Pope, Orthodox leader to work for Middle East peace
Sat Jun 16, 2007
By Gavin Jones

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict and the leader of the Cypriot Orthodox Church pledged on Saturday to work for peace in the Middle East, saying they feared a widening crisis with "disastrous consequences."

In a joint declaration following a visit to the Vatican by Archbishop Chrysostomos II of Cyprus, the two leaders said they would "intensify the quest for full unity among all Christians."

Chrysostomos II said earlier this week he would be willing to mediate to try to arrange a
meeting between the Pope and the Orthodox patriarch of Moscow, Alexiy II, which would be the first meeting between a Pope and a Russian Orthodox patriarch. the rest