Addresses and Homilies from the US Visit

Address of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during the Dinner Honoring Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew

I want to welcome all of you to the Ben Franklin Room here on the eighth floor of the State Department for such a special occasion. It is indeed an honor for me to welcome His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, whom I have had the great honor and personal pleasure of getting to know over the years 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 »

At the Patriarchal Chorostasia of the Doxology on the Occasion of the 18th Anniversary of His Enthronement as Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch

This evening we are brought together by the Holy Spirit in great joy and supreme love, as we celebrate with the community of Saints Constantine and Helen Church here in Annapolis, along with many faithful of the God-saved Metropolis of New Jersey. It is with profound humility and paternal love that we share with you this day as the observance of the eighteenth anniversary of our enthronement as the successor of the First-Called Apostle Saint Andrew as Archbishop of Constantinople and New Rome, and Ecumenical Patriarch. Learn More »

At the Luncheon in Honor of His All Holiness Hosted by His Excellency Vassilis Kaskarelis, Ambassador of the Hellenic Republic to the United States of America

Here at the Embassy of the Hellenic Republic, we are reminded of the living universal and transformative ideals of Hellenism, with which the Orthodox Christian Faith shares the entirety of its two thousand year history. Among these universal ideals are the formative concepts of democracy, human rights, and the transcendent nature of the human person. Long before the world spoke of a “philosophia perennis” the Ancient Hellenes were mapping out the metaphysical and natural world across a broad philosophical landscape that is unmatched for its originality, precision, truthfulness, and humanity to this very day. Learn More »

At the Patriarchal Divine Liturgy and Archon Investiture

The New Testament readings that we heard this morning provide us with a unique image – not only of the faithful in general within the Church – but also of the relationship that you enjoy as members of the Order of St. Andrew with the Apostolic See of Constantinople founded by the First-Called Apostle Andrew. What we have before us is an icon of the bond that we share, of the affiliation with which you are invested as Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. 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 »

Remarks of His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch BARTHOLOMEW at the Concert for Peacemakers

We greet you with all love and every paternal blessing in the Lord on this most joyous occasion. We are honored indeed by this event, this concert in Tribute to Peacemakers, celebrating both our current mission of environmental stewardship, as well as the foregoing decade of peacemaking ministry of our beloved brother Archbishop Demetrios of America. How we have enjoyed this evening! The virtuosity of all the musicians who perform under the direction of Maestro Tiboris, soloists, and the choir of our beloved youth. We pray that God, who gave all of you such tremendous musical skills, will bless you in the offering of these talents throughout all your lives. 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 »

At the Dinner In Honor of His All Holiness at World of Coca Cola hosted by Muhtar Kent

Tonight we have gathered at this remarkable center, in truth, a museum to one of the most beloved products and, if we might use the word, ‘icons,’ of the twentieth century. We have been brought together by a dear and trusted friend, Mr. Muhtar Kent, who presides over this remarkable company with more than one million employees in two hundred countries as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Learn More »

At the Patriarchal Chorostasia of the Service for Ecumenical Peacemakers

It is, we emphasize, no coincidence that we meet in this place and at this hour, on the evening when the Orthodox Christian Church begins its commemoration of the Holy Apostle Cleopas. Saint Cleopas was one of the Apostles of the Seventy commissioned by Christ (Luke 10:1, 17). He was also one of the two disciples that the Lord met on the road to Emmaus after the Resurrection (Luke 24:18). The experience of Saint Cleopas has great meaning for our encounter today. Learn More »

Greeting of His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch BARTHOLOMEW to the Metropolis of Atlanta

The tremendous growth of the Metropolis over the past decade; with new communities being founded, and a burgeoning populace of Orthodox faithful, testify to the providential care of His Eminence Alexios and to his co-workers here at the Metropolis Headquarters under the guidance and inspiration of His Eminence Demetrios, our Exarch in the U.S.A.. 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 »

2009 US Visit

• Itinerary
• For the Press
• Parish Resources
• Addresses and Homilies
• RSE Symposium Addresses
  • Welcome Remarks from Vice-President Al Gore
  • Welcoming Remarks By Archbishop Demetrios of America
  • Letter of Pope Benedict XVI to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew
  • Opening Address of His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew