Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew emphasized the importance of education, values, and “spiritual intelligence” during an address to students and teachers at the Arsakeia Schools in Psychiko, Athens, as part of his official visit to Greece.
Speaking within the framework of celebrations marking the 190th anniversary of the Philological and Educational Society of Greece, the Ecumenical Patriarch reflected on the profound changes brought by rapid technological progress and the rise of artificial intelligence.
“Your lives will now unfold within an environment shaped by the dizzying progress of technology, culminating in the rapid development of Artificial Intelligence,” Patriarch Bartholomew told students. “It is certain that we will speak of the period before and after AI.”
While acknowledging the positive contributions of technology, the Patriarch warned that its growing dominance could also lead to “dangerous absolutizations” if not accompanied by ethical and spiritual guidance.
He encouraged young people to cultivate what he called “spiritual intelligence,” rooted in the higher values of the Christian tradition and the foundations of the great humanitarian ideals.
“Despite the truly astonishing scientific progress of our time, existential fulfillment and humanity are not self-evident or guaranteed,” he said. “They require commitment and struggle. Education must help children discover and embrace spiritual values.”
The Ecumenical Patriarch stressed that life cannot be reduced to numbers or purely rational calculations. “Real life is more than measurable reality, more than numbers, more than square logic. Life is not digital,” he stated. “The human soul is filled with emotions, empathy, and spontaneous hierarchies of priorities.”
He further underlined that schools should not only provide knowledge but also reveal “the dimension of depth,” helping students develop sensitivity toward beauty and truth and resist “triviality and utilitarianism.”
Earlier, Patriarch Bartholomew celebrated a memorial service at the Church of Saint Anastasia, located within the Arsakeia campus, commemorating the benefactors and donors of the historic educational institution.
The event was attended by prominent representatives of Church, state, and academia, including Education Minister Sofia Zacharaki, former President of Greece Katerina Sakellaropoulou, and the rector of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Gerasimos Siasos.
Students and educators from Arsakeia Schools in Athens, Patras, Thessaloniki, Ioannina, and Tirana were also present.
During the ceremony, the president of the Philological and Educational Society, Georgios Babiniotis, described Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew as “a model universal hierarch,” “almost a legend of Orthodoxy,” and “an outstanding spiritual personality who teaches human dignity, ecological awareness, and global peace.”
Babiniotis also praised the Patriarch’s dedication to the Greek language and education, highlighting his efforts for the schools of Constantinople, the reopening of the Holy Theological School of Halki, and the revival of education on Imbros.
At the conclusion of the event, students presented the Patriarch with an album of drawings inspired by his ecological teachings, while school choirs performed hymns and musical settings of poems by Georgios Drosinis and Constantine P. Cavafy composed by Mikis Theodorakis.
