The declaration commenced with a wish to reestablish Christian unity, stating a "determination to undertake all that is necessary to overcome the historical divergences we have inherited."

The religious leaders expressed the wish to combine the efforts of Orthodox and Catholics "to give witness to the Gospel of Christ and to the shared heritage of the Church of the first millennium, responding together to the challenges of the contemporary world" since "human civilization has entered into a period of epochal change."

After discussing the violent Christian persecution underway in the Middle East and North Africa, the Pope and Patriarch turned their attention to the West. "At the same time, we are concerned about the situation in many countries in which Christians are increasingly confronted by restrictions to religious freedom, to the right to witness to one's convictions and to live in conformity with them."

"In particular, we observe that the transformation of some countries into secularized societies, estranged from all reference to God and to His truth, constitutes a grave threat to religious freedom," they said. "It is a source of concern for us that there is a current curtailment of the rights of Christians, if not their outright discrimination, when certain political forces, guided by an often very aggressive secularist ideology, seek to relegate them to the margins of public life."

The declaration expresses concern about the "crisis in the family in many countries" and notes "Orthodox and Catholics share the same conception of the family."

"The family is based on marriage, an act of freely given and faithful love between a man and a woman," it says. "We regret that other forms of cohabitation have been placed on the same level as this union, while the concept, consecrated in the biblical tradition, of paternity and maternity as the distinct vocation of man and woman in marriage is being banished from the public conscience."

Marriage, they said, "is a path of holiness, testifying to the faithfulness of the spouses in their mutual interaction, to their openness to the procreation and rearing of their children, to solidarity between the generations and to respect for the weakest." It is "a school of love and faithfulness." Love, says the declaration, seals the union of the husband and wife "and teaches them to accept one another as a gift."

The Pope and Patriarch called for an end to abortion. "We call on all to respect the inalienable right to life," said the declaration. "Millions are denied the very right to be born into the world. The blood of the unborn cries out to God (cf. Gen 4:10)."

The declaration also condemned euthanasia and immoral reproductive technologies, which would include IVF and destructive research on human embryos...

Read more here.

To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE

British Election: Conservative Landslide; Anti-Semitic Socialist Left-Wing Loses Big

'Sad Day for the Country': House Judiciary Committee Votes to Impeach Trump

Judge Removed in Case as Texas Father Fights to Keep Ex from Turning Their 7-Year-Old Son into a Girl

FCC Votes Unanimously to Establish Three-Digit Suicide Prevention Hotline Number: a 'Game Changer'

Jewish Worshippers Are Praying on the Temple Mount for the First Time in Decades

Church Pays Off $10,000 of Walmart Layaway Accounts for Families ahead of Christmas

'I Know There's a Family Out There': Hopeful 12-Year-Old Foster Child Trusting God to Find Him a Forever Home

How to De-Stress and Be Merry This Christmas

Pray for Today's British Election: Brexit, Anti-Semitism on the Ballot

Trump Vows to 'Crush Monstrous Evil of Anti-Semitism' as New Video Shows Recent Horrific Anti-Semitic Attack at NJ Market

50th Appellate Court Appointment for President Trump Brings a Shift in the Ninth Circuit from Its Fiercely Liberal Past

'Scandalous' Report: Unless It's Stopped, US Federal Workers Will Be Funding Chinese Companies 'Designed to Kill American Service Men and Women'

Pro-Life Victory: One Third of Independent Abortion Clinics in US Have Closed Since 2012

Christian Worship Leaders Share About Recent Visit to the White House for 'Faith Briefing', to Pray for President Trump, and Lift Up the Name of Jesus There

Franklin Graham Festival Shines Light of Christ Over Cambodia's Dark Past; Over 800 Come to Jesus

Star From Nickelodeon Hit Sitcom 'Kenan and Kel' Announces He is Now a Licensed Minister

'Immense Bravery in the Line of Fire': Three Sailors Killed in Pensacola Naval Air Station Shooting Awarded 'Wings of Gold'

'We've Been Silent Too Long': Texas Towns Take a Stand, Become Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn

'He's Completely Remarkable': Boy Born With No Brain Makes Incredible Progress after Parents Urged to Abort

'This Is a Truly Historic and Important Moment for Jewish Americans': President Trump to Sign Executive Order Addressing Anti-Semitism in US Education