by Romfea.news
A speech on “The role of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in the Orthodox Church” took place in the afternoon of Monday, February 25, 2019, in the center of Brussels, during a cycle of speeches by the Holy Metropolis of Belgium.
The speech was given by the Metropolitan Bartholomew of Smyrna, a hierarch expert on Orthodox issues, who served in key positions of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
In his speech, Metropolitan Bartholomew referred to the beginning and the historical course of the Byzantine Diocese, which, with the foundation of the city and the transfer of the Roman capital, became the Archdiocese of Constantinople, and over the centuries and the developments became the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
The primacy of the Ecumenical Patriarchate does not come from the authoritative power over the other local Orthodox Churches, it is a primacy of responsibility and coordinating role in the Orthodox world.
He then developed the actions and initiatives of the Ecumenical Patriarchate at an inter-Orthodox, inter-Christian and interreligious level, in the dialogues and platforms in which the Patriarchate either participates or takes the lead to promote and resolve various key and important issues that concern the world.
