It was no secret that one of Pope Benedict’s greatest hopes was to be able to bridge the theological divide between the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches. His work seems to have prepared the ground for what is now a profoundly close relationship between Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.To a certain extent their close relationship is forced on them by events – they have had to work closely together because Christians of both communions (and, of course, of others) have been slaughtered and driven from their homes across the Middle East. They also, however, have found themselves in close accord on a number of other issues, not least climate change, an issue that Bartholomew has championed for years (earning himself the nickname “the Green Patriar