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

New Discoveries in Last Supper Room: Inscriptions Hidden in Walls of Biblical Site on Mount Zion

Gov Newsom Joins Trump in Seeking Federal Charges against Illegal in Fatal DUI Crash That Left Teen Couple Dead

Trump Tariff Support Surges among Small Business Owners

Trump Signs Order to Boost Deep-Sea Mining, Seeking to Break China's Critical Minerals Dominance

Tulsi Gabbard Gives the Deep State the Boot

Court Strikes Down Illinois Law Forcing Pro-Life Ministries to Promote Abortion, But Upholds Abortion Referral Mandate

Professor Who Boldly Spoke Out against Trans Mutilation of Children Wins Long Court Battle with University that Fired Him

Minnesota Heads Off 'Mass Casualty Attack' Planned for 'the Next 24 Hours'

'It Just Ignited': Pastor Says Revival Is Breaking Out in His California Church [Video]

Two Minutes of Silence for the Six Million Victims of the Holocaust

President Trump Notches Key Victory against Taxpayers' Dollars Funding Illegals across the Country

Stephen Miller to Hannity: Democrats Have Become the 'Party of Terrorists and Illegal Aliens' [Watch]

Undercover Sting Exposes Secret Network that Hides Kids for Trans Treatments, Strips 'Transphobic' Parents of Custody [WATCH]

Department of Education Spokeswoman: We 'Will Not Tolerate' States Using Gender Ideology to Strip Parental Rights

DOT Secretary Duffy Warns Blue States: Comply with Trump Orders or Lose Transportation Funding

President Trump 'Not Happy' with Russian Strikes on Kyiv: 'Vladimir STOP!'

UK to Send 'Sun-Dimming' Aerosol Injections into the Atmosphere for 'Climate Change'

HUD Secretary Scott Turner Tackling Homelessness With Heart, Hope, and Biblical Values

Pennsylvania Gov. Shapiro Says Trump Called Him About Arson Attack: 'I Appreciated That The President Called Me'

GLOBALISTS IN TURMOIL: World Economic Forum Opens Probe into Founder after Klaus Schwab Resigns