(01 Dec 09 - RV)Pope Benedict has written a Message to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew
I of Constantinople, marking yesterdays Feast of St Andrew. The Message delivered
yesterday during the course of a visit to Istanbul by Cardinal Walter Kasper, president
of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, outlined role of the Pope
and the historical and spiritual definition of the Petrine ministry. Yesterday
the Vatican delegation participated in celebrations to mark the feast while later
today they will take part in bilateral discussions with representatives of the Ecumenical
Patriarch. Lydia O’Kane spoke Cardinal Kasper about the delegation’s activities and
the Pope’s Letter.