The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew granted an in-depth interview on French television, speaking about his life as well as the challenges Orthodoxy faces today.
In response to a journalist’s question, Patriarch Bartholomew stated characteristically that “the Primacy of Constantinople carries with it certain responsibilities, certain powers, so to speak.”
“These responsibilities have been exercised by the First-Throne Church throughout the centuries, in service to and in support of the sister Churches. Historical documents bear witness to the role of the Throne of Constantinople,” the Ecumenical Patriarch emphasized.
“Naturally, neither I nor my successors will ever renounce the rights that were bestowed upon us by the Ecumenical Councils. We shall always preserve them as a precious treasure, to minister to our Orthodox brethren across the world, in every Orthodox Church.”
The Patriarch further underlined that the Patriarch of Constantinople holds certain privileges which no other Primate possesses.
“In this respect, it is sine paribus—these privileges belong exclusively to the Ecumenical Patriarch. Yet neither my predecessors nor I have ever exercised them to impose our will or our opinion upon other Churches. Rather, we have used these prerogatives of the Throne of Constantinople to assist other Churches in their daily life, especially when they faced pastoral challenges—not in a spirit of authority, but of service.”
The Ukrainian Autocephaly
Regarding the granting of the Tomos of Autocephaly in 2019 to the Church of Ukraine and Metropolitan Epiphanius, the Ecumenical Patriarch declared: “At that time, our Patriarchate took this decision, believing, on the one hand, that it was the rightful claim of the Church of Ukraine to obtain her autocephaly, following repeated petitions to the Ecumenical Patriarchate—not only in recent years, but far earlier, at least as early as 1919–1920, perhaps even earlier.
And when Ukraine became a sovereign, independent state after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, its bishops requested autocephaly from Russia. That was a mistake—they should have addressed their petition to the Ecumenical Patriarchate. And you will know that the request they submitted to Moscow for autocephaly was signed by Metropolitan Onufriy, though not at that time as Metropolitan of Kyiv; he then held another title.
According to the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Ukraine has the right to obtain autocephaly, and every sovereign state has the right to have its own independent local Church. On the other hand, it is the Ecumenical Patriarchate alone—and none else—that possesses the authority to grant autocephaly, as it has done for all the Churches I have mentioned, beginning with the Church of Russia in the 16th century and continuing through the 19th and 20th centuries with all the Churches of the Balkans.”
He went on to stress: “We did what was self-evident—that the Ukrainians should have their own Autocephalous Church. We exercised the canonical right that belongs to us, and to us alone, to bestow that autocephaly.”
The Patriarch added pointedly that the present task is for all Orthodox Christians in Ukraine—those under Onufriy and those under Epifaniy— “to unite, not only theoretically but in the practical realities of daily life, to become one local Church and to be recognized by all the other sister Orthodox Churches. I believe this will happen, sooner or later. We must not be impatient, expecting it to occur overnight.
Let us remember that the autocephalies of other Churches were not recognized immediately either. There was always a period before they became a matter of common acceptance among the other sister Churches. I am convinced that, with God’s grace and the goodwill of our Orthodox brethren, this will happen in the coming years, or perhaps decades. In any case, the Ecumenical Patriarchate will never retreat, nor revoke the autocephaly it has granted to Ukraine—and in this I wish to be perfectly clear.”
The Holy and Great Council of Crete
Asked about preparations for the Holy and Great Council of Crete, the Ecumenical Patriarch stressed: “Throughout the years of my Patriarchate, I can say I gave strong impetus to pan-Orthodox cooperation. It was I who first established the institution of gatherings of Orthodox Primates. We concelebrated together at the Patriarchate in 1992 and gave practical support to the unity of the autocephalous Orthodox Churches. Since then, we held many such gatherings, the most recent in January 2016, shortly before the Council of Crete.”
Referring to the events preceding the Council, he remarked: “Although we had all agreed upon the issues to be discussed at the Council and had signed the regulations for the conduct of the Holy and Great Council, unfortunately, at the last moment, four sister Churches chose not to attend. Nevertheless, I believe the Council was successfully held.”
Patriarch Bartholomew noted that the Ecumenical Patriarchate made many sacrifices and concessions over the years of inter-Orthodox consultations to promote pan-Orthodox unity and cooperation: “Among these was the question of autocephaly. Although it was solely our prerogative to grant it—beginning with the Church of Russia, followed by all the Churches of the Balkans—nevertheless, we agreed to include this matter on the agenda of the Synod of Rhodes and later Geneva. We even reached the stage of discussing how a Tomos of Autocephaly should be signed for a new Church.”
The Reaction of the Russian Church
“Our Patriarchate proposed that in such signatures, the Ecumenical Patriarch should issue the decision, with the other Primates co-signing. This met with opposition from the then-Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk. It was not accepted. Therefore, since unanimity was lacking at the preparatory stage of the Holy and Great Council, the subject of autocephaly was removed from its agenda.”
Dialogue Between Churches
The Ecumenical Patriarch affirmed the necessity of dialogue between religions, confessions, and Churches: “These dialogues will one day lead us to unity. Until then, people, cultures, and faiths must cooperate for the good of humanity.”
He continued: “With the Catholic Church, we advance fraternally. We have begun a theological dialogue, inaugurated at the Synod of Patmos, addressing the question of Primacy and conciliarity. We also maintain official theological dialogues with the Lutherans and with the Anglican Communion, always at the initiative of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. For about 40 years now, academic dialogues have also been held with Judaism and with Islam.”
The Role of the Ecumenical Patriarch
In conclusion, the Ecumenical Patriarch reflected on the responsibilities of his position: “Anyone who wishes to fulfill the responsibilities of the First-Throne Patriarch in Orthodoxy must be constantly vigilant, never at ease, for there are countless challenges demanding attention. Thankfully, I have good collaborators, and I love my work.
You asked whether I regretted accepting this Cross. I did not. The Throne of Constantinople—with its history and witness of so many centuries—cannot be left vacant. Our flock in Constantinople is small, but in the diaspora it is much larger, and they all look to the Mother Church, to our sacred center, for a voice of support, encouragement, and testimony. And that is precisely what we have striven to provide, all these years, by the grace of God.”
