On Wednesday, June 11, 2025, the feast day of the Holy Glorious Apostles Bartholomew and Barnabas – on which occasion His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew solemnly celebrates his name day – His All-Holiness presided over the Divine Liturgy at the Patriarchal Church of St. George. The Divine Liturgy was celebrated, according to custom, by the Very Reverend Grand Syncellus Archimandrite Grigorios.

Concelebrating with His All-Holiness were Their Eminences, Elder Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon, Elder Metropolitan Apostolos of Derkoi, Elder Metropolitan Dimitrios of the Princes’ Islands, and the Hierarchs, Meliton of Philadelphia, Seraphim of Sebasteia, Damaskinos of Didymoteicho, Soufli and Orestiada, Panteleimon of Xanthi, Irenaeus of Myriophyton and Peristasis, Chrysostomos of Myra, Theodoritos of Laodicea, Theoleptos of Iconium, Kyrillos of Rhodes, Chrysostomos of Patras, Eugenios of Crete, Kyrillos of Krini, Nathanael of Kos and Nisyros, Stefanos of Callioupolis and Madytos, Athenagoras of Kydoniai, Panteleimon of Maroneia and Komotini, Job of Pisidia, Cleopas of Sweden and All Scandinavia, Maximos of Ioannina, Maximos of Selybria, Gerasimos of Petra and Cherronisos, Chrysostomos of Symi, Prodromos of Rethymno and Avlopotamos, Andreas of Saranta Ekklesiai, Ioakeim of Bursa, and Theodoros of Seleucia.

Also in attendance were the Very Reverend Archimandrite Georgios Christodoulou, Chief Secretary of the Holy Synod of the Church of Cyprus, representing His Beatitude the Archbishop of Cyprus; His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph of Buenos Aires; the Right Reverend Bishops, Eumenios of Lefke, Adrianos of Halicarnassus, Ambrosios of Eudokias, Benjamin of Tralles, Damaskinos of Dorylaion, and Paisios of Xanthoupolis; the Right Reverend Massimiliano Palinuro, Bishop of the Roman Catholics in Istanbul; monks and nuns; Archons of the Ecumenical Throne, led by the General Secretary of the Brotherhood “Panagia Pammakaristos,” the Hon. Archon Didaskalos of the Nation, Mr. Konstantinos Delikostantis; the Ambassador, His Excellency Mr. Konstantinos Koutras, Consul General of Greece in Istanbul; the Hon. Mr. Roman Nedilskyi, Consul General of Ukraine; students of the Greek schools of Istanbul accompanied by their teachers; and a multitude of the faithful.

Following the Dismissal of the Divine Liturgy, His Eminence Elder Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon addressed His All-Holiness on behalf of the reverend Hierarchy of the Throne.

In his response, His All-Holiness thanked all the Hierarchs for their presence and remarked:

“The feast is first and foremost a time of glorifying the God of love for His salvific gifts. ‘The essence of the feast is the remembrance of God,’ says Gregory the Theologian (Oration 39, On the Holy Lights, PG 36, 345). It is also an experience of life as communion, a joyful and blessed encounter face to face with one’s brethren. When we celebrate, we celebrate together. A life devoid of celebration does not align with the tradition of our faith, which sees our existence as relational, for we are created in the image of the Triune God—Who, as the late Metropolitan John of Pergamon writes, is ‘the most anti-individual, the most social God, a God of relationships’ (Kosmou Lytron, Megara 2014, p. 209). Saint Nicholas Kabasilas calls God a ‘common good’; the Church is a ‘communion of relationships’ and a ‘communion of theosis.’ In Her, freedom is shared, obedience is shared, and salvation is shared. Life in Christ is a culture of personhood and solidarity. That our salvation presupposes the salvation of the other, of our neighbor, of the entire world and its transformation, lies at the heart of our faith (N. Berdyaev, The Divine and the Human, Thessaloniki 1982, p. 279).”

His All-Holiness then recalled the most important events of the past year:

“The year that has passed since our last festal gathering here has been filled with divine blessings and gifts of grace from the Almighty, all-seeing, and all-merciful God, Who alone has worked and continues to work wonders among us. We have ministered to the Mother Church and to Her Christ-named children both in the City of Cities and throughout the dominion of the Lord, striving – by divine assistance – to preserve the most precious inheritance we have received from our Fathers, steadfastly adhering to the doctrinal and canonical tradition of the Great Church of Christ and always seeking to highlight Her contribution and witness. We glorify the God of love Who has granted us to solemnly commemorate the great anniversary of the 1700th year since the convening of the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea. We rejoice that, together with the successor of the late Pope Francis of Rome, Pope Leo XIV, we shall travel to Nicaea to honor this historic anniversary in situ. The new Pope will also visit the See of the Church of Constantinople for its Thronal Feast. We pray and labor so that the agreement and unity of our Churches may be ever renewed and deepened to the glory of God and the advancement of divine knowledge.

A source of joy and noble hope is also the progress being made on the vital matter of the reopening of the Theological School of Halki, which concerns the Ecumenical Patriarchate. We await, with eager longing, the coming of that great and manifest day of the Lord.”

Referring specifically to his recent visit to Munich, where he was honored by two Roman Catholic institutions, His All-Holiness noted that:

“The discussions were pervaded by deep concern over the fact that today – thirty-five years after the decisive geopolitical turning point of 1989 and the hopeful expectations that came with it – humanity finds itself confronted with man-made planetary climate catastrophe, enduring economic crises, wars, violence and terrorism, perilous geopolitical agendas, migration, and other great and complex challenges. What remains at stake is social cohesion, solidarity, and peace. In light of all these, one pressing question arises: What must be the stance and contribution of the Church and of religions?”

The Ecumenical Patriarch continued:

“It is certain that, in the face of these complex issues, our Orthodox faith does not permit despair. We are unwavering in the conviction that the future belongs to Christ, Who is ‘the same yesterday and today and forever’ (Heb. 13:8), and that His Church is and will remain forever a witness to the grace that has come and a foretaste of the fullness and radiance of the Kingdom to come, of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. The Church shall remain a witness to ‘the mighty acts of God and the doctrines of the Trinity.’ This faith – that Christ guides all things – does not imply that we Christians may remain passive spectators of the course of human affairs. Christ’s word to His people is clear: ‘Blessed are the peacemakers… You are the salt of the earth… You are the light of the world; a city set on a hill cannot be hidden… You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’

We are called to bear bold and faithful witness to the hope that is in us at every time and every hour. Clearly, the philosopher’s maxim lathé biōsas – live without drawing attention to yourself – is not a proper response to God’s call. The Christian ‘does not retreat into himself,’ but rather steps out into society and into the world. It has been rightly said that ‘we cannot move toward God while turning our backs on our fellow human being.’”

Concluding his address, His All-Holiness warmly thanked the Hierarchs and the faithful for their heartfelt wishes and expressions of love, which renew his strength for continued service to the Church.

Following the Divine Liturgy, His All-Holiness received well-wishes and a festal gift from the reverend Hierarchy of the Throne in the city, as well as from the clergy and laity of the Patriarchal Court, led by the Very Reverend Grand Syncellus Archimandrite Grigorios, who addressed the Patriarch, to which His All-Holiness responded with paternal words.

His All-Holiness also received a delegation of the Holy Eparchial Synod of the Church of Crete, led by His Eminence Archbishop Eugenios, who conveyed the warm wishes of the Hierarchy, clergy, and laity of that Eparchy of the Throne.

Eve of the Feast

On the eve of the Feast, His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew presided over the Great Vespers, joined in prayer by numerous Hierarchs of the Ecumenical Throne, clergy, monastics, Archons of the Holy and Great Church of Christ, the Consuls General of Greece and Ukraine, along with the members of their consular staffs and associates, as well as faithful from the city and abroad.

At the conclusion of Vespers, the Ecumenical Patriarch offered a Trisagion for the repose of the soul of the Didaskalos of the Nation, Hieromonk Bartholomew Koutloumousianos of Imbros (1772–1851).

Immediately following, a reception was held in the courtyard of the Patriarchate, during which the Patriarch received the reverent greetings and heartfelt wishes of the large gathering of clergy and laity.

Subsequently, in the Hall of the All-Holy Theotokos of the Patriarchal House, the official presentation of the program entitled “Model Interdisciplinary Development and Transfer of Know-How and Cooperation for the Restoration of Emblematic Monuments and the Promotion of Christian Values in Dialogue with Society (To Evlogon)” took place.

The event was addressed by the Patriarch and, via a recorded message, by Mr Takis Theodorikakos, Minister of Development of the Hellenic Republic. The program was presented by the Hon. Professor Emerita of the National Technical University of Athens, Dr. Antonia Moropoulou, and the Honorable Archon Hieromnemon of the Holy and Great Church of Christ, Director General of the Orthodox Academy of Crete, Mr. Konstantinos Zorbas.