In his Christmas encyclical, the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew proclaimed 2017 as the year of Protection of Childhood. “We appeal to all of you to respect the identity and sacredness of childhood. In light of the global refugee crisis that especially affects the rights of children; in light of the plague of child mortality, hunger and child labor, child abuse and psychological violence, as well as the dangers of altering children’s souls through their uncontrolled exposure to the influence of contemporary electronic means of communication and their subjection to consumerism, we declare 2017 as the Year of Protection of the Sacredness of Childhood, inviting everyone to recognize and respect the rights and integrity of children”. Continue reading →

In view of convening in 2017 the 17^th Plenary Session of the official International Theological Dialogue between the Orthodox Church and the World Lutheran Federation, the Joint Preparatory Committee met on 7–13 December, 2016 on Cyprus to discuss subjects related to the biblical foundation of priesthood in the two Traditions; priesthood in the Ancient Church, the Ecumenical Councils and the Medieval Tradition; the relationship between the ordained ministry and priesthood of all the believers; and the episcopal function and the Apostolic succession.

The meeting was hosted in Nicosia by the Archbishop of Cyprus Chrysostomos II under the hospices of the Metropolitan Isaiah of Tamassos and Orinis. It was chaired by the two co-presidents, Metropolitan Prof. Dr. Gennadios of Sassima and Bishop Dr. Christoph Klein. Continue reading →

Following the historic meeting of the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church in Crete in June 2016, World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit met with His All Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, Archbishop of Constantinople, on 9 December 2016.

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On 8 December 2016, the Permanent Representation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Permanent Representation of the Russian Orthodox Church to the WCC co-hosted an event dedicated to 1000 years of spiritual and cultural links between Mount Athos and the Church of Kyiv. It included an exhibition of photographs about the Holy Mountain and a presentation of a film entitled “1000 years on Athos” [YouTube⇒], prepared by the International Institute of Athonite Heritage in Ukraine in cooperation with the Orthodox Church in Ukraine (Moscow Patriarchate). A special greeting from His Eminence Metropolitan Onuphriy of Kyiv (head of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine) was read for the occasion and the film presentation was followed by a lecture of Mr. Serhiy Shumylo (of the International Institute of Athonite Heritage in Ukraine) on his publications tracing a millennium of inter-relations between Mount Athos and the Orthodox Church in Ukraine. It ended with a discussion that focused on Athos as a model for Church unity transcending national and cultural barriers.

His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is visiting South Italy on 1-7 December 2016. On 1 December, he participated in an ecumenical prayer at the cathedral of Lecce where he delivered a brief homily⇒, in which he described his visit as a pilgrimage “to meet the brothers in the West, to hug their children that live here and give witness of Christian love, and to breathe together friendship and dialogue with all”. Continue reading →

On 30 November 2016, on the feast of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First Called, the Ecumenical Patriarchate celebrated its Thronal Feast. According to the established tradition, the celebration was attended by a delegation from the Church of Rome that came for the occasion and was composed by His Eminence Kurt Cardinal Koch (President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity), His Excellency Archbishop Brian Russell (Apostolic Nuncio to Turkey), His Grace Bishop Brian Farrell (Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity) and Monsignor Andrea Palmieri (Undersecretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity).

The Divine Liturgy was presided by His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in concelebration with their Eminences the Metropolitans Iakovos of the Princes Islands, Joseph of Proikonesos, Meliton of Philadelphia, Dimitrios of Sebastia, Irenaios of Myrophytos and Perisatis, Chrysostom of Myra, Vasilios of Konstantia and Ammochostos, Emmanuel of France, Gennadios of Sassima, Amphilochios of Adrianople, Gerasimos of Petra and Cheronnissos and Georges of Karpenesion. Continue reading →

The 22^nd session of the Conference of the Parties (COP22) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) took place in from 7-18 November 2016 in Marrakech (Morocco). The United Nations Climate Change Conferences are held yearly. The previous one took place last year in Paris. On this occasion, the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew conveyed a message to the participants, in which he refers to 22 years of UN conventions as “an unacceptably long period to respond to the environmental crisis” as he states that “in some ways we have come a long way. Yet, in many ways, we have made little progress”.

The Ecumenical Patriarch calls mankind “to discern the human faces impacted by our ecological sins” and prays that “that all parties at the COP22 will recognize and respond to the high stakes involved in climate change”. According to him, “one way would be to implement the COP21 agreement of Paris without further delay”. Continue reading →

The Saint Irenaeus Joint Orthodox-Catholic Working Group gathered for its thirteenth annual meeting from 2 to 6 November 2016 at Taizé (France), at the invitation of the Taizé Community. The 2016 meeting was chaired by the Orthodox Co-President of the Working Group, Archbishop Job (Getcha) of Telmessos.

At the opening session on Wednesday evening, November 2, the group met with the Prior of Taizé, Frère Alois. In the course of the week, members of the Working Group shared a meal with the monastic community. Throughout the meeting, the members of the group attended the daily prayers of the Community. On Sunday, the participants attended the Divine Liturgy in the old chapel of Taizé, and the Catholic Eucharist in the Church of Reconciliation. Continue reading →

A new book by Volos Academy Publications on the dialogue between the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Churches edited by Christine Chaillot just came out in November. The main purpose of this book is to serve as a basis for reflection on this very important bilateral dialogue between the Orthodox Church and the so called “Oriental Orthodox” (Pre-chalcedonian) Churches (Coptic, Armenian, Ethiopian and Syriac), which goes back to 1964 but officially started in 1985. Continue reading →

Kurt Cardinal Koch, President Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity; Bishop Munib Younan, President of the Lutheran World Federation; Pope Francis; Reverend Martin Junge, General Secretary of the Lutheral World Federation

In 1517, in Wittenberg (Germany), Martin Luther manifested his opposition to the prevailing practice of selling indulgences in the Western Church. On 31 October 2016, Lutheran and Catholics co-hosted for the first time in history a joint commemoration of the 500^th anniversary of the Reformation in the Cathedral of Lund (Sweden).

This became possible after the important decisions taken at the Second Vatican Council in its decree “Unitatis redintegratio” on ecumenism, which inaugurated a bilateral theological between the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran World Federation, which has been conducted over the last 50 years. Continue reading →