Bartholomew I prays for peace in Ukraine

The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople on Sunday urged dialogue and peace to resolve the crisis in Ukraine.

Patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, warned the possibility of a new war in Europe should be opposed.

"We are called to fervent prayer with all our hearts for the preservation of peace in Ukraine," he said during Mass in St George's church in Istanbul.

In 2018, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople decided the independence of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which was formalized in 2019 and severed it from the Russian church it had been tied to since 1686.

The Russian Orthodox Church cut all ties with Constantinople because of the historic decision.

Bartholomew is considered first among equals among Eastern Orthodox patriarchs, which gives him prominence but not the power of a Catholic pope.

He oversees Greek Orthodox and some other jurisdictions, although large portions of the Eastern Orthodox world are self-governing under their own patriarchs.

IMAGE: AP