The message sent by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to the “children from the north” was clear, stressing that “we are not intimidated; we remain steadfast in our struggle.”
After the Divine Liturgy in honor of Saint Photios, officiated by the Ecumenical Patriarch, he also referred to the great contribution of the Saint to the Church.
He emphasized that Photios the Great, during his first patriarchate, faced the attack of “the people of Rus’ against Constantinople” and yet did not treat them as a permanent threat, but sent Cyril and Methodius to their land to preach the Gospel, thus preparing the ground for the prevalence of Christianity in the region a century later.
“This is the witness of Photios and this is the enduring witness of the Ecumenical Patriarchate: to respond to siege with love, to darkness with the light of Christ, and to war not with worldly power, but with the Cross.” “This is the victory that has overcome the world, our faith” (1 John 5:4), “working through love” (Galatians 5:6).
The Patriarch then referred to the current situation in the world, underlining that the Patriarchate “will wait with affection and patience for the return of her children from the north who turned against it.”
The Ecumenical Patriarch added:
“In an age when the clash of arms resounds in many parts of the world and humanity is increasingly overshadowed by fear and uncertainty, the Great Church of Christ stands firm, illumined by the light of incarnate love, just as in the time of Saint Photios. The cold winds of hostility cannot extinguish the warmth of its heart. With patience and compassion, the Ecumenical Patriarchate awaits the return of its children, keeping its arms open in the spirit of the Crucified Lord.
Crucified with Him, the Patriarchate offers each of its members to martyrdom for the sake of its children. And despite the cries of ungrateful children, despite the false accusations that it ‘has a demon and is mad’ (John 10:20), the Patriarchate does not abandon the Cross. This is the timeless message of the Ecumenical Patriarchate: we are not intimidated; we remain steadfast in our struggle on the Cross, where Divine Providence has placed us, to defend the sanctuaries and shrines of the faith. And the Most Holy Theotokos is always a refuge and protector in every danger and treachery.”
Solemn Celebration of Saint Photios’s Memory
In a festive and prayerful atmosphere, the Ecumenical Patriarchate honored the memory of Saint Photios, Patriarch of Constantinople and co-founder of the Holy Trinity Monastery of Halki, home to the historic Theological School, on Friday, February 6, 2026.
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew presided at the Divine Liturgy, with the participation in prayer of hierarchs: Elder Metropolitan Apostolos of Derkoi; Elder Metropolitan Dimitrios of Prinkiponnisa; Metropolitan Nektarios of Anthedon, Representative of the Holy Sepulchre in Constantinople; Metropolitan Ignatios of Demetrias and Almyros; Metropolitan Athenagoras of Kydoniai; Metropolitan Maximos of Selyvria; Metropolitan Andreas of Forty Churches; Metropolitan Damaskinos of Aetolia and Acarnania; and Bishop Kassianos of Arabissos.
Clergy and monastics, Archons and Offikialioi of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Vice President of the Hellenic Parliament Mr. Georgios Georgantas, and faithful from the Princes’ Islands, Constantinople, and abroad were also in attendance.
The Halki Theological School: A Living Symbol of Church and Education
In his address following the dismissal, Patriarch Bartholomew recalled the initiative of his predecessor of blessed memory, Patriarch Germanos IV, to establish and house the Theological School at the ancient Holy Trinity Monastery of Halki.
From 1844 until the painful year of 1971, the School functioned normally and fruitfully, offering to the Ecumenical Throne, to Orthodoxy as a whole, and to the wider Christian world a multitude of graduates, Patriarchs and Archbishops, hierarchs and clergy, and devoted scholars, who served the people of God sacrificially, bearing witness to faith, love, and hope with steadfast fidelity to the Church’s tradition and deep sensitivity to the human person and the challenges of freedom.
The Ecumenical Patriarch spoke with emotion of his own years of study at Halki and expressed hope that the time is approaching when the gates of the School will open once again and the bell will call new students to the study of theology. He noted that this hope is strengthened by the expected completion, within the current year, of the restoration and upgrading of the School’s buildings, made possible through generous benefactions.
“The Theological School of Halki,” the Patriarch stressed, “is a symbol of the unbreakable bond between Church and Education.” Throughout its long history, he added, the School has been a bearer of the spirit of the Phanar and will continue to embody this spirit in its anticipated renewed form.
Saint Photios: Model of Faith, Learning, and Mission
Patriarch Bartholomew highlighted Saint Photios as an expression of this spirit and as a model of Orthodox ecclesial ethos, faithfulness to the Church’s tradition, profound learning, and pastoral sensitivity. The Great Photios, he noted, through his multifaceted presence and action in ecclesiastical, cultural, and even political life, decisively shaped his era and left an enduring mark on the Eastern Roman Empire, on the renewal and flourishing of letters, and above all on the spiritual life of the Church through his sacrificial pastoral ministry, synodal consciousness, missionary zeal, and vigilant care for the safeguarding of Orthodox doctrine.
Referring to Saint Photios’ devotion to the Most Holy Theotokos, the Patriarch recalled traditions and scholarly views that associate the Akathist Hymn with his era and spiritual legacy. He also evoked the dramatic moment when Constantinople faced a sudden assault by the Rus’ during the first patriarchate of Saint Photios. In that hour of danger, the Patriarch called the faithful to prayer and repentance, entrusting the City to the protection of the Mother of God. The danger was averted, and yet Saint Photios did not see the Rus’ merely as enemies; he perceived in them fertile ground for the Gospel, preparing the way for the future Christianization of their lands.
“This is the witness of Photios,” the Ecumenical Patriarch emphasized, “and this is the enduring witness of the Ecumenical Patriarchate: to respond to siege with love, to darkness with the light of Christ, and to war not with worldly power, but with the Cross.”
A Message for Today’s World
Turning to the present global situation, Patriarch Bartholomew observed that in an age when the clash of arms resounds in many parts of the world and humanity is increasingly overshadowed by fear and uncertainty, the Great Church of Christ stands firm, illumined by the light of incarnate love, just as in the time of Saint Photios. The cold winds of hostility cannot extinguish the warmth of heart. With patience and compassion, the Ecumenical Patriarchate awaits the return of its children, keeping its arms open in the spirit of the Crucified Lord.
“This is the timeless message of the Ecumenical Patriarchate,” he concluded, “We are not intimidated; we remain steadfast in our struggle on the Cross, where Divine Providence has placed us, to defend the sanctuaries and shrines of the faith. And the Most Holy Theotokos is always a refuge and protector in every danger and treachery.”
Photos: Nikos Papachristou, Translated by: Konstantinos Menyktas
