Homilies, Statements, and Lectures by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew RSS

Catechetical Homily On the Commencement of Holy and Great Lent

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 09:40:00 -0400

Beloved brothers and sisters, children in the Lord, Tomorrow, we enter the period of Holy and Great Lent. In the Lenten vespers of Forgiveness chanted this evening, we shall hear the sacred hymnographer urging us to "begin the time of fasting with joy, submitting ourselves to spiritual struggle" in preparing to welcome the great Passion and joyful Resurrection of our divine-human Lord.

At the Patriarchal Chorostasia of the Doxology on the Occasion of the 18th Anniversary of His Enthronement

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:56:00 -0400

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.

At the Patriarchal Divine Liturgy and Archon Investiture

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 16:24:00 -0400

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.

At the Patriarchal Chorostasia of the Service for Ecumenical Peacemakers

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:54:00 -0400

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.

Homily - St. Demetrios - October 25, 2009

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 15:48:00 -0400

Beloved, the power of a prayer is not to be measured by its length. The most powerful prayer may also be the most brief. Few but fervent were the words of Saint Nestor: “God of Demetrios, help me.” Yet through the power of these simple words, evil was vanquished, tyranny was frustrated, faith was vindicated, and not one, but two saints for the Kingdom of God were revealed.

Welcome Message at the Second Orthodox Youth Conference

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 15:27:00 -0400

t is with great joy that we welcome the 2nd Conference on Orthodox Youth, under the theme “Members of the Church – Citizens of the World”, which is organized by the Ecumenical Throne, from July 11 to 16 2007, here in this ancient and historic City, which will be the Cultural Capital of Europe in the year 2010 and where Christianity has been vibrant for two thousand years and has survived in spite of all difficulties, challenges and divisions. This Conference should also be considered as a pilgrimage to this City where the Apostle Andrew preached the Holy Gospel, where he performed many miracles, and where thousands of martyrs and confessors witnessed to their faith.

Homily By His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew during the Concelebration of the Divine Liturgy with His Beatitude Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All-Russia in the Patriarchal Church of St. George

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 15:18:00 -0400

t is with great joy, deep love and much honor that we welcome you today to the court of that Church, from which the unwaning light of the holy and blameless Orthodox faith was conveyed to the noble and blessed Russian people, whom we behold at this moment in the precious person of Your Beatitude. We greet and embrace you wholeheartedly, praying that the Lord may bless your people with His grace, establishing them in “the faith once delivered to the saints” (Jude 3) and increasing the seed of the Gospel that they received from here.

Foreword to the Published Proceedings of the Fourth Summer Seminar at Halki

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 12:16:00 -0400

One of the more fundamental problems, which constitute the basis of the ecological crisis, is the lack of justice prevailing in our world. By justice we mean not only the legal correspondence of giving and receiving, of transgressions and consequences, of offering and reward, but the more inclusive virtue that lies beyond the narrow fulfillment of obligation. The liturgical and patristic tradition of the Church considers as just, that person who is compassionate and freely grants, using love as one’s sole criterion. Justice extends even beyond one’s fellow human being to the entire creation. The burning of forests, the criminal exploitation of natural resources, the gap between the wealthy “north” and the needy “south,” all these constitute expressions of transgressing the virtue of justice.

Catechetical Homily for Holy and Great Lent 2009

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 11:59:00 -0400

The fast proposed to us by our Holy Church is not any deprivation, but a charisma. And the repentance to which it calls us is not any punishment, but a divine gift. When the Church urges us, through the words of Scripture, not to store up for ourselves treasures on earth "where most and rust consume" but instead to store up treasures in heaven, where there is no danger of corruption, it is telling us the truth.

Message To The National Young Adult League Conference In Washington, DC

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:47:00 -0400

It is with sincere joy that we convey to all participants of the National YAL Conference being held in Washington, D.C. from July 10-13, 2008, on the critical theme “Doers of the Word” our Patriarchal and Paternal greeting.

Homily at the 60th Anniversary of the World Council of Churches, Saint Pierre Cathedral, Geneva

Sun, 17 Feb 2008 16:10:00 -0400

Paul was exasperated by the internal quarrels and divisions in the church at Corinth, which he had founded some years earlier. So, in this first letter sent to the members of that young fellowship, he made the appeal that we have just heard. The Apostle to the Gentiles took that step, because he realized that in an environment dominated by a pagan culture – as was that Greek city, where several schools of thought flourished – the Christian faith, that he had revealed to them, would run the risk of being reduced to human philosophical wisdom, if each of them claimed to belong to such or such a master, and not to the Master, Jesus Christ.

Gratitude Expressed For Hospitality During Visit to Georgia

Sat, 03 Nov 2007 17:19:00 -0400

We would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank Your Excellency for receiving us and our entourage during our recent visit to your most noble country of Georgia.

Greetings Extended to the World Conservation Union Workshop held in Ouranoupolis, Greece.

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 18:01:00 -0400

It is with great interest that we learned of the Workshop you are organizing in Ouranoupolis in Northern Greece on 24-28 October 2007 in the framework of IUCN – The World Conservation Union.

Video Address to Participants of International Conference of the Young President's Organization, Athens, Greece.

Sat, 29 Sep 2007 17:31:00 -0400

It is indeed a pleasure to address – from a distance through prayer and in spirit, as well as through video-communication – the auspicious and international gathering of the Young Presidents Organization in Athens, sponsored by the Young Presidents Organization of Greece.

Homily at the at the Opening of the International Scientific Symposium on the Occasion of the 1600th Anniversary of the death of St. John Chrysostom Archbishop of Constantinople during the Patriarchal Divine Liturgy

Fri, 14 Sep 2007 16:26:00 -0400

Today’s celebration of this Feast-Day Divine Liturgy has special ecclesiological and theological significance. For it propels straightaway our faculties of memory and our very hearts to Golgotha, and indeed to Christ, Who was lifted high up and died upon the Cross, and then Arose for the salvation of the whole world.

Homily During the Divine Liturgy at the Conclusion of the Work of the Second Orthodox Youth Conference

Sun, 15 Jul 2007 15:35:00 -0400

On this Seventh Sunday of St. Matthew, Brethren and Beloved Children in the Lord, our Holy Orthodox Church gives honor and praise to the 650 God-bearing Fathers who gathered for the Holy Fourth Ecumenical Council in the year 451 in neighboring Chalcedon. The Definition of this Council, that is to say, the official dogmatic pronouncement, was confirmed in a most miraculous way by St. Euphemia the Great-Martyr through her sacred relics. Right here, behind the Patriarchal Throne in a silver reliquary, we enjoy the blessings of this treasure in the venerable Patriarchal Cathedral. We remember that it was only a few days ago this month, the 11th, that we commemorated the memory of St. Euphemia.

Meditation of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew at the Opening Prayer Service Third European Ecumenical Assembly

Wed, 09 May 2007 12:23:00 -0400

The Light of Christ shines upon all !

Hope for renewal and unity in Europe

We give glory to the Almighty and Triune God, who rendered us worthy – from East and West, from North and South, from all over our historical continent Europe, to gather for a third time as all of its Christian Churches, so that &

Welcoming Remarks to the Members of the Pontifical Liturgical Institute

Sun, 15 Apr 2007 18:15:00 -0400

It is a great joy to welcome you all – accompanied by the President of your esteemed Institute, Fr. Juan Javier Flores Arcas – to the Center of Orthodoxy.

Cathchetical Homily on the Beginning of Holy and Great Lent 2007

Mon, 19 Feb 2007 11:09:00 -0400

Humanity realized from ancient times that good things can only be acquired through hard work. Likewise did the Holy Fathers realize that in order to savor divine love, within which everything good, both eternal and temporal coexists, the contempt of repose is considered necessary, as Abba Isaac the Syrian says characteristically. And on the one hand, the material goods and commodities are what we humans pursue and acquire through great trouble, which we are usually ready for and willing to undergo.

Religion, Science & the Environment Symposium VI “The Amazon River: Source of Life” Statement

Thu, 20 Jul 2006 16:19:00 -0400

On the occasion of the 6th Religion, Science and Environment Symposium convened in Amazonia, July 13rd to 20th 2006, under the patronage of His All Holiness, Ecumencial Patriarch, Bartholomew, and His Excellency Kofi Anan, Secretary General of the United Nations, distinguished participants from many countries, having benefited from the wisdom and insights of the religious, indigenous people, national and regional authorities, scientists, environmentalists and other experts, consider that: