Beloved friends and honored guests,

Grace and peace to you all in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

It is with deep respect that we greet you today, the leaders of various faith-traditions of the city of Chicago. We give you the greeting in the words of our Lord to His disciples after His resurrection: “Peace be with you.” Our Lord has taught us that we are to exchange signs of love and peace with all. The respect that you have, one for the other is visible, and the reputation that your community has for peaceful coexistence is well known. Indeed, it could be said that the word “coexistence” does not suffice to describe your unique relationships — the word would be “cooperation,” and this cooperation is clearly in the service of realizing the Divine presence in the world.

It is appropriate that here in the premier city in the heartland of America, the American commitment to religious freedom and liberty has been so well honored. The United States is where our daughter Church has grown, celebrating seventy-five years of growth and progress. The Diocese of Chicago has been at the forefront of the Churchís spiritual growth and development. We are cognizant of the unique commitment that the religious community of Chicago has made to promote the cause of understanding between her faith communities. There is a long and noble history in this city of religious cooperation and exchange.
In 1892 the world parliament of religions was convened here, an event that is widely understood to be a watershed in the Ecumenical/Interfaith movement. One hundred years later, in 1992, a world parliament of religions was again convened here, and Chicago has also been host to the World Council of Churches general assembly.
On the local level, numerous interfaith and ecumenical dialogues and standing conferences have contributed to the symphony of social harmony that has been the hallmark of religious relationships in Chicago. We give thanks to Almighty God that the people of the faith communities of this city have persevered in their work toward understanding. We give them our Patriarchal blessing and commit ourselves today to continue our support of the Diocese of Chicago in this noble work. We are confident that under the leadership of our brother in the Lord, Bishop Iakovos, this Diocese will continue to demonstrate the commandment of our Lord and Savior to “love one another.”

At the Phanar, we have historically been at a crossroads of various religious faiths and cultures. Our unique position has afforded us the opportunity to develop a deep understanding of the joys and difficulties of interfaith dialogue. We have been sponsors of numerous conferences and dialogues between Christians and Muslims, Christians and Jews, and we have been active participants in the Ecumenical movement and Interfaith discussions. The Ecumenical Patriarchate has committed its resources of love and time to issues that pertain to the environment. In this arena, we see a fundamental responsibility that our humble person, as well as the Throne of the Apostle Andrew, has toward the restoration of manís relationship with the creation.

As Orthodox Christians, we believe in the sanctity of all life, for we perceive the living presence of the Holy Spirit sustaining the entire world. Indeed, we believe that every human being, created in the image of God is an icon of the Creator, pointing the way to His majesty and concern for His creatures. Our responsibility to humanity is predicated not on what individuals believe, but on Truths as they have been revealed to us. We see the glory of God in the face of all humankind. We believe that we are all moving from one level of glory to another, as we are called to grow in likeness to God. For us, Jesus Christ is the model of that journey and the goal toward which it takes us.

In the midst of our diversity, we seek to know and fully commune with the presence of the Divine. We can share this desire for God, seeing in our differences the mystery of Godís all-embracing love for His creation. Let us continue to model love, in our acceptance without judgement of one another as children of God.

We give thanks to the Triune God, Whose providence and love makes all people brothers and sisters, whose majesty embraces His own creation with His loving Spirit, and whose Word sustains our existence in fellowship and harmonious relationship.

May the Grace and Love and Peace of the Lord be with you all now and always.