Pope Francis has sent a message of greetings to Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople for the feast of St. Andrew, the patron of the Constantinople see.

In his message the Pope spoke of “our shared commitment to addressing issues of crucial significance for our whole human family, including the care of creation, the education of future generations, dialogue among the different religious traditions and the pursuit of peace.”

Cardinal Kurt Koch, the president of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity, led a Vatican delegation to Istanbul to join the Orthodox prelate for the celebration.