His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is visiting South
Italy on 1-7 December 2016.
On 1 December, he participated in an
ecumenical prayer at the cathedral of Lecce where he delivered a brief homily⇒, in which he described his visit as a pilgrimage “to
meet the brothers in the West, to hug their children that live here and
give witness of Christian love, and to breathe together friendship and
dialogue with all”.
On 2 December 2016, the Ecumenical Patriarch received a doctorate honoris causa from the University of Salento. In his lectio magistralis⇒,
he referred to the encyclical of the Holy and Great Council of the
Orthodox Church (Crete 2016) relating to three main challenges for
humanity today: globalization, violation of human rights and religious
fundamentalism. Bartholomew stressed that “A human being is not only a citizen of the world, but also a citizen of heaven, full of longing for eternal life”. According to him, “Orthodoxy
is called to serve as a prophetic voice to provide an alternative model
of life, to propose a freedom shared or common in a globalized world”.
On 5 December 2016, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew received the
Ecumenical Prize “Saint Nicolas” during the inauguration of the academic
year the Theological Faculty of Puglia at the Basilica of Saint Nicolas
in Bari. This city is a centre of co-existence and a bridge between
Eastern and Western Christians since the relics of Saint Nicolas have
been kept there for over 1000 years. Bari is until now a centre of
pilgrimage for both Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians. The visit
of the Ecumenical Patriarch coincided with the feast of this major
ecumenical saint, whose relics were venerated by the Patriarch.
In his lectio magistralis⇒, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew reminded his auditory that “the Mediterranean is a sea of dialogue, not a tomb”.
He spoke against fundamentalism and intolerance, an advocated for an
“economy of communion” that knows how to welcome migrants and reach out
to the poor. He also referred to the synod in Crete not only as “an
example of communion” but a “sea of communion for the entire Orthodox
Church and for the world”. The lecture focused on communion especially
its theological significance, as well as sharing, dialogue, integration:
“Communion is a joint participation in grace, love and communion
in God’s life, which becomes the very experience of ‘being in a
relationship’. It means participating in divine nature, through the
grace granted to us by God in all aspects of Christian life. It means
sharing in the faith, sharing spirituality, praying for each other, it
means making this communion concrete in our lives, practicing it. So, if
we are reconciled with God through Jesus Christ, if we are intimate
with Him, we perceive our brothers and sisters as people who belong to
us, who share in our Trinitarian origins and we walk towards the same
destination which is Christ, who encapsulates everything”. According to Bartholomew, “Trinitarian
love turns us into people who relate to one another, communional
subjects, connatural in dialogue, capable of a loving relationship that
transfigures our egos, making us capable of acting and thinking that
peace stems from dialogue and dialogue leads to unity.”
The Ecumenical Patriarch also underlined the ancient and peaceful
co-existence between Greeks and Latins in the Puglia region. A cradle of
history, civilisations, languages, cultures and religions capable of
interconnections and exchanges that influenced social processes
throughout the entire area for centuries, contributing to the growth of
the peoples in the Mediterranean. He reminded that even today, one
cannot be in a relationship with God and our suffering brothers and
sisters without putting the human and social proposals of the Holy and
Great Council of the Orthodox Church into practice and nurturing the
principles of dialogue, love and peace before a “Mediterranean that has
turned into a grave for many of our brothers and sisters who dreamed of a
better life”. Therefore, he stated: “We believe that the role of
religions is fundamental in creating, launching and consolidating the
principle of communion for collaboration and mutual understanding,
eliminating the fundamentalist mind sets found in all societies and
religions. There is a need for mutual respect among peoples, overcoming
mistrust, violence, massacres and genocides. Social justice and justice
among nations must prevail over the mere interests of the world economy
and uncontrolled globalisation, in order to put an end to rampant
migration”.
The ecumenical importance of Bartholomew’s visit is furthered by the
conviction that every local Church must commit to ecumenism. Ecumenical
Patriarch Bartholomew has led the Orthodox Church in a spirit of charity
and diakonia since 1991, tirelessly pursuing Christian unity and peace.
The “substantial recognition” which the diocese of Bari conferred upon
Bartholomew, was reiterated in Pape Francis’ message as a “sign of
gratitude for his service in promoting ever closer communion between all
of Christ’s followers”. The Patriarch welcomed this sign as “prophetic
of the unity of all of God’s Holy Churches,” underlining the theological
journey “between our Churches and love, respect and collaboration”.