On 5 January 1964, in Jerusalem, the historic meeting between Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras broke centuries of silence and distance between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church and marked the beginning of a season of dialogue and fraternity, a fundamental step towards the unity of Christians.

On the anniversary of the embrace between the two patriarchs, while waiting for the visit of Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomeos, an international delegation of the Community of Sant'Egidio goes to Jerusalem to retrace the footsteps of Paul VI and Athenagoras, meet the leaders of the Christian Churches, the representatives of the Chief Rabbinate, Islam and other religious communities of the Holy City, to renew the spirit of dialogue and fraternity of that first meeting.

Rome, 4 January 2014