Enthronement Address of His All-Holiness, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I

November 2, 1991

Continuity and Humility

Venerating the holy, consubstantial, life‑giving and undivided Trinity, obedient to the will of the one Lord as expressed by the Church through the unanimous canonical ballot of the holy brotherhood, and professing the holy Orthodox faith, we assume from the hands of the blessed Demetrios I, great among Patriarchs, the cross of Andrew the “first‑called” in order to continue the ascent to Golgotha, the “place of the skull” (Mt. 27.33), in order to be co‑crucified with our Lord and His co‑crucified Church, and in order to perpetuate the light of the Resurrection.

It is only by so interpreting the canonical ballot of the most respected Hierarchy of this venerable Ecumenical Throne, "being caught up in a wondrous state" by the events which surround us these days (Lk 24.18), that have we accepted the sacred responsibilities of piloting this spiritual ship, the Church of Constantinople, which “was established out of piety and has shown forth shepherds equal to the apostles – indeed, we have unworthily come to be their successor – and which the chief and ‘first‑called’ among the Apostles had as a foundation,” as we might say with Symeon of Thessalonika.

Already, conscious of our unworthiness and humbleness, looking ahead to the insupportable cross which we have borne, we seek refuge in the mercy of the Lord and we invoke His grace in order that He might enable us to perfect His power in our infirmity (II Cor. 12.9). Indeed, the tremendous concerns, which the Archbishop of New Rome assumes, and the various temptations and adverse influences with which he must struggle, demand that he be experienced in the task of piloting the great ship.

Thus, in self‑emptying (kenosis), we approach at this moment the burning and unconsumed bush of the Ecumenical Patriarchate – in and through which we are called to see God – in the service of the mystery of unbroken apostolicity, in the ministry (diakonia) and witness (martyria) of Orthodoxy, and to the edification (oikodome) of Christian unity.

Thanksgiving and Glory

Speaking for the first time from this Holy See, we say before all else, along with our predecessor among the saints, John Chrysostom, “glory to God for all things.”

Then, turning in deep respect and sincere love to the august college of Hierarchs of the  Ecumenical Throne, to those here and everywhere in the oecumene, to those who have cast their ballot willingly, we offer wholeheartedly our thanks for the truly moving vote of confidence which they have placed in our humble person. We affirm again along with the holy shepherd of the Thessalonians: “You, therefore, brothers, have accepted me hospitably and have honored me greatly, you have displayed much love. As Paul said, ‘you have accepted me as a messenger of God, as Jesus Christ.’ You have given yourselves to the Lord, first, and then to me through the will of God; for this I have offered favor to God and am forever thankful.”

Hence, we state from the outset that we shall follow the canonical order of our Orthodox Church and respect in particular the venerated Tradition and praxis of the Great Church of Christ. Moreover, firmly convinced by sacred experience of the indispensable value of conciliarity through which the Holy Spirit speaks to the Church, we shall walk the road of service (diakonia) to the Church only under her light, within her framework and in her canonical function, in harmony with our most respected brothers and concelebrants in Christ. In saying this, by no means do we restrict our conviction and intention on this capital subject to those things which only concern our Most Holy Church of Constantinople, but we extend this sacred confession and declaration also to all that which concerns the whole Orthodox Church worldwide.

On this auspicious occasion, in which before God and humanity we accept the responsibilities of this ecumenical watchtower, we would like to state that we assume our responsibilities under the protection of the Constitution and the Laws of the Republic of Turkey. Continuing the ages‑old tradition of the Patriarchs after the Fall, we shall remain a faithful and law‑abiding citizen of our country, as are our spiritual children of the Church here, ministering to God and following the commandment of the Lord by offering honestly and sincerely, rendering unto Caesar what is Caesar's (Mt. 22.21). On this point, we deem it our responsible obligation to state clearly that the Ecumenical Patriarchate shall remain a purely spiritual institution, a symbol of reconciliation and an unarmed force. Exercising the principles of our holy Orthodox faith, safe‑guarding and conducting itself with regard to Pan‑Orthodox jurisdictions, the Ecumenical Patriarchate is detached from all politics, keeping itself far from “the smoky hubris of secular authority.” Besides, human power alone, as well as everything else that is human, is nothing else but vanity and delusion of power.

We express our fervent thanks to the honorable Greek Government, readily represented on this auspicious occasion by its head, his excellency Constantine Mitsotakis, accompanied by his chosen collaborators. From the height of this Patriarchal Throne, we bless the pious Greek Orthodox people in whose behalf an official Parliamentary delegation is present here. We also reiterate from this position the thanks of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the personal thanks of our modesty, to his excellency the President of the United States of America, who desired to send an official delegation of the White House to our enthronement.

Pastoral Responsibility

Now, with all our love and affection, we would like to address our flock here with which at this moment we draw up a testament in the Lord. Without any hesitation, we state that we shall be a shepherd to this flock, ready to sacrifice our soul for our sheep. Further, we make the same promise to the entire plenitude of the Holy and Great Church of Christ, in Crete and the Dodecanese, in Epirus and Macedonia, in Thrace and the Islands, to those who abide in the so‑called New Regions, in North and South America, in Australia and Europe, that we shall be vigilant in all things and in no way shall we be paternally negligent in serving them from here.

Therefore, to their Eminences, the archbishops and metropolitans, and their Graces, the bishops, those who have been entrusted directly with the shepherding of this most beloved worldwide plenitude of the Mother Church, we extend our embrace of love and peace in Christ as well as the assurance of our close and fraternal collaboration with them, both for the benefit of the flock but also in the broader sacred interest of the Throne. We shall convoke gatherings of the entire venerable hierarchy of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in this See as often as possible, for a mutual exchange of information, support and common projection.

Particularly, we address from this Ecumenical Throne the reverend and most beloved fathers of the desert, who excel in asceticism on Mount Athos. We affirm that not even for one moment is it conceivable or possible for Mount Athos to exist, continue and fulfill the ages‑old most honorable Orthodox monastic tradition without its sanctified links with the Mother Great Church. Therefore, we deem it our duty to do everything for the preservation, prosperity, flourishing, protection, and radiance of the Holy Mountain, always within the canonical order of the Orthodox Church and in the spirit of her hierarchal structure. We ask of the Fathers exactly that which we request of ourselves: the active practice of the two basic monastic virtues, namely, humility and obedience to the Church in fear of God and in faithfulness to their monastic vows.

We have nothing more to add in addressing also the historic Monastery of St. John, the Disciple of Love, on the island of Patmos and the other monastic centers attached to this Throne, which we embrace with equal affection, esteem and interest.

Unity and Communion

Proceeding beyond our immediate canonical jurisdiction, we direct our thoughts to the messengers “of the Orthodox Churches which are constituted and illuminated by the one Spirit of Christ.” These include: His Beatitude Parthenios, Pope and Patriarch of the great city of Alexandria; His Beatitude Ignatios, Patriarch of Antioch, the great city of God; His Beatitude Diodoros, Patriarch of the holy city of Jerusalem; His Beatitude Alexi, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia; His Beatitude Paul, Patriarch of Belgrade; His Beatitude Theoktist, Patriarch of Bucharest; His Beatitude Maxim, Patriarch of Sofia; His Beatitude Elias, Catholicos Patriarch of all Georgia; His Beatitude Chrysostomos, Archbishop of New Justinian and all Cyprus; His Beatitude Seraphim, Archbishop of Athens and all Greece; His Beatitude Basil, Metropolitan of Warsaw; His Eminence Anastasios, Metropolitan of Androusa, holding the position of messenger to the Church of Albania; His Eminence Metropolitan Dorotheos of Prague; and His Eminence Archbishop John of Finland. All of these comprise our most beloved brothers and concelebrants at the holy altar of the one and undivided Orthodoxy. Before them, and before the entire Church under the heavens, we confess with boldness and exuberance of spirit our holy and spotless Orthodox faith, the living experience of the Body of Christ, which has extended throughout the centuries, as it emanated from divine revelation and through the Old and New Testaments, as it was transmitted to us by the Lord through the holy spirit‑bearing Apostles, as it was formulated in the doctrinal definitions of the holy seven Ecumenical Synods by our God‑bearing Fathers, articulated and interpreted by them and the ecclesiastical authors recognized by the Church. In short, we confess unreservedly the faith of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.

United in this common faith, in the common chalice and in love, which activates faith, we extend our hand of communion to our venerable colleagues, the Primates, and we promise that, in collective responsibility with them, we shall witness in the midst of a divided world, desiring unity and reconciliation as perhaps never before in history.

The Ecumenical Witness of Orthodoxy

This witness of Orthodoxy is much more necessary and imperative today, because divine providence has reserved us to behold the truly rapid world-shattering evolutions and changes in the life of the peoples of the world. These evolutions and changes bring to the contemporary world the hope of a better future, a future of peace, freedom and respect of human dignity. These rapid transformations have occurred – and are still occurring – mostly in countries and among peoples, which are traditionally Orthodox and, therefore, it is predominantly the Orthodox Churches that are more influenced by them. It is therefore natural, particularly for the Orthodox Churches, to be called to vigilance, collaboration and service, so that these developments might indeed result in what will benefit humanity, which has suffered greatly in our century. Orthodoxy has much, much more to offer the contemporary world. In Orthodoxy, one cannot only find the correct faith in the true God, but also the correct perception of man as the image of God, of the world, and of creation.

We extend the embrace of peace and love to the venerable Primates of the Armenian, Coptic, Ethiopian, and Syrian – both in Damascus and in Malabar – Churches. Their closeness to us in the Orthodox faith leads us today to the active quest, possibly with early results, for the common confession of faith and expression in the common chalice. From this sacred courtyard, we also greet his Holiness the Pope of Elder Rome, John Paul II, with whom we are in a communion of love. We assure him that a very serious concern for us will be the realization of the sacred vision of our late predecessors, Athenagoras and Demetrios, in order that the way of the Lord may be fulfilled on earth for His holy Church in the reunion of all those who believe in Him through the dialogue of truth. We shall do everything in our power to move in this direction, with fear of God, sincerity, honesty, and prudence. We are convinced that our brother in the West will exhaust all the many possibilities at his disposal in order to cooperate with us in this sacred and holy objective.

Out of a sense of deep esteem in the Lord, we embrace the venerable Primate of the Church of England, the Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey, and the entire Anglican Communion. Manifesting our intention to continue with faithfulness the long tradition of fraternal relations with the Anglican Church, we express our desire to promote our theological dialogue until we achieve the unity of faith.

In the same spirit, we greet and embrace the Old Catholic Church throughout the world in the person of its venerable Primate, Archbishop Anthony of Utrecht, expressing the sincere wish that the dialogue with his Church may lead us to the glory of Christ. With feelings of peace and love, we also embrace in Christ all of the other Christian Churches and Confessions, the Lutheran and the Reformed with whom we are in theological dialogue, the Methodists with whom we are in the preparatory stages of dialogue, and every Christian community throughout the world, as many as believe and preach, according to the Scriptures, the crucified Christ and bear the good spirit, that they may partake of the common banquet of the faith in the unity of the apostolic and patristic tradition.

From this sacred See, we further extend a very special greeting in Christ to the World Council of Churches, to the president of the Central Committee who is among us, to the General Secretary, its inestimable staff, and to all member Churches. We were fortunate, over many years and in diverse capacities, to cooperate and struggle along with the Christians of that Council, and to share each other's anxieties in the quest for and the edification of Christian unity as well as for the expression of a Christian position and witness on contemporary problems of humankind. We recognize the Council as an important expression of the Ecumenical Movement and the schematic function of the ecumenical spirit. The Ecumenical Patriarchate, being one of the founding members of this Council, will not diminish its concern for the good and proper orientation of the Council so that there may not be any departure from its original and principle mission, namely the service of Christian unity. This is the position of all Churches in the East before the World Council of Churches, as our common action on the issues both in Canberra (Australia) and Chambésy (Geneva) has proven. We also greet here among us the honorable Secretary General of the Council of European Churches, of which the Ecumenical Patriarchate is a member; through him, we extend our greeting in Christ to all its member Churches.

Moreover, we shall not be idle in promoting good relations with the major non‑Christian religions with the aim of cooperating on the practical level for the safe‑guard and preservation of the great spiritual and moral values of true civilization and for the rejection of every force that is negative and catastrophic for human personhood. If necessary, we shall not refuse to dialogue also with those who ignore, reject and even insult God. Rather, we shall transmit to them – indeed, especially to them – the witness of the love of Christ, who left the ninety-nine sheep in search of the one. For, Christ was even crucified for this one sheep (Mt. 18.12). The Great Church of Christ, called from above and from its very beginnings to be a Church of evangelization, cannot deny herself in this regard. She cannot but evangelize and be continually re‑evangelized. “And woe to me if I do not proclaim the Gospel” (I Cor. 9.16).

Youth and Education

We extend our special Paternal greetings and our heartfelt Patriarchal blessing to the youth, who constitute not only our future but also our dynamic present, since there is no future without the present. From the Mother Church, we express her and our boundless and sincere empathy with regard to the problems that face contemporary youth throughout the world, considering also these problems to be our own.

We shall by no means neglect the importance of theological studies during the period of our humble Patriarchal tenure. Not only is this the tradition of our Church; but it is also our personal conviction. We shall pursue the promotion of theological letters in order that we might reach an efficacious interpretation of Orthodox tradition in our contemporary era. The Ecumenical Patriarchate must acquire its own means of promoting and proclaiming Orthodox theology. Within this framework, we shall pursue the acquisition of permission from our state authorities for the reopening of our “alma mater,” the Theological School of Halki, which was obliged to discontinue operation twenty years ago. Further, the publication of an official ecclesiastical theological periodical of the Patriarchate, as an expounder of its theological thought and unbroken traditions, will constitute a major concern and primary interest of our modesty.

Theological Vision and Commitment

Moreover, it is our intent:

• as the successor to the thrones and struggles of our holy predecessors, the Patriarchs of Constantinople, to honor their memory through the celebration of the Divine Liturgy in the venerable Patriarchal Church, beginning with Patriarch Paul the Confessor this coming Wednesday, the 6th of November.

• to reinforce the observance of the special liturgical practice of the Great Church. The promotion of liturgical life, in following the Typikon of our Church, will be an object of special concern for us, because this is the center of our Christian existence and life.

• to publish annually a Calendar of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

• to reinforce and make good use of the Patriarchal Institute of Patristic Studies in Thessalonika, the Orthodox Center of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Chambésy, the Patriarchal Monastery of St. Anastasia the Pharmakolytria in Chalkidiki, and the Orthodox Academy of Crete.

• to sanctify during the coming Holy Week a new quantity of Holy Chrism, due to the diminishing supply contained in the Myrophylakion of the Patriarchate.

• to reinforce and modernize the services of the Patriarchate in order that the workload might be less tiring and more productive. The personal piety and ancestral love of the great Angelopoulos family, headed by the honorable Archon Great Logothetis Mr. Panayiotis Angelopoulos, has donated to us “a venerable mansion of Orthodoxy,” the new Patriarchal House, functional and beautiful, in which the ministry of the Great Church will continue with even greater results, and from which her voice will proceed full of affection and consolation toward her children throughout the world. To our Great Benefactor and to his beloved family, we express, on this auspicious occasion, the satisfaction and praise of the Church and our people.

Beloved Brothers, Fathers, and children in the Lord, “Christ, the true Patriarch of the entire oecumene, to whom all authority has been given in heaven and on earth,” according to The Rudder, calls the Patriarchs in due time and sends them out as instruments of His eternal ways, as He did with the Patriarchs of the Old Testament. Thus, a Patriarch, according to the imperial definition, “is the living and animate icon of Christ, defining truth through his deeds and words. Paramount for the Patriarch is the salvation of the souls of those entrusted to him, that they may, on the one hand, live in Christ and, on the other, be crucified to the world. Characteristic of the Patriarch is that he be a teacher so that he may calmly and indiscriminately be ranked as one among all, the mighty and the humble alike.” If these things concern every Patriarch, what can we say about the Patriarch of this city, which Symeon of Thessalonika characterizes as the founding city of the faith of Christ, the acropolis of Orthodoxy, the city of cities, with its throne as a most sacred and divine throne of the holy priesthood?

This is the reason for which we entreat, beseech and supplicate the prayers of all of you, who have readily come together on this joyous occasion, so that our modesty may be deemed worthy by God, from this moment of our entry into the Holy of Holies in order to be totally consecrated to the Lord, to His altar, to His service and to the service of humanity, to the cross, and to the Church.

A Church of Martyrs and Saints

Pray for us, all of you, who have come “from the West and the North, by sea and from the East” in order to install us upon this sacred cathedra of the Apostle Stachys, as yet another in the long line of his successors. Pray that, faithfully and favorably unto God, we may serve the Lord, this most holy Church, and Orthodoxy under heaven. Pray that we may sustain our people and maintain the privileges and the rights of this most venerable Throne, which “we sign with great pleasure,” as our predecessor to the Throne of Chalcedon, Eleftherios, affirmed at the IV Ecumenical Synod. Pray that we may be at all times an instrument of God’s will in the service of all humanity. Pray that our Patriarchal tenure may be unharmed, bountiful, hopeful, unhindered, according to the names and through the intercessions of the Persian martyrs, whom the Church commemorates today. Pray that the Lord may sustain the Church, strengthen its faith and bring peace to the world.

It is our firm hope that, from the heavenly chambers, the prayer of our spiritual father, Metropolitan Meliton of Chalcedon of blessed memory, who offered numerous precious services to the Mother Church, will accompany and sustain us, as will the prayer of our immediate predecessor, the most gentle Patriarch Demetrios of blessed memory, who embodied the extreme humility of Christ, a humility which this Church “of the poor of Christ” expresses. We are, finally, assured of the prayer of our respected and beloved parents, whom the benevolent God deigned worthy of witnessing this day.

Again, and many times over, “glory to God for all things.” “God is love” (I John 4.16).

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