew I. Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox respectively, they found friendship on a middle-ground. As the heads of two of the most ancient Churches, they were in unique positions where they held spiritual authority over the global parish. However, in their fraternal bond, they remained headstrong; together, they sought to provide a blueprint for how to move forward - and it is found in Jesus.

Patriarch Bartholomew is still interceding for his precious brother in Christ, as he prays for the repose of Pope Francis’ soul.16 If the Ecumenical Patriarch can extend his friendship with Francis beyond our world, who’s to say Roman Catholics and the Orthodox can’t extend more goodwill to each-other?

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Hello.

My name is Dhylan Livani and I am a Journalism graduate from the United Kingdom’s most highly-celebrated journalism school at Edinburgh Napier University. My certificate is emblazoned with a 2:1. I was born in this city, and with Edinburgh being a compact capital, it is full of culture, people and stories to be heard and reported on. This makes it every journalists dream, really. A personal fascination of mine is theology, and I study a Masters of Theology at the University of Edinburgh’s New College. Not only do I wish to report on local and regional stories, but I look to cover the United Kingdom more broadly as well. Due to my interest in theology, a lot of my content will surround the Abrahamic faiths and more particularly, Catholicism.

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