Catholic, Eastern Orthodox leaders pledge unity

Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I have signed an agreement in which “they pledged to continue on the path towards unity between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches,” Vatican Radio reports. “Christian blood is the same,” Francis tells those gathered at the Holy Sepulchre.

Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. (screen capture: GPO)

Bartholomew says he and Francis “exchanged an embrace of love, even as we continue along the path toward full communion.”

Patriarch says he and pope “exchanged an embrace of love, even as we continue along the path toward full communion”

— Catholic News Service Rome (@CatholicNewsSvc) May 25, 2014

According to Israel Radio, the Vatican considers the meeting between the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox leaders the high point of Pope Francis’s visit to the region.