St. Peter's Square in Vatican City, — Southern Europe (Enclave within Rome in Italy)

Restoration of Full Communion Between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches

Communion Between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, August 3, 2025

1. Communion Between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches Marker

Inscription. Ad plenam restituendam communionem inter Catholicam Orthodoxamove ecclesiam orantes hanc in basilicam convenerunt Paulus VI P.M et Athenagoras I patriarcha VII cal. nov. a. MDCCCCLXVII Ioannes Paulus II P.M. et Demetrios I patriarcha postridie non dec a. MDCCCCLXXXVII soli deo honor et gloria per saecula

Δια την αποκαταστασιν της πληρους κοινωνιας μεταξυ των εκκλησιων καθολικης και ορθοδοξου συνηντηθησαν εν τη βασιλικη ταυτη εν προσευχη ο παπας παυλος στ΄ και

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ο πατριαρχης αθηναγορας α τη 26 οκτωβριου 1967 Ο παπας ιωαννης-παυλος β΄ και ο πατριαρχης δημητριος ατη 6 δεκεμβριου 1987 τω θεω μονον τιμη και δοξα εις τους αιωνας

[English translation of the text:]
For the restoration of full communion between the Catholic and Orthodox churches, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras II met in prayer in this basilica on October 26, 1967. Pope John Paul II and Patriarch Dimitrios I met in prayer in this basilica on December 6, 1987. To God alone be honor and glory forever.

Topics.

Jubilee Door at St. Peter's image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, August 3, 2025

2. Jubilee Door at St. Peter's

The marker about Orthodox-Catholic relations is above and to the right of the door, mostly obscured by a column.

This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical date for this entry is October 26, 1967.

Location. 41° 54.155′ N, 12° 27.293′ E. Marker is in Vatican City. It is in St. Peter's Square. It can be reached from Piazza San Pietro. The marker is affixed to St. Peter's Basilica, beneath the portico, above and to the right of the Jubilee Door. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Piazza San Pietro, Vatican City 00120, Vatican City. Touch for directions.

Regionally, it is in Europe

and the Western World.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Leoni di Nectanebo / Lions of Nectanebo (approx. 0.4 kilometers away); Ponte Vittorio Emanuele II / Victor Emmanuel II Bridge (approx. 0.8 kilometers away in Italy); Convento ed Oratorio dei Filippini alla Vallicella / Convent and Oratory of Saint Philip Neri (approx. 1.2 kilometers away in Italy); Parione (approx. 1.3 kilometers away in Italy); Spirito Santo dei Napoletani / Holy Spirit of the Neapolitans (approx. 1.3 kilometers away in Italy); Monumento a Camillo Benso Conte di Cavour / Monument to Camillo Benso Count of Cavour

St. Peter's Basilica image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, August 3, 2025

3. St. Peter's Basilica

(approx. 1.3 kilometers away in Italy); Corte Suprema di Cassazione (approx. 1.3 kilometers away in Italy); Ponte Umberto I / Umberto I Bridge (approx. 1.3 kilometers away in Italy).

Regarding Restoration of Full Communion Between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. The Great Schism of 1054 culimated in two separate churches, the Roman Catholic Church to the west and the Eastern Orthodox Church in the east. In 1965, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras I agreed to a joint declaration that withdrew the numerous excommunications that had accompanied the schism 900 years earlier. This plaque honors a meeting between Paul and Athenagoras two years later here in Rome, and another between John Paul II and Dimitrios I in 1987.

Also see . . .
1. Common Declaration of His Holiness Pope Paul VI and the Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras I. From the Vatican's official website. (Submitted on September 10, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

2. Joint Statement of Pope John Paul II and Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios I. The text on the Vatican website is in Italian. (Submitted on September 10, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

3. Britannica: East-West Schism.

Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras II celebrate mass together in 1967 image. Click for full size.

Popperfoto Ltd., via Wikimedia Commons, 1967

4. Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras II celebrate mass together in 1967

Excerpt: "The schism has never healed, though relations between the churches improved following the Second Vatican Council (1962–65), which recognized the validity of the sacraments in the Eastern churches. In 1979 the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue Between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church was established by the Holy See and 14 autocephalous churches to further foster ecumenism. Dialogue and improved relations continued into the early 21st century."

(Submitted on September 10, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

Credits. This page was last revised on March 22, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 10, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 135 times since then and 70 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 10, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.

Editor’s want-list for this marker. Confirmation of the Greek text • Can you help?