Orthodox Bishop Nicolae Corneanu visits ISE (06-08.06.07) - ISTITUTO DI STUDI ECUMENICI SAN BERNARDINO

For a long time the Orthodox Bishop Nicolae Corneanu of Timisoara wished to visit our Institute and the community of the Friars of St. Francesco della Vigna, but his health prevented him from doing so.

Many ventures tie the Episcopate of Timisoara and the Franciscans of Venice: the ISE cultural and spiritual initiatives, like: spiritual exercises shared among friars and monks and nuns ... so much that, two years ago, on the proposal of the Bishop himself, an Assisi-Timisoara bridge was established, that is a direct link and communion line between the Orthodox Episcopate and the Franciscan Order. However Bishop Nicolae considers the Franciscan head of the bridge to be neither in Assisi, nor in Rome, but in Venice. Therefore he made the point to visit the Friary and the Institute in Venice.

A consequence of the same visit is also the arrival, at the end of August, of two new students from Timisoara, one lay and one nun, who will begin their ecumenical formation in our Institute in the next academic year. Many thanks to the Bishop for the appreciated visit and for his warm friendship