Patriarch Bartholomew’S Enthronement
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The National Herald a b NOVEMBER 5 , 2011 www.thenationalherald.com 20th Anniversary of Patriarch Bartholomew’s Enthronement By Peter Marudas* ike his predecessors, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew during his twenty year wards the Patriarchate both by the Ankara government, particularly the current Erdogan- tenure has had to confront two fundamental challenges: the survival of the Patri - AKP regime and Turkish public opinion. archate in a generally hostile Turkish environment, and his relations with the other Turkey’s behavior toward the Patriarchate hardly meets any acceptable international stan - independent Orthodox Churches including the administration of his own flock dis - dard of religious freedom, however. Turkey still refuses to reopen Halki, the Patriarchate’s Lpersed in Western Europe, parts of Greece, North and South America, and Australia. premier seminary shuttered since 1971 - or to permit publication of its journal, Apostolos His All Holiness has certainly made progress in improving the Patriarchate’s position in Andreas, and Turkish law alleges that Bartholomew is not the Ecumenical Patriarch but Turkey, and after a very rocky beginning has advanced greater Pan-Orthodox cooperation, merely the local Greek Orthodox Archbishop. Still some concrete progress has made. while his record with his own jurisdictions, especially in America, has been at best mixed. On Nov. 29, 2010, (The Feast Day of Saint Andrew the Apostle, the founder of the Patri - Since 1922, when Turkey’s victory over Greece ended over 2000 years of Hellenic presence archate) the Turkish government complied with a European Court of Human Rights decision in Asia Minor, the Patriarchate has been persecuted, subjected to illegal confiscations of its and returned to the Patriarchate a large Nineteenth Century building that once housed an properties and institutions, and periodically threatened with expulsion from its 1900-year orphanage. This past August Turkey issued a degree mandating the return of all immovable historic seat. The most flagrant and recent violation of the Patriarchate’s and the Greek com - property to non-Muslim foundations (entities) illegally expropriated since 1936 and for com - munity’s rights occurred during the barbaric and tragic ethnic cleansing of September, 1955; pensation to those entities whose properties were now in third party hands. Following that a government-instigated program that demolished churches and businesses, and effectively announcement, Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan appeared at a dinner ending Ramadan and ended a viable Greek Orthodox presence in Turkey; which now numbers a mere 2,500. This with Patriarch Bartholomew at his side strongly endorsed the decree to the assembled rep - was reality facing the 51-year old newly-installed Patriarch Bartholomew in 1991; a condi - resentatives of Turkey’s non-Muslim communities. tion which his two predecessors, the internationally-known Athenagoras and the more re - Other “friendly” gestures toward Christian minorities were initiated in 2010 and again served Dimitrios, confronted as they attempted to preserve the Patriarchate’s declining this year, when Bartholomew with other clergy celebrated for the first time in almost 90 strength. It is fair to conclude that Bartholomew, despite many obstacles, including serious years a liturgy on August 15, the feast day of the historic Pontos Monastery of Panayia plots against his life, has not only managed to preserve his position within Turkey but has Soumela, near the city of Tapezounta. Thousands of worshippers came from all over the clearly emerged as a prominent international religious figure. world for this highly emotional religious service as did many Armenians for a similar service This has been due to an almost superhuman traveling schedule and an increasing ability at an historic Armenian church in far Eastern Turkey. That follows earlier actions that allowed to connect with broader audiences on such contemporary issues as human rights and pro - the Patriarch to conduct services in Cappadocia and at other holy sites in Turkey. tection of the environment; the improved effectiveness of his supporters both in Europe and America; and probably most significantly, a gradual but definitely more favorable stance to - Continued on page 21 This insert is sponsored in part by: Stephanos and Areti Cherpelis and a Friend of The National Herald 2 20th Anniversary of Patriarch Bartholomew’s Enthronement THE NATIONAL HERALD, NOVEMBER 5, 2011 Happy Anniversary, Παναγιώτατε By Antonis H. Diamataris That will depend mostly on the Patriar - chate’s ability to be relevant to our lives and to has to be one of the most difficult jobs in deal with the issues affecting us effectively. today’s world: running a Greek Ortho - At the same time, the community bears a It dox Ecumenical Patriarchate, and from responsibility for the Patriarchate’s well-being, such an inhospitable place like Turkey, to boot. too, and that obligation needs refinement and Yet, Ecumenical Patriarch Barthlomew has improvement. been doing just that for twenty years now. Al - This newspaper’s publisher knows him from beit a few unnecessary quarrels and avoidable before he was elected as the Ecumenical Patri - mistakes along the way, but successfully, over - arch and has followed his tenure closely. This all. newspaper has not always agreed with him, as The Church is at the center of the life in our any longtime reader will verify. Greek community. It is where we pray and In fact, the paper has disagreed with him where we meet. Where we get married and strongly at times about a number of his acts or where we Christen our children. It is or it omissions both at home and abroad. should be the spiritual center of our lives. Yet, without abdicating its role as this com - It was determined a long time ago that munity’s watchdog, this newspaper remains America’s Greek-Orthodox faithful belong – strongly committed to the Ecumencal Patri - spiritually and administratively – to the historic arhate’s survival and its right to live and work Ecumenical Church of Constantinople. That in freedom. has been the case to this point, but will it be in the future as well? Happy anniversary, Παναγιώτατε. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew: A Ministry Of Great Action By Archbishop Demetrios Orthodox Synod which is under inter-religious, and inter-cultural of America preparation, the first to be con - affairs, the Patriarch proceeded vened, God willing, after many in expanding his ministry with honoring the landmark centuries, and seeking solutions an unyielding steadfastness to Twentieth Anniversary to various problems created in save the natural environment in In of the election and en - the so-called Diaspora. As a re - which human beings live. It is thronement to the Patriarchal sult, a special new form of Or - well known that he has been rec - Throne of Constantinople of His thodox cooperation was created ognized as a major figure in deal - All Holiness Ecumenical Patri - by instituting the establishment ing with the environmental cri - arch Bartholomew, it is fitting to of local assemblies of canonical sis. In a significant meeting at pay tribute to a great contempo - Orthodox bishops in major areas the Eighth Symposium on the rary ecclesiastical figure. He ex - of the “Diaspora”, one of them Mississippi River in 2009, where emplifies in a brilliant way the being in North and Central approximately 150 renowned witness of the Gospel in a America, comprising 61 Bishops. environmental scientists partici - wounded and troubled world. 4. Deciding not to limit him - pated, it was stated that the per - We give thanks to God for his in - self within the Orthodox world, tinent work which the Orthodox spired witness and his true Or - our Ecumenical Patriarch en - Church under the leadership of thodox leadership. gaged tirelessly in a multi- the Ecumenical Patriarch does is It would have been necessary, faceted activity internationally in the most important compared to in order to describe appropri - opening and maintaining active any other similar effort. ately and accurately the amazing communication and dialogue The above briefly described ministry of the Ecumenical Pa - first with the Christian Churches, five points clearly depict the truly triarch during the past twenty both Roman Catholic and Protes - great ministry of the Ecumenical years, to spend pages and vol - tant, and then with non-Christ - Patriarch starting from Constan - umes in writing. Let us, there - ian major religions like Islam and tinople, embracing the people fore, present in a concise epi - Judaism. Such an activity aimed that are directly under his grammatic way, only a few at promoting tolerance, under - omophorion, extending his care central points indicating the EUROKINISSI standing and reconciliation to the entire Orthodox body of width and depth of the twenty- His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew with Archbishop Demetrios of America in among the various major reli - 300 million people, further ex - year Patriarchal Ministry. We honor of the occasion of the 20th Anniversary of Patriarch Bartholomew’s enthronement in the gious bodies. In addition, tending his love and concern to will limit ourselves to five spe - historic church of Aghia Irene in Constantinople. through the above mentioned di - the entire humanity and finally cific points: alogues and through contacts reaching out to include in the care 1. From the first day of his achieved through his activities a ropean Parliament to the Parlia - Patriarchate,