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In 1964 Paul VI met with the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, [[Athenagoras I (Spyrou) of Constantinople|Athenagoras I]], in Jerusalem. There, both leaders lifted the mutual Bulls of [[Excommunication ]] that resulted in the [[Great Schism]] of 1054. It became a significant step towards restoring communion between the churches of Rome and Constantinople. A Catholic-Orthodox Joint Declaration was publicly read on December 7, 1965, simultaneously at a public meeting of the Second Vatican Council in Rome and at a special ceremony in Istanbul. The declaration did not end the schism, but showed a desire for greater reconciliation between the two churches. Athenagoras I visited PaulVI in Rome on October 28, 1967.