Faith

Patriarch Bartholomew meets Pope Leo XIV in warm Vatican audience

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I met Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on Saturday in what Orthodox outlet Vema described as a warm and cordial atmosphere, wishing the pontiff a swift and complete recovery after his recent surgery.

Bartholomew personally expressed his wholehearted support and fraternal wishes for the pope's recovery following the October 13 thoracic surgery at Rome's Gemelli hospital, Vema reported. Pope Leo thanked him for his good wishes and sincere concern. The two leaders also discussed matters of pressing concern to their Churches and to humanity.

The Holy See Press Office's audience list for Saturday confirms that the pope received Bartholomew, alongside the prefects of two Vatican dicasteries and participants in the Jesus Youth International Conference. Bartholomew is in Rome for an honorary doctorate from the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas (the Angelicum), where Leo himself once studied.

The patriarch's itinerary also includes a pilgrimage to the House of the Virgin Mary in Loreto on Monday and the Sant'Egidio peace gathering in Assisi, marking the 800th anniversary of the death of Saint Francis and the 40th anniversary of the World Day of Prayer for Peace — the meeting Leo will miss on doctors' advice.

Sources: Vema (Oct 24, 2026); Holy See Press Office (Oct 24, 2026).

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