The Ecumenical Patriarchate is
the primary ecclesiastical
centre of the Orthodox Church
throughout the world, tracing
its history to the Day of
Pentecost and the early
Christian communities founded by
the Apostles of Jesus Christ.
According to tradition, the
“First-Called” of these
Apostles, Andrew, preached the
Gospel around Asia Minor, the
Black Sea, Thrace and Achaia,
where he was martyred. In 36AD,
he founded the Church on the
shores of the Bosphorus in the
city known then as Byzantium,
later Constantinople and today
Istanbul. St. Andrew is the
Patron Saint of the Ecumenical
Patriarchate; his Patronal Feast
is celebrated on November 30.
The title “Ecumenical Patriarch”
dates from the sixth century and
historically belongs to the
Archbishop of Constantinople
exclusively. As Archbishop of
Constantinople-New Rome,
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew
occupies the First Throne of the
Orthodox Christian Church
worldwide, presiding in
historical honor and fraternal
spirit among all Orthodox
Primates. These include the
ancient Patriarchates of
Alexandria, Antioch and
Jerusalem, as well as the more
recent Patriarchates of Moscow,
Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria and
Georgia. Beyond these, the
Ecumenical Patriarch has the
historical and theological
responsibility to initiate and
coordinate activity among the
Orthodox Churches of Cyprus,
Greece, Poland, Albania, the
Czech Lands and Slovakia,
Finland, Estonia, as well as
various Archdioceses and
Metropolitan dioceses throughout
the world, such as in Europe,
America, Asia and Australia.
Moreover, he is responsible for
convening pan-Orthodox councils
or meetings, facilitating
inter-church and inter-faith
dialogues, while serving as the
focal point and primary
spokesman for Orthodox Church
unity as a whole. Transcending
national and ethnic borders, the
Ecumenical Patriarch is
spiritual leader to some 300
million Orthodox Christians
world-wide.
Born Demetrios Archondonis in
1940 on the island of Imvros
(today, Gokceada, Turkey), His
All Holiness Archbishop
Bartholomew was elected in
October 1991 as the 270th
Archbishop of the 2000-year-old
Church founded by St. Andrew,
serving as Archbishop of
Constantinople-New Rome and
Ecumenical Patriarch.
The personal experience and
theological formation of the
Ecumenical Patriarch provide him
with a unique perspective on
ecumenical relations and
environmental issues. His All
Holiness has worked tirelessly
for reconciliation among
Christian Churches and acquired
an international reputation for
raising environmental awareness
throughout the world. He has
worked to advance reconciliation
with the Roman Catholic Church
and the Anglican Communion, as
well as other confessions,
through theological dialogues
and personal encounters with
respective leaders in order to
address issues of common
concern. Closely involved with
the World Council of Churches,
he has served on its Executive
and Central Committees and Faith
and Order Commission. Moreover,
he has initiated numerous
international meetings and
conversations with Muslim and
Jewish leaders in an effort to
promote mutual respect and
religious tolerance on a global
level, thereby proving a pioneer
in interfaith encounters
throughout the world. Finally,
the Ecumenical Patriarch has
also presided over the historic
restoration of the Autocephalous
Church of Albania and the
Autonomous Church of Estonia,
providing spiritual and moral
support to many traditional
Orthodox countries emerging from
decades of wide-scale religious
persecution behind the Iron
Curtain.
A citizen of Turkey, Ecumenical
Patriarch Bartholomew received
his elementary and secondary
education in Imvros and
Istanbul. After completing
undergraduate studies at the
Theological School of Halki,
Istanbul, His All Holiness
pursued graduate studies at the
Pontifical Oriental Institute of
the Gregorian University in
Rome, the Ecumenical Institute
in Bossey (Switzerland) and the
University of Munich. His
doctoral dissertation was in
Canon Law; he was a founding
member of the Society of Law of
the Oriental Churches. Ordained
to the Diaconate in 1961 and to
the Priesthood in 1969, he
served as Assistant Dean at the
Theological School of Halki
(1968-72) before being appointed
Personal Secretary to his
predecessor, the late Ecumenical
Patriarch Demetrios (1972-90),
as well as being elected
Metropolitan of Philadelphia
(1973) and, later, Metropolitan
of Chalcedon (1990).
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew
holds numerous honorary
doctorates, from prestigious
academic institutions such as
the universities of Athens,
Thessaloniki, Patras and
Ioannina (in Greece), Georgetown
and Yale (in the USA), Flinders
in Australia and Manila (in
Australasia), London, Edinburgh,
Louvain, Moscow, Bologna and
Bucharest (in Europe). He speaks
contemporary Greek, Turkish,
Italian, German, French and
English; he is also fluent in
classical Greek and Latin.
The role of the Ecumenical
Patriarch as the primary
spiritual leader of the Orthodox
Christian world and
transnational figure of global
significance continues to grow
increasingly vital. His All
Holiness has co-sponsored
international peace conferences,
as well as meetings on the
subjects of racism and
fundamentalism, bringing
together Christians, Muslims and
Jews for the purpose of
generating greater cooperation
and mutual understanding. He has
been invited to address the
European Parliament, UNESCO, the
World Economic Forum, as well as
numerous national parliaments.
He has organized six
international, inter-faith and
inter-disciplinary symposia to
address ecological problems in
the rivers and seas of the
world, initiatives earning him
the title “Green Patriarch” and
the award of several significant
environmental awards.
Ecumenical Patriarch
Bartholomew’s tenure has been
characterized by inter-Orthodox
cooperation, inter-Christian and
inter-religious dialogue, as
well as by formal trips to
Orthodox and Muslim countries
seldom previously visited. He
has exchanged numerous
invitations of Church and State
dignitaries. His efforts to
promote religious freedom and
human rights, his initiatives to
advance religious tolerance
among the world’s religions,
together with his work toward
international peace and
environmental protection have
justly placed him at the
forefront of global visionaries
as an apostle of love, peace and
reconciliation. In 1997, he was
awarded the Gold Medal of the
United States Congress.
BARTHOLOMEW,
