“Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in
needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am
weak, then I am strong” (2Co 12:10).
His
All-Holiness delivering the homily during the Synodal Divine Liturgy
(Holy and Great Council) for the Sunday of All Saints 2016 at the Church
of Sts. Peter and Paul in Chania, Crete.
By Evagelos Sotiropoulos,
On June 11th the Orthodox Church commemorates the Holy Apostle
Bartholomew. One of the Twelve Great Apostles, he preached Christ and
the good news of salvation throughout Asia, including India, and finally
in Armenia. It was there, in Albanopolis of Armenia – the first country
to officially declare Christianity the state religion – where
Bartholomew was crucified, and where many miracles occurred over the
sacred coffin containing his grace-filled relics.
June 11th is also the Name Day of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew,
who is named after the Glorious Apostle. Born on February 29, 1940, he
grew up on the island of Imvros, in a small village named after Sts.
Theodore, the Teron and Stratelates. Recommended by
his local bishop and mentor, Meliton of Chalcedon (+1989), Demetrios,
for that is Bartholomew’s baptismal name, completed high school and
seminary studies at Halki.
It was there at the Theological School of Halki, in the Chapel of
the Holy Trinity, where in October 1969 the revered Metropolitan Meliton
ordained Deacon Bartholomew to the holy priesthood. Before this,
however, he would complete his mandatory two-year military service, and
supplement his academic studies in Europe, including in Italy, Germany,
and Switzerland. He eventually completed his doctoral thesis (The Codification of the Holy Canons and the Canonical Constitutions in the Orthodox Church) and returned to Constantinople in 1968 fluent in seven languages.
Since then, for a half-century, His All-Holiness has been at the
centre of both the inner workings and initiatives, as well as the
external activities, of the Ecumenical Patriarchate – the first See of
the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. Whether it was learning
from the erudite Ecumenical Patriarch, Athenagoras, or serving for
almost two decades as the director of the Private Patriarchal Office for
his immediate predecessor, Demetrios, Bartholomew exudes the
unparalleled history and spirit emanating from the lighthouse that is
the Phanar.
Elected 270th Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome and Ecumenical
Patriarch on October 22, 1991, His All-Holiness was enthroned in the
Patriarchal Cathedral of St. George the Great Martyr eleven days later,
on November 2nd. His longevity on the Ecumenical Throne alone is
legendary – and historical. According to the first-ever definitive
biography of His All-Holiness published last year, Bartholomew: Apostle and Visionary,
he is one of only four patriarchs to serve more than 25-years, joining
Titus from the third century, Sergius (seventh), and Nicholas (twelfth).
His
All-Holiness cuts the surprise congratulatory cake representing his 25
years on the Ecumenical Throne, at the Holy Patriarchal and Stavropegial
Monastery of Chrysopigi (at Kastro) in Chania.
His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has not just
survived since being enthroned, he has thrived. His well-known work
ethic, strategic communication skills, and his ability to bridge
differences and build consensus among disparate groups, has enabled his
personal success as patriarch and, more importantly, a robust renewal of
the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
His accomplishments and accolades are too many to mention. He has
received numerous state awards and honourary degrees from prestigious
universities around the world. He has opened the door of Orthodoxy to
many other Christian confessions and communities. He has engaged other
faith communities with honesty and integrity; this includes organizing
and participating in many interfaith conferences, including one shortly
after the 9/11 terrorist attacks where he addressed a Conference on
Peaceful Coexistence (Brussels, 2001) between Judaism, Christianity, and
the Islamic world. He has been an unrelenting advocate for the
environment, for God’s creation, well before it became popular or trendy
to do so.
He has strengthened the Patriarchate, internationally, but in and
around Constantinople as well. He has established many new metropolitan
dioceses, from Toronto to Korea, Singapore to Spain. From securing the
return of the former Greek Orphanage on Buyukada Island to reviving the
monastic life on Halki under the spiritual guidance of Metropolitan
Elpidophoros (the seminary regrettably remains closed, for now). Through
his leadership, the Holy and Sacred Synod is electing and ordaining a
new generation of learned hierarchs.
Within Orthodoxy, Bartholomew has made unity among the 14
autocephalous churches a cornerstone of his ministry, developing regular
Synaxis of Primates – His All-Holiness has convened and chaired six
Synaxis of Primates since being enthroned as Ecumenical Patriarch. Most
of all, it was the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church
convened on the historic island of Crete where the Church manifested
its unity on a world scale. Without His All-Holiness the Holy and Great
Council would have remained an academic idea and an unreachable dream.
The power of an apostle, as described by St. Paul in his Second
Letter to the Corinthians (cf. 4:7-15), and exemplified by St.
Bartholomew and all of Christ’s disciples, is to be hard-pressed yet not
crushed; perplexed but not in despair; persecuted but not forsaken;
struck down but not destroyed.
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has followed in the footsteps of his patron saint, the Holy Apostle Bartholomew, preaching Christ crucified.
His steadfast faith, unwavering loyalty to Holy Orthodoxy,
self-sacrifice and service to others, in addition to his love for man
and creation, is to be admired and imitated.
Eis Polla Eti Despota!