ISTANBUL - The spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, Patriarch Bartholomew I, called for harmony between religions in a message Friday for the upcoming Muslim feats of Eid Al-Adha.
"I congratulate our Muslims brothers in our country -- which has provided many examples that the faithful can live side by side in peace and tranquility -- and across the world on the occasion of the Feast of the Sacrifice," the Istanbul-based patriarch said in a message, carried by Anatolia news agency.
"We wish that the faithful increase solidarity and sharing in these sacred days and we hope that many holidays to come will be celebrated in the same spirit of joy and fraternity," he said.
The Patriarchate in Istanbul, the highest see of 250 million Orthodox believers in the world, dates from the Byzantine Empire, which collapsed in 1453 when the Ottoman Turks conquered the city, then called Constantinople.
12/29/2006 14:11 GMT