Source: Ecumenical Patriarchate
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomeos received on Tuesday, August 29, in Fanari, the participants of the scientific meeting “Partnerships in Action: towards One Earth, One Family, One Future”.
His Holiness, welcoming them to the headquarters of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, referred to the historical development of the institution, its multidimensional ministry, as well as the canonically defined and sanctified through centuries of ecclesiastical tradition and practical responsibilities of the Patriarchal Church of Orthodoxy.
He made special reference to the convocation of the Holy and Great Synod of the Orthodox Church, in Crete, in 2016, which, as he noted, renewed the Orthodox Christian witness and defended the importance of Christian values as an effective means of dealing with today’s global challenges.
“This is an essential part of our own ministry and mission in the modern world, where we promote inter-Christian and inter-religious dialogue, religious tolerance, religious freedom and a culture of solidarity in a time of turmoil, division and war”, pointed out His Holiness, who noted that the Ecumenical Patriarchate takes the lead in promoting inter-Christian dialogue, but also dialogue between Christianity and the other two monotheistic religions, Judaism and Islam. He also referred to the initiatives of the Mother Church to raise the awareness of the world community about the need to protect the natural environment and Creation as a whole, since, as he emphasized, the ecological crisis primarily affects the poorest and most vulnerable people in the world. He made special reference to the concern of the Patriarchate, in the context of the global refugee crisis, to protect the rights and dignity of children, recalling that it declared 2017 as the “Year of Protecting the Sanctity of Childhood”.
“We have a moral responsibility to carefully examine the way we behave in the world, the policies we support in society and the lifestyles we adopt as individuals. We humans are not isolated. On the contrary, we are interconnected and interdependent as people, as one planet, as one family” , emphasized the Ecumenical Patriarch.
Concluding his greeting, he congratulated the International Organization “Interfaith Alliance for Safer Communities”, with the support of which the Meeting was organized, and thanked everyone who participated in it. He also expressed his satisfaction for the significant contribution of Rev. Metropolitan of Gerontos Chalkidon Mr. Emmanuel, “prominent Hierarch of the Ecumenical Throne and leading figure of the interfaith initiatives of the Church of Constantinople, for his tireless efforts in this field and for the excellent organization of this meeting under the auspices of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.”
As part of their visit to Fanari, the Synod members visited the Pansept Patriarchal Church, where they were informed by Hierol. Patriarchal Deacon Mr. Ieronymos Sotirelis for its history and the sacred relics kept in it.