Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew held an official meeting on Monday morning, March 30, 2026, with Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic, at the Élysée Palace, where he was received with great respect and full honors.
The meeting took place in a warm and cordial atmosphere, during which President Macron congratulated the Ecumenical Patriarch on his recent election as a foreign associate member of the French Academy of Moral and Political Sciences. Patriarch Bartholomew expressed his gratitude for the honor and the President’s kind words, and conveyed his hope that the people of France will continue to contribute to global intellectual life, as well as to the efforts for ending conflicts and promoting peace and justice worldwide. Their discussion lasted approximately 50 minutes.
Also present on behalf of the French Presidency was Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, along with presidential aides. Representing the Ecumenical Patriarchate were Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon, Metropolitan Dimitrios of France, and Archimandrite Aetios, Director of the Patriarch’s Private Office. A military guard of honor was present during both the arrival and departure of the Patriarch at the Élysée Palace.
Later that day, Patriarch Bartholomew met with Khaled El-Enany, Director-General of UNESCO, at the organization’s headquarters in Paris. The meeting was attended by the same members of the Patriarchal delegation, as well as Georgios Koumoutsakos, Permanent Representative of Greece to UNESCO.
Following the meeting, Mr. Koumoutsakos hosted an official reception in honor of the Ecumenical Patriarch at UNESCO headquarters, attended by numerous Permanent Representatives of member states and other distinguished guests.
