METROPOLITAN OF KRINI AND PATRIARCHAL EXARCH OF MALTA WELCOMING ADDRESS TO ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH BARTHOLOMEW

 

Οικουμενικόν Πατριαρχείον

 METROPOLITAN OF KRINIPATRIARCHAL EXARCH OF MALTA
WELCOMING ADDRESS TO HIS ALL-HOLINESS, THE ARCHBISHOP OF CONSTANTINOPLE AND ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH BARTHOLOMEW

Prof. Kyrillos (Katerelos)  

Metropolitan of Krini

Patriarchal Exarch of Malta

Welcoming address to His All-Holiness, the Archbishop of Constantinople and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew II

Church of Saint Nicholas

Monday the 5th of December 2022

Your All-Holiness, 

Archbishop of Constantinople and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew,

This is an extraordinary occasion for the local Orthodox Church of Malta. Before you this afternoon the faithful have gathered, religious and laity alike, and in their name, I welcome you to the city of Valletta and to the Church of St. Nicholas.

As faithful children of the Mother Church of Constantinople, your presence fills us with joy. And we are grateful for the Divine benevolence that willed Your All-Holiness to be the first Ecumenical Patriarch to visit Malta—a country proud of its links to the Apostolic Era and of its deep sentiments of faith and hospitality that have always kept it united in a special way to Christianity as a whole. 

You have come here in Malta in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to feed the flame of fraternal love that burns in every heart. Just one and a half years ago, in February 2021, the State of Malta was detached from the jurisdiction of the Greek Orthodox Diocese of Italy, and under your authorization became an Exarchate with exclusive dependence on the Ecumenical Patriarchate, bearing the name “Holy Patriarchal Exarchate of Melitis (Malta)”. 

Shortly thereafter, the Members of the Holy Synod—following your suggestion, permission, and exhortation—elected and appointed me as Patriarchal Exarch of Malta. As a caring father, you gave me your blessings and imparted wise advice upon me. You told me “labor not only to preach the Gospel and build up the Orthodox Church in this country, but also forge a society inspired by the Gospel message of charity, forgiveness and solidarity in the service of the common good, carry on that work of love, build bridges among Christian Confessions, pasture the Orthodox flock of every origin and prepare fresh paths for the Gospel in Malta at the dawn of a new age”.

For me there was nothing more to do but to follow your own pastoral example of ministry, which offers a template for how a person devoted to God can accompany others and to help them understand and live the faith.  Your All-Holiness, for us you represent the tangible expression of God’s own loving concern for His Church, for humanity and for the rest of His creation.  

For more than 30 years, you have offered your every breath to the worldwide Orthodox Church. As the longest serving Archbishop of Constantinople and New Rome in history, you have stood as an unfaltering guardian of the Orthodox canonical tradition and as an authentic successor of the great line of Holy Patriarchs who acceded to the Ecumenical throne, the first ranking throne of Eastern Christianity. Your All-Holiness, you have been an exemplar of the highest Christian life and Orthodox ethos, being a world religious leader in promoting the principles, doctrines and beliefs of Christian Faith, as well as the timeless ideals and democratic values of dignity, tolerance, respect to human personhood.

As you declared in your enthronement address, “in self-emptiness, I approach at this moment the burning and unconsumed bush of the Ecumenical Patriarchy – through which I am called to see God – in the service of the mystery of unbroken apostolicity, in diakonia and witness to Orthodoxy and to the edification of Christian unity”. 

Through your personal efforts and guidance, you upheld this commitment by successfully convening the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church on the island of Crete in 2016. After nearly fifty years of planning and resolute labor, the council came to fruition despite disingenuous opposition by the Patriarchate of Moscow. This historic occasion took important steps for the communication of Orthodoxy outside the Church, and established even greater continuity inside the Church, building bridges and create clearer lines of communication throughout world Orthodoxy.

Its Encyclical proclaimed that “humanity’s serious existential and moral problems and questions of the eternal meaning of its life and of the world cannot be answered without a spiritual approach (par.11)”. Thus, the timely concern of humanity’s struggle for peace and a decent life on a sustainable planet is a sympathetic topic for the Ecumenical Patriarchate. From both cultural and geographical perspectives, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, which is situated in Istanbul—is at the crossroads of the world—East, West, South and North. And from this standpoint it acknowledges the need for a deeper appreciation “of our common origin, of our mutual belonging, and of a future to be shared with everyone”.

Your All-Holiness has guided us to Saint Paul’s affirmation: “The love of Christ impels us” (2 Cor 5:14) “we all have to serve man, his freedom and his well-being, and we must work together for the protection of his dignity. It is by this genuine criterion that a civilization’s identity and humanistic content should be primarily assessed, and not by the level of its technological development and prowess”. Especially in our case, across the Mediterranean Sea that “unites” South Europe with the regions of Middle East and Northern Africa, the ongoing war conflicts has caused a humanitarian catastrophy of significant proportions. 

Furthermore, the Joint Message of Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew on the World Day of Prayer for Creation: “We urgently appeal to those in positions of social and economic, as well as political and cultural, responsibility to hear the cry of the earth and to attend to the needs of the marginalized, but above all to respond to the plea of millions and support the consensus of the world for the healing of our wounded creation. We are convinced that there can be no sincere and enduring resolution to the challenge of the ecological crisis and climate change unless the response is concerted and collective, unless the responsibility is shared and accountable, unless we give priority to solidarity and service”.

For these reasons, it is of great importance for the Ecumenical Patriarchate to empower and strengthen ecumenical affiliation with the sister Roman Catholic Church, following the inspired steps of the protagonists of the reconciliation of all Christians, Pope Paul VI and Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras and their dedicated commitment on a fruitful and ongoing dialogue between the Church of Rome and the Church of Constantinople. 

Among those who believe that true theological dialogue requires in actions, is a person among us, Your All-Holiness. And the Exarchate of Malta fervently expresses its profound gratitude and sincerest appreciation to His Eminence the Archbishop of Malta Mons. Charles Jude Scicluna for laboring vigorously to establish unbreakable bonds of peace and reconciliation among Orthodox and Catholics in Malta.

Having said that, I would like to greet affectionately His Excellency, my true brother, for offering for pastoral use by the Greek Orthodox congregation, under the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, this historic church of St. Nicholas in Valletta. Your Excellency, you are a true friend who have tirelessly helped us and continue to do so. Thank you so very much and may the Lord repay you! We thank you very much for all that you do for the Orthodox communities in Malta.

Your All Holiness, I have learned from my short presence here that, to gain access to the Maltese people, it is necessary to pass through its great heart. With that in mind, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to the local authorities of this country and all those who have worked with dedication, with patience and with skilled competence, for many months to officially recognize the new Exarchate of the Ecumenical Patriarchate as a legal entity by the Republic of Malta.

We welcome any kind of collaborations, ideas, anything that at the end of the day can multiply and amplify everyone’s contributions to our Exarchate. I would like to thank every brother and sister whose commitment, volunteerism, and contribution make the Greek School of our Exarchate a successful reality. Working with them towards achieving our mission makes it a very fulfilling experience indeed. 

I would like to especially thank Fr. Nathanael Thelesakis and Fr. Nikolas Gongandzer and their coworkers for what they offered to this community. 

As it is written in the Gospel of Matthew “Blessed is he who comes, in the name of our Lord” (Matt. 21,9). Your All-Holiness, we are blessed for guiding God’s Orthodox flock in this historic and friendly country.  We give you our warmest welcome and we thank you from our hearts for your caring and qualified presence, assistance and encouragement. We thank you very much. May we have your blessing.