Addresses and Messages
RSSMessage for the Day of the Protection of the Environment
Our ever-memorable predecessor, the late Patriarch Demetrios, who possessed a deep awareness of the gravity of the environmental crisis, as well as of the responsibility of the Church to directly and effectively confront the crisis, issued the first official encyclical dealing with the protection of the natural environment more than two decades ago. Learn More »
Address at the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin
The mission of your institution clearly states that: “The memory of our Patron requires from us a constant reflection upon John Paul II’s legacy and teaching.” For over a quarter of a century, the late Pope John Paul II shepherded the Church of Rome, standing as a symbol of unrelenting stability and hope in an age of widespread turmoil and despair. Undoubtedly, his tenure was inspired by an abiding faith as well as by the difficult circumstances that his home country Poland suffered for so many years under totalitarian oppression. This is an experience of martyrdom, with which the Orthodox Church can easily identify. Learn More »
Address on receiving the Golden Cross of St. Basil the Great from the Cappadocian community
Our hearts are filled with profound emotion and joy, and we glorify the name of God, who has once again allowed us to realize our pilgrimage to the land of Basil the Great, of the two St. Gregories, those great beacons, and of a countless host of Righteous Fathers, Martyrs and Confessors glorified in this land. Learn More »
Message for World Environment Day
Inasmuch as, at the Ecumenical Patriarchate, we have long been concerned about problems related to the preservation of the natural environment, we have ascertained that the fundamental cause of the abuse and destruction of the world’s natural resources is greed and the constant tendency toward unrestrained wealth by citizens in so-called “developed” nations. Learn More »
Address at the Reception Held Upon the Patronal Feast of the Ecumenical Patriarchate
We cordially thank you for coming here and sharing in our joy and thereby increasing it. Indeed, joy grows greater when there are more to share in it, just as sorrow diminishes when its burden is shared by the friends of the sorrowing. Learn More »
At the Official Dinner in Honor of His All Holiness Hosted by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton
We rise to express our gratitude and profound sense of appreciation to you, Madame Secretary, for your hospitality to us and for this tribute to the Ecumenical Patriarchate. We rise to address you, not as another dignitary among so many, but as a fellow laborer in the vineyard of peace. We rise as one who honors your commitment to the work of reconciliation and expanding the scope of dignity and justice for the whole human family. Learn More »
At the Dinner in his Honor Hosted by Vice President Joseph R. Biden
Mr. Vice President, you are a person who has sought justice and fought for liberty throughout a lifetime of public service. Through tragedy and triumph, you have persevered with a constant awareness of those most in need, of those who are powerless, and those who live without hope. Your life story is truly an American story, filled with peaks of exemplary achievement, and valleys of loss and despair. But through them all, as you yourself have so movingly written, you have risen to every challenge and every occasion. Learn More »
At the Joint House and Senate Luncheon in his Honor Hosted by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid
Standing again in this Capitol – this people’s house of democracy and freedom – whose dome rises above every other building in this capital city of the American Nation, our mind travels back in time to twelve years ago, when both we and the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople were honored by this august body with the Congressional Gold Medal. Learn More »
Saving the Soul of the Planet - Address at the Brookings Institution
At first glance, it may appear strange for the leader of a religious institution concerned with spiritual values to speak about the environment at a secular institution that deals with public policy. What exactly does preserving the planet or promoting democracy have to do with saving the soul or helping the poor? Learn More »
A Changeless Faith for A Changing World: Address at Georgetown University
Address of His All Holiness at Georgetown University that discusses themes of non-violence, philanthropy in the form of healthcare, and the environment. Learn More »
At the General Reception and Dinner on the Occasion of the 18th Anniversary of His Enthronement as Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch
God is love. Eighteen years ago today, with these simple yet most profound words, the words of the Holy Evangelist John (I John 4:8), we inaugurated our Apostolic ministry as Ecumenical Patriarch. Today, our heart is full of gratitude as share this special occasion in our life as Ecumenical Patriarch with you, the blessed spiritual children of the Mother Church Constantinople. Learn More »
Exhortation of His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch BARTHOLOMEW to the Archdiocesan Council
It is indeed truly a joy to greet you this morning. For we recognize the earnest concern that each of you feel for the ongoing growth of our historical and sacred Archdiocese, as well as for the responsible ministry to the Orthodox Christian faithful throughout this blessed and unique nation. We can assure you that – in the Mother Church of Constantinople – we hear regularly of your achievements and take special pride in your fervent love for Christ and His teaching, as well as in your unfailing commitment to the mission of the Church in our modern society. Learn More »
At the 2009 Annual Archon Banquet Given in His Honor Order of Saint Andrew – Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate
Tonight, our Patriarchal and paternal heart is replete with fatherly pride and joy, as we behold the most honorable Order of Saint Andrew, Archons of our Ecumenical Patriarchate, and their love and extraordinary devotion to the Holy Mother and Great Church of Christ: our Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. Learn More »
At the Reception in His Honor at the Museum of Biblical Art Exhibition "Scripture, Image, Life: Orthodox Christianity"
We greet you this evening in the name of the Creator and Light of the world, our Lord, Jesus Christ, who commanded his Apostles to, “Go forth unto all nations, teaching them all that [He] had commanded.” It is with a warm heart, much gratitude, and in the solidarity of the apostolic commission to share Christ’s Gospel with every person in every corner of the world that we thank the American Bible Society and the Museum of Biblical Art for honoring the ministry of the Ecumenical Patriarchate with such an extraordinary witness to the inexhaustible love with which God created the world. Learn More »
Meeting with the Members Religious and Lay Leaders of the Jewish Community
Yet, our visit here is more than simply a formality; it transcends a mere courteous visit of a Christian leader to a Jewish leader. Even as the successor of St. Peter, our brother, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, visited here last year, we also come, the successor of Peter’s earthly brother, the First-Called Apostle Saint Andrew, inspired by our fervent conviction that the most urgent task that lies before all faith communities is our global cooperation for the promotion of greater tolerance and understanding among the peoples, races and religions of our planet. Learn More »
Introduction of His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew by the Rev. Joseph M. McShane at the Ceremony for the Conferral of an Honorary Doctorate of Laws at Fordham University
Your All Holiness, in the name of Christ our Savior, I welcome you to the University Church, this historic house of prayer that has stood at the center of the University's campus and mission since it was built by our founder, Archbishop John Hughes, in 1844. Learn More »
Address of His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew: "Discerning God's Presence in the World"
It is with sincere gratitude that we accept this invaluable honor of being received into the doctoral college of this esteemed Jesuit school. We welcome this privilege as a recognition of the sacred ministry of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, an Apostolic institution with a history spanning seventeen centuries, throughout retaining its See in Constantinople. Learn More »
Address of His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew at the Ninth Annual SCOBA/SCOOCH UN Prayer Service
This Symposium is in many ways both historical and unique. This river comprises a microcosm of our planet. In its waters, we observe many of the world’s ecological issues. We are humbled in its presence. We have come to listen to its story, to learn from its history. Learn More »
Remarks of His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew at the Community Agape Reception with Children of the Parochial Schools of the Direct Archdiocesan District
Today, you have warmed our fatherly heart with your bright, beautiful smiles, your warm greeting, and your wonderful songs and dances. As we stand in front of you, children of the Greek Orthodox Church of America, we see you as our very own children, as children of our Heavenly Father, Who sent His own Beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ to bring us all to Him. It was the Lord Who said to his Apostles, “let the children come to me” (Mathew 19:15), and that all people, young and old, must be like children to enter the Kingdom of God (cf. Luke 18:17). Learn More »
Remarks of His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew at the Patriarchal Chorostasia of the Divine Liturgy Feast-day of Saint Demetrios the Myrrh-bearer
Today, on your feast, the feast of your Patron Saint, the Great-Martyr and Myrrh-Streamer Demetrios, and the name-day of your Archbishop Demetrios, we bring blessings and benediction to all from the Apostolic and Ecumenical Throne of Constantinople. Learn More »
Featured Items
60 Minutes: His All Holiness on Orthodox Christianity
Watch the historic interview with CBS correspondent Bob Simon now » Learn More »
The Holy Theological School of Halki
Learn the history of the Theological School of Halki since its establishment in 1844. Learn More »
Media Links
YouTube: Subscribe to the GreenPatriarch channel (on the Environmental Symposia) or the Ecumenical Patriarchate channel (on the US visit).
Latest News
World Council of Churches honors Day for Creation
Wednesday, September 01, 2010
In a message honouring the Day for Creation, 1 September, the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I has expressed his hope that the financial and economic crisis experienced by many societies would bring about "a powerful change in direction, to a path of viable and sustainable environmental development." Read more...
Please enter a search term to begin your search.