Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew talked of the sacrifice and offer of the Mother Church of Constantinople when he received a group of professors and students from Grevena, Greece, in the presence of the Archbishop of Australia and the assistant bishops.
“Coming to Constantinople is not an excursion, but a pilgrimage,” the Ecumenical Patriarch said to the students.
He also stressed, “Constantinople is the spiritual matrix of our Gentile,” adding that it is a blessing to those who have stayed, because “we continue a centuries-old tradition and our Patriarchate’s seat is here and serves not only its own spiritual children but all Orthodoxy, all Christianity and all humankind.”
On the occasion of the visit of the Archbishop of Australia, the Ecumenical Patriarch referred to the recent election of Archbishop Makarios as well as to the election of Archbishops of America, and Thyateira and Great Britain, praising the gifts of all three hierarchs.
“The Patriarchate is of particular value to us, as Greek Orthodox, and to all Orthodox Christians whose reference is here. And the junior Autocephalous Orthodox Churches received their autocephaly or their existence, if I may put it that way, from Constantinople. Unfortunately, there are also ungrateful children, who do not appreciate what they took from Constantinople; the baptism, the culture, the Cyrillic alphabet. They got a lot from there. The Mother Church of Constantinople sacrificed herself to give to others. And we never heard them say just one thank-you. In any case, the Mother Church, just because she is a mother, still loves everyone. She has never been Stepmother as accused by a Metropolitan from the Church of Greece. She has always been and will continue to be a real mother.”
On his part, addressing the students, Archbishop Makarios of Australia stressed that “we should never forget that the Patriarch is like the flag, he is a role model.” He also added that the Ecumenical Patriarchate was the Holy Center of Orthodoxy.
