Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, has accepted an apology from Pope John Paul II for Roman Catholic involvement in the sacking of Constantinople 800 years ago.
During a visit to Greece in 2001, John Paul apologized for the attack on the city, today's Istanbul, which was looted by Catholic Crusaders. The apology had long been sought by Orthodox.
In a speech Tuesday - the 800th anniversary of the city's capture - Bartholomew formally accepted the apology.
"The spirit of reconciliation is stronger than hatred," Bartholomew said during a liturgy, attended by Philippe Barbarin, the Archbishop of Lyon, France. "We receive with gratitude and respect your cordial gesture for the tragic events of the Fourth Crusade."
Bartholomew said his acceptance came in the spirit of Easter.
"The spirit of reconciliation of the resurrection ... incites us toward reconciliation of our churches," the patriarch said.
Bartholomew and John Paul have both emphasized reconciliation between the two churches, split since 1054.
"It is a fact that a crime was committed here in the city 800 years ago," Barbarin said.
In his 2001 apology, John Paul said he would ask for God's forgiveness for "sins of action and omission" by Roman Catholics against Orthodox Christians, including "painful memories" of the Crusades - such as the April 13, 1204 sacking of Constantinople.
The city was subject to three days of looting, in which many of the city's treasures were taken or destroyed.
The Greek Orthodox Byzantine Empire ultimately collapsed when the Muslim Ottoman Turks conquered the city in 1453, but the Patriarchate remained.
Bartholomew is considered "first among equals" among Orthodox patriarchs and directly controls several Greek Orthodox churches around the world, including the Archdiocese of America.