By Efi Efthymiou
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has invited the Patriarchs of Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem to a fraternal gathering at the Phanar on November 30, the feast day of Apostle Andrew, patron saint of the Church of Constantinople.
The invitation was extended in a recent letter written in English, proposing a meeting of the four ancient Patriarchates — Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem — to address important and urgent challenges currently facing the Church and the faithful.
The Ecumenical Patriarch’s initiative is particularly significant given its timing. In addition to the Ukrainian issue, which has caused tensions within the Orthodox Church in recent years, there is growing concern over Christian populations in the Middle East.
The dramatic developments in the region where Christianity was born and spread remain at the center of international attention, particularly because of the risks and challenges facing its steadily shrinking Christian communities.
Through this meeting, the Ecumenical Patriarch seeks to convey a message of cohesion and unity among the Churches, particularly at this critical time and amid tensions that have emerged between local Orthodox Churches in recent years.
According to information available to OrthodoxTimes.com, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is also sending a message through this initiative about the role of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The Ecumenical Patriarch is the one who can convene and coordinate meetings among the Primates of the Orthodox Church and has the right and responsibility to organize such gatherings.
In this way, he is also seeking to curb… the momentum of Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem, who has recently presented himself as a potential mediator on the Ukrainian issue.
Only a few days have passed since the Patriarch of Jerusalem gave an interview in which he revealed his intention to undertake a mediating role in the Ukrainian issue, announcing prospective meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
It should also be recalled that several years ago Patriarch Theophilos convened a “fraternal gathering” in Amman, Jordan, to discuss the Ukrainian issue. The initiative ended up to be a fiasco attracting limited participation.
The influence exercised by the Russian Orthodox Church in both Jerusalem and Antioch has not gone unnoticed. A key challenge is maintaining communication between the Phanar and both Patriarch Theophilos and Patriarch Ioannis, so that the two Churches do not become isolated. It is worth noting that the Patriarch of Antioch has not yet responded as to whether he will accept the Ecumenical Patriarch’s invitation.
Patriarch Bartholomew referred to his initiative during his address at the 27th International Congress of the Society for the Law of the Eastern Churches in Budapest.
As he explained in his letter, it was precisely because of the importance he attaches to this ancient institution and the pastoral responsibility it entails that he invited the three Eastern Patriarchs to the proposed gathering.
According to the Ecumenical Patriarch, the four ancient Patriarchates are linked by the historical and theological legacy of the Holy Fathers of the Church and the Ecumenical Councils and are called to address synodally the major and urgent challenges facing the people of God in a rapidly changing world.
Photo: Ecumenical Patriarchate
