A Tale of Two Images

The icon on the left of Peter and Andrew embracing, "The Holy Brother Apostles," was presented by Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras to Pope Paul VI on the occasion of their meeting in Jerusalem on January 5, 1964 in the midst of the Second Vatican Council (1963-65). The photo on the right is from the meeting of Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I in Istanbul this past weekend, the latest in a series of encouraging contacts between the two communions divided since the schism of 1054. Those who pray and work for the unity of Christ's church await future chapters of this tale in hope.