“THE NEW CULTURAL DIVIDE”

Most honorable President Mack
and members of the Los Angeles World Affairs Council,
Your Eminence, Archbishop Spyridon of America,
Your Grace, Bishop Anthony,
Distinguished guests and friends,

First and foremost, we wish to express our gratitude to you, Mr. President, and the members of the World Affairs Council, for hosting this event. We are pleased to have this opportunity to address so prestigious a gathering in this great city, a world center on the frontier of monumental changes occurring in politics and the world economy.
We come to you from the ancient Christian East. As Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, we serve the 300 million Orthodox Christians the world over, as the Elder Brother among the heads of all the independent, local and national Churches.  We say independent, but this should not be construed to mean there is a difference among us.  We are united by a common faith, a shared tradition, and bonds of Christian love that have held us together for two thousand years.
Our present theme this morning is “The New Cultural Divide,” an exploration of the emerging world culture.  From our vantage point at the Phanar, which rests on the cusp of Europe and Asia, we have a perspective which may prove helpful in this consideration.  There has been an increasing tendency in political discourse to speak of a “clash of civilizations,” as the frontiers between the Muslim and Christian worlds begin to dissolve before global political and economic forces. The fall of the “iron curtain,” and the rise of peoples seeking self-determination, have energized the religious sensibilities of whole peoples. Nationalist ideals converge with religious zeal and cultural pride, creating unexpected geo-political tides, which seem to have a power all their own.
The experience of the Ecumenical Patriarchate has been one of continuity and stability through centuries of global change.  At one time, our Patriarchate was co-terminus with the boundaries of the Roman Empire. Today, as the 270th successor to the First-Called Disciple, Saint Andrew, our domain is a ministry of spiritual leadership, but our Center is in the same topos we have known from the Apostolic Age.  Our mission embraces Orthodox Christians on every continent.  From our vantage point, we see as many possibilities for cooperation and shared goals, as we do dangers of division.
We see our vocation to be one of discovering common ground in the lands in which we live, move and have our being.  This means finding constructive means to bring divergent opinions together. To this end, we have sponsored international conferences promoting understanding between Muslims, Christians and Jews.   We consider a lively dialogue between these three faith traditions to be essential in softening the sharp edge of the cultural divide. Knowledge of, and mutual appreciation of legitimate differences between cultures, lead to the enhancement of civilization, not further alienation.  For Orthodox Christians, peace is not merely the cessation of hostilities.  There is an ontological basis for peace, and that is love.  Love of God, love of neighbor, love of the stranger, indeed, love of one’s enemy, has existential impact in the phenomenal world. Anywhere and everywhere we are able, as a religious leader, to advance the fundamental principles of faith traditions which they hold in common, we increase the possibilities for love.  These potentialities manifest themselves as tolerance, respect, and even admiration.  We are committed to not allowing the tides of history, often scarred by acts of unimaginable human evil, to sweep away the past, present, and future glories of human endeavor.  Recognizing the power of religious faith to contribute to the positive encounter of different cultures, will go far in bridging this new cultural divide.  When we proclaim, as we did in the Bosporus Declaration, that ‘a crime in the name of religion is a crime against all religion,’ we have begun to set in place, the girders of the bridges that build unity out of diversity.  Religious faith must be seen by temporal powers, as an advocate of reconciliation, and an instrument for peace.
In addition to mustering our spiritual forces in the cause of mutual understanding, the Ecumenical Patriarchate has been in the forefront of promoting another means of spanning cultural division, namely, a shared concern for the environment.  Here too, the Orthodox Church unites theology and ontology, for we see more continuity between natural and supernatural spheres, than discontinuity.
In the teaching of our Church, nature is perceived as being full of the glory of God, even though it groans with the rest of creation, awaiting the revelation of our redemption (cf. Romans 8:22,23).  Humankind is seen as the nexus of creation, the point of convergence that mediates the cosmos, which was created as “very good,” for the glory of God.  Humanity has a meditative, and indeed, eucharistic role in exercising dominion over the earth.  This is a far cry from domination, and the exploitation which has characterized the technologically capable, post-industrialist era.
As Ecumenical Patriarch, and in cooperation with the various international organizations and multi-national federations, we have sponsored regular symposia on the ecological crisis of our time.  Most recently, we set sail across the Black Sea, an ecosysytem whose shores extend across the cultural divide, in order to heighten awareness to the imminent threats posed by pollution, not only to the Sea itself, but to the indigenous peoples who surround it.
As a result of our efforts, we have received the epithet, the “Green” Patriarch.  And if this appellation signifies our abiding concern for bringing about responsibility in the global community for our shared resources, then we accept it gladly.  We have found that people of diverse cultures, religions, and national interests can come together in a common effort, to meet the challenges of environmental responsibility, coupled with the economic needs of people.
We hope that these two examples of our efforts, to close the gap in the new cultural divide, will be a cause for hope in the power of religious faith to be a meditative and transformative force for peace in the world.  As Ecumenical Patriarch, we reiterate our pledge to work for reconciliation and understanding between peoples of all cultures.  We are all the children of God, and we believe that is it ultimately through the love of God that we shall be able bring about a better world and be deserving of it.
We thank you for the distinction of addressing this august body, and we pray that God may richly bless this great nation and each and every one of you.   Thank you.