Today we celebrate the birthday of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, on an occasion where his birthday date appears every 4 years.
The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, born Dimitrios H. Archontonis, was born in Agioi Theodoroi, Imbros, on 29 February 1940. He attended primary school in his village, the Zografion Lyceum in Constantinople, and the Central School of Imbros.
He then studied at the Halki Theological School, the Institute of Oriental Studies in Rome (Gregorian University), the Ecumenical Institute of Bossey (Switzerland), and the University of Munich. He speaks seven languages.
He was ordained deacon in 1961, a presbyter in 1969, and Metropolitan of Philadelphia in 1973. In 1990 he was promoted to Elder Metropolitan of Chalcedon, and on 22 October 1991 he was unanimously elected Ecumenical Patriarch.
Between the years 1961 and 1963, he fulfilled his mandatory military service according to the laws. He served as Director of the Private Office of his immediate predecessor, Patriarch Dimitrios, throughout his Patriarchy (1972-1991).
Since he was elected Ecumenical Patriarch, he has worked to strengthen pan-Orthodox unity and cooperation. To this end, he has established the Assemblies of the Orthodox Primates and made many visits to them, inviting and welcoming them to the Phanar.
He convened and presided over the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church held in Crete in June 2016. He also promotes ecumenical dialogue with other Christian Churches, visiting their headquarters and participating in inter-Christian conferences and commemorations.
He has been received by many Heads of State and Government, many of whom have officially visited His All-Holiness at the headquarters of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. He has been invited to address the European Parliament (1994, 2008), the Council of Europe (2007), UNESCO, the Prague Forum 2000 (2019), and the World Economic Forum in Davos (1999, 2020), among others.
He has received the highest honours of many states, including the Gold Medal of the American Congress, and honorary doctorates from many universities around the world.
Since 2004, he has expanded the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, inviting hierarchs from outside Turkey to participate. He has also convened numerous Hierarchical Assemblies of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
He also instituted regular pilgrimages to Cappadocia, Asia Minor, and Eastern Thrace, where, after many decades, Divine Services were celebrated, culminating in the Divine Liturgy in the historic Holy Monastery of Panagia Soumela (15 August 2010), which will continue until 2015.
He visited most of the Ecumenical Throne Provinces, blessing and strengthening the pastoral work carried out in them. In addition, new Metropolises were established by the Holy and Sacred Synod on his recommendation. On his initiative, the “Yearbook of the Ecumenical Patriarchate” has been published since the 1990s, and the official information magazine of the Mother Church, “Orthodoxia”, has also been reissued.
Immediately after his election, he undertook to reopen the Halki School of Theology, which had been closed since 1971, and he continues to work tirelessly for this just cause.
At the same time, in the context of the interests of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, he has worked systematically since the time of Patriarch Dimitrios to raise awareness among nations and states for the preservation of creation and the protection of the natural environment, convening, among other initiatives, ecological seminars at Halki and numerous international symposia throughout the world.
Because of this activity, he has earned the nickname „The Green Patriarch“, as he is the first religious leader in the world, and almost the only one now, who has a huge environmental activity worldwide.
Even some ecologists say that the Ecumenical Patriarch has even more large-scale environmental activities than many environmental international organizations, and therefore it is a great honor for any environmental organization to have a Patriarch present at its respective initiative.
It is also important to note that Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew was the first world religious leader to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine, who called this shameful Russian act with the correct terminology – „satanic war“, not „holy war“, „war crimes of Russia in Ukraine’, not ‘liberation of the lands of Holy Rus’, ‘war’, not ‘operation’ or ‘conflict’.
In almost every sermon and public appearance he makes, he necessarily talks about Russia’s war in Ukraine, calling on the international community to put more serious pressure on Putin and his administration so that Russia’s satanic war in Ukraine is ended forever by withdrawing of the Russian military from the occupied Ukrainian territories.
The Doxologia Infonews team congratulates the Patriarch on his birthday and wishes him many years of life and service to the Holy Orthodox Catholic Church!
To the many and good summer, our Most Holy Patriarch, to all Orthodox Christians throughout the earth.
