VATICAN CITY -- In what Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople described as a "brave and bold" gesture, Pope Francis gave the patriarch a famous reliquary containing bone fragments believed to belong to St. Peter.

VATICAN CITY – Knowing the debate surrounding Pope Francis' apostolic exhortation on the family, Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople said the document "first and foremost recalls the mercy and compassion of God and not just moral norms and canonical rules."

ASSISI, Italy – The richness of the diversity found within humanity and in the created world at large is something that must be respected and never destroyed, said Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople.