Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew gave an interview to the Romanian website evz.ro, speaking for the first time in the Romanian Media.
The Ecumenical Patriarch talked about how Orthodoxy is treated in a Muslim country like Turkey, but also why he decided to grant Autocephaly to the Church of Ukraine.
Patriarch Bartholomew referred to the concern and worry of the Ecumenical Patriarchate for the environment, stressing that “the environment symbolizes and represents the collective responsibility we have, and we are called to protect the precious gift of God’s Creation.”
He also called on believers and the whole world to respond to the ecological crisis, and to protect our “fragile” planet for future generations.
The Ecumenical Patriarch further emphasized that “Christianity can be considered a religion of love and dialogue. The visions of the Gospel are what the Orthodox Church seeks to incarnate and support in the modern world.”
Referring to the decision to grant the Tomos of Autocephaly to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, the Ecumenical Patriarch emphasized that “we believe it is part of the mission of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to encourage and allow a local church to get the same self-determination by the Mother Church of Constantinople as so many other churches, including the Churches of Russia, Romania and Greece.”
He also added that he always cherished a special love and admiration for the Church of Romania, as well as that he is close to the Romanian Orthodox Church and Patriarch Daniel.
