Monday, April 30, 2018
Thursday, April 26, 2018
Wednesday, April 25, 2018
Patriarch Bartholomew Gets Surprise Audience with Turkish President Erdogan in Ankara
On 25 April 2018,His Excellency Recep Tayyip Erdogan,President of Turkey,granted a longstanding request by His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople for a substantive discussion on pressing matters.Received at the presidential palace in the Turkish capital,Ankara,Patriarch Bartholomew was able to submit,in spoken word and on paper,a list of problems currently faced by the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Greek community in Turkey.
The meeting,which surprised the media-including this blog-lasted 35 minutes.
It began with His All-Holiness thanking Mr.Erdogan,who has fashioned himself into a political strongman of late,for all he has done so far for the Patriarchate and the Greeks,such as allowing the resumption of services at the historic Soumela Monastery in Trabzon,Turkey.In what was described as a good atmosphere,the audience progressed to Mr.Erdogan showing great interest in what the Patriarch had to say about the Greek Orthodox community's plight in the vast sea of Muslims that is Turkey today.*
At one point,President Erdogan summoned the General Director for Foundations,Mr.Adnan Ertem,into the room and instructed him to take action on His All-Holiness' list of needs that fall within his purview.*
Following their private conversation,Patriarch Bartholomew invited his entourage into the chamber to meet the President:
His Eminence Metropolitan Elpidoforos of Proussos (Bursa,Turkey);the Very Rev.Archimandrite Joachim (Billis),Chief Secretary of the Holy and Sacred Synod;Mr.Panteleimon Vigas,a leading Archon,or lay advisor,of the Ecumenical Patriarchate;and Mr.Giorgios Papaliaris,Deputy Chairman of the Association for Support of Roman Community Institutions.*
The meeting indicates that perhaps Mr.Erdogan now feels confident enough to grant some requests for the Orthodox Christian community and heritage sites,which,after all,bring untold travel and tourism dollars into Turkey.This would tend to burnish his reputation within the European Union and NATO.
The meeting,which surprised the media-including this blog-lasted 35 minutes.
It began with His All-Holiness thanking Mr.Erdogan,who has fashioned himself into a political strongman of late,for all he has done so far for the Patriarchate and the Greeks,such as allowing the resumption of services at the historic Soumela Monastery in Trabzon,Turkey.In what was described as a good atmosphere,the audience progressed to Mr.Erdogan showing great interest in what the Patriarch had to say about the Greek Orthodox community's plight in the vast sea of Muslims that is Turkey today.*
At one point,President Erdogan summoned the General Director for Foundations,Mr.Adnan Ertem,into the room and instructed him to take action on His All-Holiness' list of needs that fall within his purview.*
Following their private conversation,Patriarch Bartholomew invited his entourage into the chamber to meet the President:
His Eminence Metropolitan Elpidoforos of Proussos (Bursa,Turkey);the Very Rev.Archimandrite Joachim (Billis),Chief Secretary of the Holy and Sacred Synod;Mr.Panteleimon Vigas,a leading Archon,or lay advisor,of the Ecumenical Patriarchate;and Mr.Giorgios Papaliaris,Deputy Chairman of the Association for Support of Roman Community Institutions.*
The meeting indicates that perhaps Mr.Erdogan now feels confident enough to grant some requests for the Orthodox Christian community and heritage sites,which,after all,bring untold travel and tourism dollars into Turkey.This would tend to burnish his reputation within the European Union and NATO.
Photos of the 25 April 2018 meeting of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey at the presidential palace in Ankara.Ο Οικουμενικός Πατριάρχης συναντά τον Πρόεδρο της Τουρκικής Δημοκρατίας στην Άγκυρα|Amen.gr
Ο Οικουμενικός Πατριάρχης συναντά τον Πρόεδρο της Τουρκικής Δημοκρατίας στην Άγκυρα|Amen.gr: H A. Θ. Παναγιότης, ο Οικουμενικός Πατριάρχης Βαρθολομαίος, συναντήθηκε σήμερα, Τετάρτη, 25 Απριλίου, με τον Εξοχ. Πρόεδρο της Τουρκικής Δημοκρατίας κ. Ρετζέπ Ταγίπ Ερντογάν.
Tuesday, April 24, 2018
Monday, April 23, 2018
Thursday, April 19, 2018
Wednesday, April 18, 2018
Patriarch Bartholomew Hosts Many Balkan Visitors,Making Candid Remarks on Recent Controversies
Between 10-11 April 2018,His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople received a series of visitors from the Balkans.On 10 April arrived the President of Bosnia and Herzegovina,His Excellency Mladen Ivanic.Mr.Ivanic and Patriarch Bartholomew reviewed the issues of the day for about thirty minutes.
This session was followed about an hour later by a private meeting between His All-Holiness and the President of FYROM,the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,Gjeorge Ivanov,along with his wife and son,as well as some of his colleagues and the FYROM Ambassador to Turkey.As before,many important issues were gone over;while,at the same time,there was an exchange of Paschal greetings and gifts.
At both meetings with the Balkan leaders,Patriarch Bartholomew was joined by His Eminence Metropolitan Gennadios of Sassima,a well-known theologian;His Eminence Metropolitan Elpidoforos of Bursa,Turkey;and the Very Rev.Archimandrite Joachim (Billis),Chief Secretary of the Holy and Sacred Synod.*
On 11 April,His All-Holiness addressed a number of professors and students from the St.Clement of Ohrid Theological Seminary in Skopje,FYROM,who were on a visit to Constantinople and Thessaloniki,Greece.Deploring the Church of Bulgaria's recent effort to grant autocephaly to the Macedonian Orthodox Church,which no other autocephalous Orthodox Church recognises,Patriarch Bartholomew admitted:
I am thinking about this because I want to be perfectly honest with you.This action of the sister Church of Bulgaria was wrong.It does not help.It complicates things.The Mother Church of all the Balkan peoples is Constantinople.That is what the true history says.What is being discussed is a fictitious mother.And Bulgaria cannot introduce you to canonicity,or normal relations with the other Churches.There must be direct,honest and sincere inter-Orthodox relations.
Every time a Synaxis of Orthodox Primates is convened either here or in Chambesy,the Ecumenical Patriarchate's attempt is to put all subjects on the table and to discuss them with honesty and sincerity.*
The Patriarch made an open invitation to the FYROM theological educators and students:
Know that we love you,and come whenever you want in this beautiful and historic City,where are the Courtyards of the Mother Church,from which you,and all the Balkan peoples,received baptism and the light of Christianity.Therefore,every time you come here to us in Istanbul,you do not have to feel that you are strangers,that you are guests;but that you are at home.
We have high hopes for you and for your ministry in the Church in the future.These are true despite the fact that there are currently problems between your country and Greece,and between your Church and all other Orthodox Churches.Precisely,we count on the new generation of theologians and clergy,which can help strengthen relations of neighbouring peoples and between the Orthodox Churches.Today,our generation,the older generation,will do everything we can to improve the situation,especially our Ecumenical Patriarchate,which has the coordinating role in the transcendental things-and after our generation,you will take over and you will continue,cultivate and augment these good relations between our peoples and our Churches.*
Following his moving address,His All-Holiness distributed with his blessing to the FYROM pilgrims books on the history of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the official texts of the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church in Crete in 2016;Easter eggs and holy keepsakes.They were also invited to dine with the Patriarch in the Patriarchal refectory.
This session was followed about an hour later by a private meeting between His All-Holiness and the President of FYROM,the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,Gjeorge Ivanov,along with his wife and son,as well as some of his colleagues and the FYROM Ambassador to Turkey.As before,many important issues were gone over;while,at the same time,there was an exchange of Paschal greetings and gifts.
At both meetings with the Balkan leaders,Patriarch Bartholomew was joined by His Eminence Metropolitan Gennadios of Sassima,a well-known theologian;His Eminence Metropolitan Elpidoforos of Bursa,Turkey;and the Very Rev.Archimandrite Joachim (Billis),Chief Secretary of the Holy and Sacred Synod.*
On 11 April,His All-Holiness addressed a number of professors and students from the St.Clement of Ohrid Theological Seminary in Skopje,FYROM,who were on a visit to Constantinople and Thessaloniki,Greece.Deploring the Church of Bulgaria's recent effort to grant autocephaly to the Macedonian Orthodox Church,which no other autocephalous Orthodox Church recognises,Patriarch Bartholomew admitted:
I am thinking about this because I want to be perfectly honest with you.This action of the sister Church of Bulgaria was wrong.It does not help.It complicates things.The Mother Church of all the Balkan peoples is Constantinople.That is what the true history says.What is being discussed is a fictitious mother.And Bulgaria cannot introduce you to canonicity,or normal relations with the other Churches.There must be direct,honest and sincere inter-Orthodox relations.
Every time a Synaxis of Orthodox Primates is convened either here or in Chambesy,the Ecumenical Patriarchate's attempt is to put all subjects on the table and to discuss them with honesty and sincerity.*
The Patriarch made an open invitation to the FYROM theological educators and students:
Know that we love you,and come whenever you want in this beautiful and historic City,where are the Courtyards of the Mother Church,from which you,and all the Balkan peoples,received baptism and the light of Christianity.Therefore,every time you come here to us in Istanbul,you do not have to feel that you are strangers,that you are guests;but that you are at home.
We have high hopes for you and for your ministry in the Church in the future.These are true despite the fact that there are currently problems between your country and Greece,and between your Church and all other Orthodox Churches.Precisely,we count on the new generation of theologians and clergy,which can help strengthen relations of neighbouring peoples and between the Orthodox Churches.Today,our generation,the older generation,will do everything we can to improve the situation,especially our Ecumenical Patriarchate,which has the coordinating role in the transcendental things-and after our generation,you will take over and you will continue,cultivate and augment these good relations between our peoples and our Churches.*
Following his moving address,His All-Holiness distributed with his blessing to the FYROM pilgrims books on the history of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the official texts of the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church in Crete in 2016;Easter eggs and holy keepsakes.They were also invited to dine with the Patriarch in the Patriarchal refectory.
Thursday, April 12, 2018
Wednesday, April 11, 2018
Saturday, April 7, 2018
Friday, April 6, 2018
Thursday, April 5, 2018
Wednesday, April 4, 2018
Patriarch Bartholomew Hosts Large Group from Catholic Diocese of Rome - strongly reaffirms Catholic-Orthodox dialogue
In Istanbul on 3 April 2018,His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople,leader of the millions of Orthodox Christians worldwide,received a group of 70 Catholic priests from the Diocese of Rome.The priests,led by His Excellency Archbishop Angelo de Donatis,Papal Vicar for the Diocese,are on a pilgrimage to Christian sites in Turkey.
Patriarch Bartholomew stated that:
Even though it is slow,the path of our Holy Church is irreversible,because God wants it,and we must be her witnesses in a world that is losing its interest in God.*
On his relations with His Holiness Pope Francis,His All-Holiness reflected:
Our meetings,our common perseverance in finding all possible ways to resolve the unresolved issues between our Churches,have been marked by great mutual respect;trust;and mutual Christian love.We are sure that,when the times are ripe,our Churches will know with humility and willingness to put together a common project.
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