At the 2009 Annual Archon Banquet Given in His Honor Order of Saint Andrew – Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate

Address of His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew

Waldorf Astoria Hotel
Direct Archdiocesan District
New York, New York

(October 31, 2009)

* * *

Your Eminence Archbishop Demetrios,
Most Reverend Metropolitans and Bishops,
Esteemed Archons of the Ecumenical Throne,
Distinguished Guests,
Beloved Children in the Lord,

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. We look upon you as true hoplites of the Lord, defenders of the faith and defenders of the Ecumenical Throne, who constitute a living army of love for the Sacred and Apostolic See of First-Called Andrew, and for our Holy Orthodox Christian faith.

We feel a special connection with our cherished spiritual sons and daughters gathered at this banquet; and we know that all of you in turn share the same emotions of love and support for the Mother Church, which you serve with such commitment and loyalty in so many and various capacities.

On the one hand, as your Spiritual Father in Christ, we care for and nurture relations with our children throughout the world, and especially those who have demonstrated their devotion and dedication to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. On the other hand, as Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of the Order of St. Andrew, all of you have been honored for your unfading witness and unfailing service to the Great Church of Christ over many years. This mutual spiritual bond is warmly enabled and paternally empowered by our beloved Exarch in the United States, His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios, whose tenth anniversary as your spiritual leader we are celebrating these days, and by the esteemed Metropolitans of our Holy Archdiocese as well.

As invaluable members of the Order of St. Andrew, you bear the patronage and name of the Founder of our Church and “First-Called” among the Apostles. And you have proved worthy disciples of the “First-Called” Apostle, standing beside the Apostolic See of Constantinople and playing an integral role in historical moments, such as the return to the Phanar of the relics of our saintly predecessors, St. Gregory the Theologian and St. John Chrysostom, restored in the Patriarchal Cathedral of St. George through the gracious and brotherly gesture of the late Pope, His Holiness John Paul II. You were present also when Pope Benedict XVI visited the Ecumenical Patriarchate at our personal invitation, an extraordinary event of immense ecumenical proportions for the ongoing dialogue between our two “Sister Churches.” We note as well and rejoice at the presence of our beloved brother Archbishop Timothy Dolan of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, who most worthily represents our Sister Church of Elder Rome.

Most especially, however, you have always been at the forefront of the sacred campaign of awareness and support for the Mother Church in her struggle to stand up for the religious rights of minorities as well as for the human rights of all people throughout the world. Your tireless efforts to encourage legislators across this nation – both in individual States, where you have disseminated information to your local representatives, but also in Washington DC, where you inspired support for a number of resolutions for the Ecumenical Patriarchate – have resulted in a remarkable change of attitude throughout the world, as evidenced by the bold statements by President Barack Obama in the Turkish Parliament, where the re-opening of the historic Theological School of Halki was explicitly mentioned. Moreover, we have been deeply moved and remain profoundly grateful for your consistent and persistent labors to raise the same sacred issues at the highest level before the European Parliament and the Supreme Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. For this and many other labors, we extend to you our abiding gratitude and fervent prayers.

 Our Orthodox Christian Faith has lived and thrived in this Nation for generations – from the first Greeks who came to New Smyrna in the eighteenth century, to the first Orthodox parish in America in New Orleans which was found in 1863 and flourishes to this day, and which we have just visited for the second time. America is a land, and indeed, an idea, that offers to every soul the freedom to express one’s own religious conviction, and this is surely the most basic of inalienable human rights. We are profoundly grateful for the blessings that have been afforded all Orthodox Christians in this great country, and for this we say, “May God bless the Orthodox Christians in these United States, and may God bless America!”

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