Pope, Orthodox Patriarch Pledge to Support Mideast Christians

Pope Francis and Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I on Sunday made a joint pledge to support Christians in the Middle East, saying they could not let Christianity be driven out of the region.

"We cannot resign ourselves to a Middle East without Christians, who have professed the name of Jesus there for two thousand years," the two Church leaders said in a joint declaration.

Referring to the rampage of violence by Islamic State (IS) jihadists in Iraq and Syria, they warned that Christians in the region were being persecuted and forced from their homes.

"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," they added.

The two church leaders also called for "a constructive dialogue with Islam based on mutual respect and friendship."

Earlier on Sunday, Pope Francis launched a strong appeal to end the millennium-old schism between the Orthodox and Catholic Churches to bring them back into full communion, saying the conflicts in the world had made unity even more urgent.

"The one thing that the Catholic Church desires, and that I seek as Bishop of Rome... is communion with the Orthodox Churches," the pope said after attending the celebration of a divine liturgy at the Orthodox Patriarchal Church of St. George in Istanbul with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I.

The Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches have been split since the schism of 1054 and it is only in the last decades that meetings between their leaders have restarted after a centuries-long freeze.

Alluding to the violence in the Middle East that has seen Christians persecuted by jihadists, Francis said the need for reconciliation had now become even more pressing.

"The cry of the victims of conflict urges us to move with haste along the path of reconciliation and communion between Catholics and Orthodox.

"Indeed, how can we credibly proclaim the message of peace which comes from Christ, if there continues to be rivalry and disagreement between us?" he said.