Bartholomew I of Constantinople

His All Holiness
Bartholomew I
Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople
Church Church of Constantinople
Diocese Constantinople
See Constantinople
Installed 2 November 1991
Predecessor Demetrios I
Personal details
Birth name Dimitrios Arhondonis (Δημήτριος Αρχοντώνης, Dimítrios Archontónis)
Born (1940-02-29) 29 February 1940
Aghios Theodoros (Zeytinli Köyü), Imbros (Gökçeada), Turkey
Denomination Eastern Orthodox
Residence Fener, Istanbul, Turkey
Parents Christos (father) and Merope (mother) Archontónis
Alma mater Patriarchal Theological school (Halki seminary)

Bartholomew I (Greek: Πατριάρχης Βαρθολομαῖος Α', Patriarchis Bartholomaios A' , Turkish: Patrik I. Bartholomeos; born 29 February 1940) is the 270th and current Archbishop of Constantinople and Ecumenical Patriarch, since 2 November 1991.[1] He is widely regarded as the primus inter pares (first among equals) in the Eastern Orthodox Church, and as the spiritual leader of 300 million Orthodox Christians worldwide.[lower-alpha 1]

Born Dimitrios Arhondonis (Greek: Δημήτριος Αρχοντώνης, Dimítrios Archontónis), in the village of Agios Theodoros (Zeytinli Köyü) on the island of Imbros (later renamed Gökçeada by Turkey), after his graduation he held a position at the Patriarchal Theological Seminary of Halki, where he was ordained a priest. Later, he served as Metropolitan of Philadelphia and Chalcedon and he became a member of the Holy Synod as well as other committees, prior to his enthronement as Ecumenical Patriarch.

Bartholomew's tenure has been characterized by intra-Orthodox cooperation, inter-Christian and inter-religious dialogue, as well as by formal visits to Roman Catholic, Old Catholic, Orthodox and Muslim leaders seldom previously visited by an Ecumenical Patriarch. He has exchanged numerous invitations of Church and State dignitaries. His efforts to promote religious freedom and human rights, his initiatives to advance religious tolerance among the world’s religions, as well as his efforts to promote ecology and the protection of the environment, have been widely noted, and these endeavors have earned him the title "The Green Patriarch".[20][21] Among his many international positions, he currently sits on the Board of World Religious Leaders for the Elijah Interfaith Institute.[22]

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Early life and career

Bartholomew I was born in the village of Zeytinli (Greek: Άγιος Θεόδωρος, Agios Theodoros) in the island of Gökçeada (Greek: Ίμβρος, Imvros), son of Christos and Merope Archontónis. His secular birth name is Dimitrios Arhondonis (Δημήτριος Αρχοντώνης, Dimítrios Archontónis). He is a Turkish citizen, but he belongs (ethnically) to the historically indigenous Greek community in Turkey, which today is diminished and reduced due to the 1923 population exchange between Greece and Turkey.

Dimitrios Archontonis attended elementary school in his native Imvros and continued his secondary education in the famous Zographeion Lyceum in Istanbul. Soon afterwards, he studied Theology as an undergraduate at the Patriarchal Theological school or Halki seminary, from which he graduated with highest honours in 1961, and was immediately ordained deacon, receiving the name Bartholomew. Bartholomew fulfilled his military service in the Turkish army as a non regular officer between 1961 and 1963. From 1963 to 1968, Bartholomew pursued his postgraduate studies at the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome, the Ecumenical Institute of Bossey in Switzerland and the Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich in Germany. His doctoral research was on the Canon Law. The same year he became a lecturer in the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.

After returning to Istanbul in 1968, he took a position at the Patriarchal Theological Seminary of Halki, where he was ordained a priest in 1969, by Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras I. When Demetrius I became Ecumenical Patriarch in 1972 and established the Patriarchal Office, he selected Bartholomew as its director. On Christmas of 1973, Bartholomew became Metropolitan of Philadelphia, and was renamed as director of the patriarchal office until his enthronement as Metropolitan of Chalcedon in 1990. From March 1974 until his enthronement as Ecumenical Patriarch, he was a member of the Holy Synod as well as of many Synodical Committees.

He speaks Modern Greek, Turkish, Italian, German, French and English; he is also fluent in classical Greek and Latin.

Bartholomew I was the target of an assassination plot which was planned to take place on May 29, 2013.[23] One suspect was arrested and there is an ongoing search for two others.[23]

Accomplishments

Bartholomew celebrating the Divine Liturgy.

As Ecumenical Patriarch, he has been particularly active internationally. One of his first focuses has been on rebuilding the once-persecuted Eastern Orthodox Churches of the former Eastern Bloc following the fall of Communism there in 1990. As part of this effort he has worked to strengthen ties amongst the various national Churches and Patriarchates of the Eastern Orthodox Communion. He has also continued the reconciliation dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church started by his predecessors, and initiated dialogue with other faiths, including other Christian sects, Muslims, and Jews.[24][25]

United States President Barack Obama meets with Bartholomew I.
Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.

He has also gained a reputation as a prominent environmentalist, putting the support of the Patriarchate behind various international environmental causes. This has earned him the nicknames of "the Green Patriarch" and "the Green Pope",[26][27][28][29] and in 2002 he was honored with the Sophie Prize. He has also been honoured with the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest award which may be bestowed by the Legislative Branch of the United States government.

Bartholomew I, after his attempts to celebrate the liturgy in remote areas of the country, thereby renewing the Orthodox presence, which was absent since before 1924, has now come under intense pressure from Turkish nationalist elements. The patriarchal Seminary of Halki in the Princes' Islands remains closed since 1971 on government orders.

During his trip to Turkey in November 2006, Pope Benedict XVI traveled to Istanbul on the invitation of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I. The Pope participated in the feast day services of St. Andrew the First Apostle, the patron saint of the Church of Constantinople. This was the third official visit to the Ecumenical Patriarchate by a Pope (the first being by Paul VI in 1967, and the second by John Paul II in 1979).

In an interview published on 19 November 2006 in the daily newspaper Sabah, Bartholomew I addressed the issues of religious freedom and the then upcoming papal trip to Turkey. He also referred to the closing of the Halki seminary by saying: "As Turkish citizens, we pay taxes. We serve in the military. We vote. As citizens we do everything. We want the same rights. But it does not happen... If Muslims want to study theology, there are 24 theology faculties. Where are we going to study?" He also addressed the issue of his Ecumenical title and it not being accepted by the Turkish government: "We've had this title since the 6th century... The word ecumenical has no political content. [...] This title is the only thing that I insist on. I will never renounce this title."[30][31]

He attended the Papal inauguration of Pope Francis on 19 March 2013, paving the way for better Catholic–Orthodox relations. It was the first time that the spiritual head of Eastern Orthodox Christians had attended a papal inauguration since the Great Schism in 1054.[32][33] After, he invited Pope Francis to travel with him to the Holy Land in 2014 to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the embrace between Patriarch Athenagoras and Pope Paul VI. Pope Francis was also invited to the Patriarchate for the feast day of Saint Andrew (30 November).[34]

On 16 April 2016 he visited, together with Pope Francis and Archbishop Hieronymus, the Mòria camp in the island of Lesbos, to call the attention of the world to the refugee issue.[35]

Controversy

In 1994, the Greek Orthodox Church declared Serbian war criminal Radovan Karadžić as "one of the most prominent sons of our Lord Jesus Christ working for peace", and decorated him with the nine-hundred-year-old Knights' Order of the First Rank of Saint Dionysius of Xanthe.[36] Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew announced that "the Serbian people have been chosen by God to protect the western frontiers of Orthodoxy".[36]

Titles

Styles of
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople
Reference style His All Holiness
Spoken style Your All Holiness
Religious style Ecumenical Patriarch
Posthumous style N/A

Full title:

His All Holiness, Bartholomew I, Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome, and Ecumenical Patriarch

in Greek:

Η Αυτού Θειοτάτη Παναγιότης ο Αρχιεπίσκοπος Κωνσταντινουπόλεως Νέας Ρώμης και Οικουμενικός Πατριάρχης Βαρθολομαίος Α'

Title recognized by the Republic of Turkey:

Bartholomew I, Patriarch of the Fener Roman Orthodox Patriarchate in Istanbul

in Turkish:

Istanbul Fener Rum Patriği Birinci Bartholomeos

Awards, honours and distinctions

In 1997, Bartholomew received the Congressional Gold Medal. The Congressional Gold Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom are the highest civilian awards given by the United States.[37]

In 2002, he received the Sophie Prize for his work on the environment.[38]

In April 2008, he was included on the Time 100 most influential people in the world list.[39] In 1999 he was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of the Star of Romania; in 2004, by Federal President Thomas Klestil, the Great Golden Medal with Ribbon for Services to the Republic of Austria and on 13 March 2007, the third anniversary of the death of Cardinal Franz König, Bartholomew was awarded in Vienna's St. Stephen the "Cardinal König Prize" Foundation "Communio et Progressio".

He has been awarded honorary doctorates by a number of universities and educational institutions around the world, among them: National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, TEI of Kavala, Democritus University of Thrace, University of Crete, University of Ioannina, University of the Aegean, University of Western Macedonia and University of Thessaly in Greece, Moscow State University in Russia, University of Iaşi in Romania, City University of London, Exeter University and University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium, St. Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute and Université de Provence Aix-Marseille I in France, Izmir University of Economics in Turkey, University of Bucharest in Romania, Flinders University in Australia, Adamson University in the Philippines, St. Andrew’s College and Sherbrooke University in Canada, Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, Georgetown University, Tufts University, Southern Methodist University, Yale University, Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in the United States.

In October 2009, he received an honorary doctorate from Fordham University in the United States.[40]

On October 22, 2011, he received the Grand Collar of the Order of the Eagle of Georgia by HRH Prince David Bagrationi of Mukhran in a ceremony at St. George's chapel.[41]

In 2012 he received the Four Freedom Award for the Freedom of Worship[42]

On May 27, 2013, he received Order of the White Double Cross by Ivan Gašparovič, president of Slovak republic. [43]

On July 27, 2013, he received Order of Liberty (Ukraine).[44]

On December 3, 2013, he received the Global Thinkers Forum 2013 Award for Excellence in Peace and Collaboration.

On August 27, 2015, he received the Order of St. King David the Psalmist from HRH Prince Nugzar Bagrationi-Gruzinski of Georgia in a private ceremony in the Patriarchal palace.[45]

Ordinations and ecclesiastical appointments

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ See:[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]

References

    1. ↑ John Meyendorff, John Chapin, Nicolas Lossky(1981), The Orthodox Church: its past and its role in the world today, Crestwood, N.Y. : St Vladimir's Seminary Press, p.132 ISBN 0-913836-81-8
    2. ↑ Thomas E. Fitzgerald (1998). The Orthodox Church. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 117. ISBN 978-0-275-96438-2. THE VISIT OF THE ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios I of Constantinople, together with a delegation that included five Metropolitans made an unprecedented visit to the United States 2-29 July 1990. Among the delegation was the present Patriarch, Patriarch Bartholomew, who succeeded Patriarch Dimitrios in 1991. Although other Orthodox Patriarchs had visited this country in the past, this was the first visit of the Ecumenical Patriarch. His visit had a special significance because he is viewed as the first bishop of the Orthodox Church. As such, the Ecumenical Patriarch is frequently looked upon as the spiritual leader of the 300 million Orthodox Christians throughout the world.
    3. ↑ Andrew P. Holt; James Muldoon (2008). Competing Voices from the Crusades. Greenwood World Pub. p. xiv. ISBN 978-1-84645-011-2. ...one made during a visit to Greece in 2001 for the crusaders' sack of Constantinople in 1204. Three years later, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of the world's 300 million Orthodox Christians, finally accepted the Pope's
    4. ↑ Eastern Churches Journal: A Journal of Eastern Christendom. Society of Saint John Chrysostom. 2004. p. 181. His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is the 270th successor to the Apostle Andrew and spiritual leader of 300 million Orthodox Christians worldwide.
    5. ↑ Dona J. Stewart (2013). The Middle East Today: Political, Geographical and Cultural Perspectives. Routledge. p. 71. ISBN 978-0-415-78243-2. Bartholomew I, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, spiritual leader of 300 million Orthodox Christians worldwide.
    6. ↑ W. El-Ansary; D. Linnan (26 November 2010). Muslim and Christian Understanding: Theory and Application of “A Common Word”. Springer. p. 82. ISBN 978-0-230-11440-1. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is the 270th Archbishop to the 2,000-year-old Church of Constantinople (Istanbul), “first among equals” of Orthodox bishops worldwide, and spiritual leader to 300 million faithful.
    7. ↑ Jewish Political Studies Review. Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. 2001. p. 8. Bartholomew I, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, the spiritual leader of an estimated 300 million Orthodox Christians around the ..
    8. ↑ Kathleen Dean Moore; Michael P. Nelson (15 April 2011). Moral Ground: Ethical Action for a Planet in Peril. Trinity University Press. p. 133. ISBN 978-1-59534-105-1. Bartholomew I, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, spiritual leader of 300 million Orthodox Christians worldwide.
    9. ↑ The Living Church. The Living Church by Morehouse-Gorham Company. 1997. p. 3. the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, is now touring 14 cities on his first visit to the United States. The 57-year-old leader of 300 million Orthodox Christians wore a gold and crimson mandya with train and tinkling bells
    10. ↑ Katherine Marshall; Lucy Keough (2005). Finding Global Balance: Common Ground Between the Worlds of Development and Faith. World Bank Publications. p. 119. ISBN 978-0-8213-6247-1. Bartholomew I, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, spiritual leader of 300 million Orthodox Christians worldwide.
    11. ↑ Libby Bassett; United Nations Environment Programme (2000). Earth and Faith: A Book of Reflection for Action. UNEP/Earthprint. p. 16. ISBN 978-92-807-1915-4. Bartholomew I, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, spiritual leader of 300 million Orthodox Christians worldwide.
    12. ↑ Fairchild, Mary. "Christianity:Basics:Eastern Orthodox Church Denomination". about.com. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
    13. ↑ Bron Taylor (10 June 2008). Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature. A&C Black. p. 158. ISBN 978-1-4411-2278-0. The spiritual leader of the over 300 million Orthodox Christians worldwide, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew – who has widely ...
    14. ↑ "The Patriarch Bartholomew". 60 Minutes. CBS. 20 December 2009. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
    15. ↑ "Quick facts about the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople". Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. Retrieved 18 June 2011. His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew serves as the spiritual leader and representative worldwide voice of some 300 million Orthodox Christians throughout the world
    16. ↑ "Biography - The Ecumenical Patriarchate". Patriarchate.org. Retrieved 2017-02-25.
    17. ↑
    18. ↑ "Finding Global Balance". World Bank Publications. Retrieved 2 August 2015. His All Holiness is the spiritual leader of 300 million Orthodox Christians worldwide
    19. ↑ "Who is the Ecumenical Patriarch? - Apostolic Pilgrimage of Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to Jerusalem". Apostolicpilgrimage.org. Retrieved 2017-02-25.
    20. ↑ MARLISE SIMONS (2012-12-03). "Bartholomew I of Constantinople’s Bold Green Stance - The New York Times". Nytimes.com. Retrieved 2017-02-25.
    21. ↑ "The Green Patriarch - Apostolic Pilgrimage of Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to Jerusalem". Apostolicpilgrimage.org. Retrieved 2017-02-25.
    22. ↑ "Elijah Interfaith – Sharing Wisdom Fostering Peace". Elijah-interfaith.org. Retrieved 2017-02-25.
    23. 1 2 Kaya, Bayram (10 May 2013). "One arrested as plot to assassinate Patriarch Bartholomew uncovered". Zaman. Retrieved 10 May 2013.
    24. ↑ Patriarch Bartholomew I: Texts and Speeches (1991-1992) (1998) George C. Papademetriou; Journal of Ecumenical Studies 35
    25. ↑ Recent Patriarchal Encyclicals on Religious Tolerance and Peaceful Coexistence (2002) George C. Papademetriou Journal of Ecumenical Studies, 39
    26. ↑ Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew: insights into an Orthodox Christian worldview (2007) John Chryssavgis International Journal of Environmental Studies, 64, (1);pp: 9 - 18
    27. ↑ "The Green Patriarch | Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople". Patriarchate.org. 29 August 2013. Archived from the original on 3 September 2013. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
    28. ↑ Orthodox Leader Deepens Progressive Stance on Environment December 3, 2012 The New York Times
    29. ↑
    30. ↑ "Derin devlet açtırmıyor" (in Turkish). Retrieved 2007-05-24.
    31. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2006-11-19. Retrieved 2006-11-19.
    32. ↑ Pope sets tone for humbler papacy, calls for defense of the weak. Reuters. Published: 19 March 2013
    33. ↑ Pelowski, Alton J. (May 2013). "Our Eastern Brothers". Columbia. pp. 20–23.
    34. ↑ United against economic crisis and "worldly trends", Bartholomew and Francis to be in Jerusalem next year. AsiaNews.it. Published: 20 March 2013
    35. ↑ Pope Francis visits Lesbos. The Guardian. Published: 16 April 2016
    36. 1 2 Velikonja, Mitja (2003). Religious separation and political intolerance in Bosnia-Herzegovina. College Station: Texas A&M University Press. p. 265. ISBN 978-1-58544-226-3.
    37. ↑ "Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony | Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople". Patriarchate.org. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
    38. ↑ "Prize Winners » 2002". The Sophie Prize. 12 June 2002. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
    39. ↑ Bartholomew I by Archbishop Rowan Williams Time Retrieved on 1 May 2008
    40. ↑ "Ecumenical Patriarch Receives Honorary Degree". Fordham.edu. 28 October 2003. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
    41. ↑ "THE PATRIARCH OF CONSTANTINOPLE DECORATED BY THE HEAD OF THE ROYAL HOUSE OF GEORGIA". Royal House of Georgia. Retrieved 2011-10-29.
    42. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-03-25. Retrieved 2015-09-23.
    43. ↑ "Arcibiskup Bartolomej I. navštívil Bratislavu - Fotogaléria". Webnoviny.sk. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
    44. ↑ http://www.president.gov.ua/documents/15922.html Указ Президента України № 393/2013
    45. ↑ "News from". the Royal House of Georgia. Retrieved 2017-02-25.
    Wikimedia Commons has media related to Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople.
    Eastern Orthodox Church titles
    Preceded by
    Unknown    		 Metropolitan of Philadelphia
    1973–1990     		Succeeded by
    Meliton (Karas)
    Preceded by
    Meliton (Hadjis)    		 Metropolitan of Chalcedon
    1990–1991     		Succeeded by
    Joachim (Neradjoulis)
    Preceded by
    Demetrius I    		 Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople
    1991–present     		Incumbent
    Regnal titles
    Preceded by
    Demetrius I    		 Co-Head of State of Mount Athos
    1991–present     		Incumbent
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