On the evening of Holy Tuesday, April 3, 2018, His Excellency Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation, who is currently visiting Ankara, spoke over the telephone with His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and expressed his gratitude for the congratulatory wishes he received on the occasion of his reelection as President of the Russian Federation. He also thanked the Patriarch for all of his efforts in advancing Orthodox unity, for the canonical permission granted by the Ecumenical Patriarchate, which allowed for an Orthodox Chapel dedicated to St. Andrew to be built within the compounds of the Russian Federation’s Embassy in Ankara, as well as for the warm reception that the President enjoyed during his two visits to the Holy Mountain of Athos. His Excellency particularly mentioned the great respect that the Russian people have for the Mother Church of Constantinople, especially since Prince Vladimir and his people received their Christian baptism from Her, which—as stated by His Excellency—constitutes an event of great historical significance. Moreover, President Putin conveyed the fraternal greetings of His Holiness and Beatitude Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, mentioning as well Patriarch Kirill’s readiness to strengthen the bond between the two Churches. He then concluded with wishes for a joyous Holy Pascha. Continue reading →

Participants from the World Council of Churches Conference on World Mission and Evangelism (CWME) issued a “Call to Discipleship” on 13 March, the closing day of the conference. More than 1,000 people gathered in Tanzania for the CWME between 8 and 13 March,,  all are engaged in mission and evangelism, coming from different Christian traditions across the world (Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Catholic, Protestant, Evangelical and Pentecostal, and their respective Mission agencies and African Churches). His Holiness Moran Mor Ignatius Aphrem II (Patriarch of Antioch and all the East of the Syriac Orthodox Church) spoke on the last plenary (March 13, 2018), as the video message of His All-Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew was shown at the opening plenary. The Arusha Call to Discipleship reads as follows:

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On 8 March 2018, Archbishop Job of Telmessos represented the Ecumenical Patriarchate at a side event of the 37th session of the Human Rights Council at the United Nations in Geneva, co-organized by Arigatou International Geneva, the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Violence Against Children, the World Council of Churches, the World Vision, the UNICEF and the World Health Organization, and focusing on Prevention of Violence in Early Childhood.

The objectives of this side event were to discuss and share knowledge on the extent and nature of violence in early childhood; identify concrete actions and share good practices to challenge cultural and social norms that justify violence against children in child upbringing; reflect on the role of religious communities to challenge social and cultural norms that justify violence against children; and identify policies and programs that can help ending violence in early childhood and support the creation of safe and nurturing environments for children. Continue reading →

The Conference on World Mission and Evangelism, organized by the World Council of Churches (WCC) with the theme “Moving in the Spirit: Called to Transforming Discipleship,” has started on 8 March 2018, gathering representatives of mainline Protestant, Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Evangelical, Pentecostal, and African-instituted Churches.

In his opening remarks, WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit reflected that this conference is a milestone in modern church history. “I believe that God is reminding us particularly in our time of what is the force driving the mission of church.” Tveit added “It is the love of God, expressed in the love of Jesus Christ through his life, crucifixion and resurrection, bringing salvation and reconciliation to the world. We should be stamped by the words of the Apostle Paul: “The love of Christ urges us on” (2 Cor 5:14).” He continued: “In our reflections these days about where the Spirit is moving us as disciples of Jesus Christ today and tomorrow, we see ourselves in a world in desperate need of peaceful and just patterns of living together as one humanity in the one, vulnerable creation of God.”

In a video message to the conference Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I said “Despite all of the past challenges and hardships experienced by the African continent, we find ourselves today surrounded by a vibrant African community dancing and singing in the joy of the resurrection, marching onward on the rythm of the Holy Spirit in celebration of Humanity’s emancipation”.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew attended the “Interreligious Dialogue for Peace, Promoting Peaceful Coexistence & Common Citizenship” in Vienna on 26 February 2018.   The conference created a first-ever joint action plan for Arab religious leaders to lead the way in repairing the divisions created by extremists, and rebuilding social cohesion and common citizenship in the Arab region.

The platform will be the first of its kind for the leaders of Christian and Muslim communities in the region, a space where they can cooperate to jointly promote the best interests of all the people in the region. Religious leaders and policymakers consider this institution essential; the lack of such a platform is as an obstacle to sustained interreligious dialogue. Continue reading →

The World Council of Churches is getting ready for the Conference on World Mission and Evangelism which will take place on 8-13 March 2018 in Arusha, Tanzania. These conferences are of a long tradition of the International Mission Council and the World Council of Churches’ (WCC) Commission on World Mission and Evangelism (CWME) and are organized every decade. Continue reading →

As the Orthodox Church entered into the Holy and Great Lent leading to Pascha, the feast of feasts, celebrating the Resurrection of Christ, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew exhorted the people of good will to engage in fasting in a communal spirit. “Ascesis is not individualistic but an ecclesiastical event and achievement—our participation as believers in the mystery and sacraments of the Church, a struggle against selfishness, a practice of philanthropy, a Eucharistic use of creation and a contribution to the transfiguration of the world” says the Ecumenical Patriarch in his catechetical homily for the opening of Great Lent this year. “When spirituality is authentic, it cannot also be fruitless. Whoever truly loves God also loves one’s neighbor everywhere as well as creation in its entirety” says the Patriarch. Continue reading →

Ten years ago, on February 22, 2008, the beloved metropolitan of the Ecumenical Patriarchate Emilianos (Timiadis) fell asleep in the Lord. He was indeed a spiritual personality of great magnitude and an unforgettable protagonist of ecumenical dialogue. He was the second Permanent Representative of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to the WCC during 26 years (1959–1985), and had been also involved in the creation of the Orthodox Centre of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Chambésy serving as the first President of the board of directors (1966-1969). Continue reading →

On 16 February 2018, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby visited the Ecumenical Center of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in Geneva where he met with the Secretary General Rev. Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit, the staff, and held a public lecture entitled “Ecumenical Spring” in which he spoke on an “ecumenism of action”. His visit was the first WCC 70th anniversary public event. Continue reading →

Under the auspices of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the Ecumenical Patriarchate will be hosting a forum on modern slavery in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from May 5-8, 2018. This forum—entitled Old Problems in the New World—will be co-sponsored by the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires and the Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute (Berkeley, California). The purpose of this gathering is to bring together distinguished practitioners and policymakers, as well as theologians and scholars, from within Latin America and other regions of the New World in order to continue the conversation of the first forum, while including other issues, such as public health, technology and vulnerable communities.

The forum is a natural continuation of the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church (Crete, June 2016), as well as the first forum, Sins Before our Eyes, which was a collaborative effort of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and His Grace Archbishop Justin (Welby) of Canterbury held in Istanbul from February 6-7, 2017. The original idea for their forum arose during the official visit of the Patriarch to Lambeth Palace in 2015, which followed the visit of the Archbishop to the Phanar in 2014. At the conclusion of the first forum, which largely focused on the issue of human trafficking, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and Archbishop Justin signed a Joint Declaration, expressing their shared commitment to eradicating all forms of human enslavement.