"I am glad to welcome for the second time Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi, my beloved brother in Christ, and you, my young priests." With these words The Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I replied to the greetings of the Archbishop of Milan. "I am grateful to Pope Benedict XVI for proclaiming the Pauline Year," added the Patriarch. "By this decision, he gave us the chance to welcome our Catholic brothers as pilgrims." In particular, Bartholomew recalls the meetings he had "a few weeks ago with Card. Sepe and yesterday with Archbishop Bregantini. All these meetings ‘in nomine domini' are an occasion to renew our bonds in the Risen Christ." Then the Patriarch pointed out that "everyone has the responsibility to grow in the ecumenical path. The dialogue between our sister churches goes on. We are discussing the issue of the primacy in the Church, the most difficult issue. We hope we will soon get to the glorious day in which we will all be united in the communion with the one cup." The conclusion is dedicated to Benedict XVI: "I am grateful to the Pope for I met him three times, for I have inaugurated with him the Pauline Year, and for he invited me to attend the Synod of Bishops on the Word of God".
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