HOMILY OF ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH AT THE CHURCH OF SAINT THEODORE THE TYRON, ROME

 

Οικουμενικόν Πατριαρχείον

Η Α.Θ. Παναγιότης ο Οικουμενικός Πατριάρχης Βαρθολομαίος χοροστάτησε την Κυριακή, 1 Οκτωβρίου, κατά τη Θεία Λειτουργία στον Ιερό Ναό του Οικουμενικού Πατριαρχείου στη Ρώμη, που είναι αφιερωμένος προς τιμήν του Αγίου Θεοδώρου του Τήρωνος.

 Στο τέλος της Θείας Λειτουργίας τον Οικουμενικό Πατριάρχη προσεφώνησε με θερμούς λόγους ο οικείος ποιμενάρχης, Σεβ. κ. Πολύκαρπος. Στην αντιφώνησή του, στην ιταλική γλώσσα, ο Παναγιώτατος εξέφρασε τη χαρά του για την παρουσία του στον ιστορικό Ναό του Αγίου Θεοδώρου του Τήρωνος, καθώς επίσης και για την επανασυνάντησή του με τον Αγιώτατο Πάπα Ρώμης Φραγκίσκο, λίγο πριν την έναρξη της Συνόδου των ΡΚαθολικών Επισκόπων με θέμα τη συνοδικότητα. Επίσης, αναφέρθηκε στις πρόσφατες επισκέψεις του στην Φιλλανδία, την Εσθονία και την Ουγγαρία. Ιδιαίτερο χαιρετισμό απηύθυνε, τέλος, στην αγγλική γλώσσα, προς τους Εξοχ. Πρέσβεις και τα μέλη του Διπλωματικού Σώματος:

Your Excellencies,

Distinguished guests,

Before we conclude our address we would like to extend a warm welcome to all of you and to wholeheartedly thank you for honoring us with your presence. We would also be remiss if we failed to express our gratitude to Her Excellency the Ambassador of the Hellenic Republic to the Vatican Mrs. Georgiou for inviting her colleagues from the diplomatic corps, all of you, to the Divine Liturgy this morning. Thanks to Mrs. Georgiou you had the unique opportunity to get a glimpse of the beauty and the majestic simplicity of the Eastern Orthodox life of worship, which reflects the liturgical tradition of the Byzantine period not only in the rubrics and the prayers that were read, but also in the psalmody that was melodically chanted in this wonderful church, given to us as an expression of the loving care of the Roman-Catholic Church and especially of His Holiness the Pope. These sentiments were shown once again very recently, when our beloved brother Francis responded positively, without any hesitation, to our similar request for a church temple in Izmir, Asia Minor, in order to accommodate the pastoral needs of the growing flock of our diocese there.

It is with the same spirit of brotherly love that we always visit Rome and the Vatican, accepting every time with joy the kind invitation of His Holiness and particularly enjoying our private meetings with Him, as it happened yesterday. This time we arrived in Rome, as you may have heard in the part of our speech in Italian, after one-month of traveling first to Greece; then to Finland and Estonia, upon kind invitations by their governments and the local Orthodox Churches there, in order to participate in the celebrations for the centennial anniversary since the granting of the status of internal ecclesiastical independence (autonomy) to them by the Ecumenical Patriarchate; and more recently to Hungary and the historic Roman-Catholic Archabbey of Pannonhalma, in order to deliver the Keynote Address at an International Ecumenical Conference for peace, which was organized there. Similarly inter-Christian is the tone of our visit here, as we came in order not only to attend the Consistorium for the creation of 21 new Cardinals yesterday morning, but also, and even more so, in order to participate in the Ecumenical Prayer Vigil organized in St. Peter’s Square in spiritual preparation of the first session of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, which will take place in the Vatican between October 4^th-29^th, under the theme of “synodality.”

This notion of conciliarity, very dear to the Eastern Orthodox Church, which is known as the synodal Church per se, has also been the focus, especially in its relationship with the concept of primacy, of the official bilateral theological dialogue between the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church. Fruit of this dialogue has precisely been the more intense engaging of our sister Church of Rome with the quest of her own synodal journey. Within the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Ecumenical Patriarchate, not only takes pride in the fact that all of the first seven Ecumenical Councils – a precious legacy of Christianity – were held either in Istanbul, then Constantinople, or in the broader region around it, but also has the right and responsibility, sanctified through the centuries-old ecclesiastical tradition and practice, to convene and preside today over similar pan-Orthodox Councils. In June 2016, we held one such Council on the island of Crete (Greece), the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church, which renewed the Orthodox Christian witness and defended the significance of Christian values as an effective tool to address the current global challenges.

This is an essential part of our own ministry and mission in the contemporary world, where we promote inter-Christian and interreligious dialogue, religious tolerance, religious freedom and the culture of solidarity at a time of turmoil, division and war. In this spirit, we encourage and chair dialogues with all Christian confessions, but also between Christians and the other two monotheistic religions, Judaism and Islam. Moreover, for over thirty years, we have raised global awareness on environmental pollution and climate change, preaching about the importance of protecting the planet as our common home and as the unique gift of God the Creator to everyone, especially since the ecological crisis affects primarily the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people.

As we have repeatedly emphasized, the Church has an essential role in ameliorating these heart-breaking situations, collaborating with the faithful, local governments and leaders, and all people of goodwill. The Ecumenical Patriarchate is committed to working for the promotion of these principles. As you can see, the Church of Constantinople is not a museum piece, a remnant of the past, but a beating heart, a beacon of hope that continues to strive to provide spiritual guidance and support to those in need, constantly calling for peace, justice, and love in the world. 

Grateful for your prayerful presence this morning, we also call upon you, as representatives of your respected countries, to join these efforts. Let us all together be the light in the darkness and the hope in the face of despair! May God bless each and every one of you and your families and strengthen you in your admirable service!