Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America Patriarchal and Synodal Encyclical Issued on the Occasion of the 1700th Anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea Prot. No. 335 + B A R T H O L O M E W By God’s Mercy, Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch To the Plenitude of the Church: May God’s Grace and Peace be with you! We offer a hymn of thanks to the almighty, all-seeing, and benevolent God in Trinity, who vouchsafed that His people reach the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea, which bore spiritual witness to…
Browsing: Constantinople
Source: Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate The Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate held the first-ever Pilgrimage of Discovery (POD) Alumni Retreat on May 16-18, 2025, in Chicago. The event was organized by the Pilgrimage of Discovery Alumni Leadership Network (ALN), a branch of the Archon Youth Participation Activities Engagement Committee, to bring together as many of the 21 young adults that participated in the first two Archon POD programs in 2023 and 2024. Funded by the Archons, the POD is a religious and educational journey through Constantinople awarded to Orthodox Christian young adults across America who went through a rigorous…
Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America On Wednesday, May 21st, the feast of Sts. Constantine and Helen, His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew received His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America in an audience with the Holy Cross senior students on the St. Helen’s Pilgrimage led by V. Rev. Archimandrite Bartholomew Mercado, a member of the Holy Cross faculty. Archbishop Elpidophoros offered remarks to His All-Holiness in which he expressed the dedication and commitment of our Sacred Archdiocese and our beloved School to the self-sacrificial ministry of His All-Holiness and the Mother Church of Constantinople. He then proceeded to introduce the students…
Source: Yankee Athonite by Michael Warren Davis I see that Vox published an article which, in part, scolds me for saying that Archbishop Elpidophoros—leader of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America—is a CIA asset: It’s why Michael Warren Davis, another Orthodox convert at the American Conservative, could directly call the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of America a CIA asset without any evidence. Laypeople attacking their hierarchs is about the least “trad” thing one can do. It reveals just how little these conversions have to do with anything organic to these traditions, but are instead an act of rebellion against the American mainstream, with a…
Source: The National Herald By Theodore Kalmoukos BOSTON – Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is expected to visit the United States this coming fall [2025]. The exact dates have not yet been set, but exclusive information received by The National Herald suggests that the visit may take place between September and October. Sources of The National Herald in the Phanar in Constantinople stated that “the discussions are still in the early stages, and it will take some time to finalize the dates.” Regarding the purpose of the visit, it was mentioned that “beyond its pastoral nature, it will also have a political…
Source: Orthodox Church in America In the second half of February, His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon appointed a delegation to visit three Orthodox autocephalous Churches. These visits—to the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, and the Serbian Orthodox Church—were primarily intended to maintain and further develop fraternal relationships. On February 19, 2025, Archpriest Alessandro Margheritino, Acting Chancellor and Secretary of the Orthodox Church in America, traveled with Archpriest Alexander Rentel, former Chancellor and COO at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, to Istanbul for a visit to the Ecumenical Patriarchate. While in Constantinople and at the Phanar, the delegation met with hierarchs and members of…
Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America On December 1, 2024, the 2025 Pilgrimage of Discovery program will be open for applications. Orthodox Christian young adults of the ages 23 to 30 who have demonstrated leadership qualities in the Church are cordially invited to apply. The annual Pilgrimage of Discovery program is a seven-day, all-expenses paid, religious and cultural summer journey to the heart of the Orthodox Faith. This transformational program is dedicated to sending Orthodox Christian young adults to Constantinople each year to learn about Orthodoxy, our Ecumenical Patriarchate and the challenges it faces, the history of the Church, the…
Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America Along an aptly rain-soaked Golden Horn, this weekend the Ecumenical Patriarchate is presenting Halki Summit VI, entitled “Water: Spirit and Science,” in Istanbul, Türkiye. The Halki Summit, which celebrated its inaugural meeting in 2012, is a gathering organized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate for activists, scientists, journalists, business leaders, theologians, and academics to engage in environmentalist discussion and build interdisciplinary connections. This year’s Summit, co-sponsored by Hellenic Open University, addresses the scientific and spiritual dimensions of water as a vital resource of our planet and a fundamental symbol of Christian theological and sacramental practice. Attendees…
Source: The National Herald By Theodore Karakostas The glorious churches of Aghia Sophia and the Holy Savior at the monastery of Chora in Constantinople have been converted into mosques by the current Turkish government. While the future of these edifices of Greek Orthodoxy may seem bleak, they cannot be abandoned to their fate. Constantinople will always be the greatest of all Greek cities and the spiritual heart of Orthodoxy. As I told an official of UNESCO in Paris in 2015, Aghia Sophia is the product of the Gospel and Orthodox theology. I have been in touch with UNESCO officials since…
Source: The National Herald BOSTON – The Archdiocese of America has contributed financially to the renovation of the Marasleios School, whose inauguration took place on the occasion of the name day celebration of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. The Patriarch revealed the financial assistance of the Archdiocese during his speech, stating: “With much emotion and joy, we conducted the Blessing Ceremony, inaugurating, by the grace of the benevolent God, a new chapter in the history and operation of the Marasleios Urban School, or officially, the ‘Patriarchal Urban School of Marasli’. Rightfully and justly, we express, first, our Patriarchal gratitude to the sponsors…
Source: Orthodox Church in America [OCA] His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon and the delegation from the Orthodox Church in America visited Constantinople from June 7 to June 10, 2024. During their time in Constantinople and at the Phanar, the delegation met with hierarchs and members of the Patriarchal Court. Their discussions covered various topics, including their recent trips to Ukraine and Romania, as well as matters related to Orthodoxy in North America. The delegation was warmly received by the Patriarchate and invited to luncheons on both June 8 and 9. On June 8, they had lunch with His Eminence Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon, His Eminence…
Source: The National Herald By Theodore Kalmoukos BOSTON – A matter has arisen with the Turkish authorities regarding the renewal of residence and work permits for clerics and other employees at the Ecumenical Patriarchate and parishes in Constantinople and elsewhere. Specifically, the Patriarch’s Archdeacon, Fr. Alexandros Koutsis, originally from Zakynthos, was forced to leave and has already returned to Greece, along with a cleric from Antalya and another from Smyrna. It is noted that residence and work permits in Turkey are renewed biennially. Information obtained by The National Herald indicates that this issue is part of Turkey’s general approach towards…