The Cardinals attending the extraordinary consistory in Rome will depart today, just as the customary delegation from the Patriarchate of Constantinople arrives for the solemn feast of Peter and Paul.
It’s an annual fraternal custom. A delegation from Rome visits Constantinople for the feast of St. Andrew on November 30th. Last year, Pope Leo XIV led the delegation personally in the context of the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. On June 29th, the Successor of Andrew sends representatives to the Successor of Peter.
The Year of Our Lord 2026 included a unique moment in the warm relations between Rome and Constantinople under Patriarch Bartholomew, now the longest-serving Patriarch of Constantinople in history. His thirty-fifth anniversary falls this October.
Visits of Andrew to Peter are now routine. But three months ago, something unique took place. Bartholomew took the seat of Benedict.
The Institut de France is itself a unique entity, intended to be something of a repository and custodian of French culture. It houses five prestigious academies for scholars, scientists, writers, and artists, analogous to the Royal Societies found in Commonwealth countries, or the pontifical academies in Rome. It is more central to the intellectual culture of France than
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