Global Initiatives of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew

In celebration of the 2021 visit to the University of Notre Dame by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, as well as the thirtieth anniversary of his election, this groundbreaking volume gathers together and introduces eleven important joint statements from the patriarch, addressing diverse topics from climate change to ecumenical dialogue.As the spiritual leader of 300 million Orthodox Christians worldwide, His All-Holiness Bartholomew, Orthodox Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch, has long been a beacon for strengthening interreligious and interfaith dialogues on the world stage. This volume assembles eleven joint statements initiated by the ecumenical patriarch with prominent global Christian leaders, including Pope Francis, Pope Benedict XVI, Pope St. John Paul II, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, and Archbishop Ieronymos II. It also includes Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew’s address at Notre Dame upon receiving an honorary doctorate.The statements address a wide array of pressing issues, including human rights, the environment, support of migrants, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the relationship between the Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches, frequently referred to as “sister churches.” The book contains a foreword by John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., president of the University of Notre Dame, and an introduction by John Chryssavgis, which provides an overview of the ecumenical patriarch’s long ministry and powerful vision, illustrating his significance both within the Orthodox world as well as on the world stage. Beyond its testimony to the patriarch’s longstanding commitment to interreligious and inter-Christian dialogue, this collection of joint statements has the added benefit of gathering these all-important texts into one convenient place for the first time.

“This important collection reveals Patriarch Bartholomew’s consistent and unrelenting concern to connect the Christian faith and Christian moral values with the moral questions that lie behind political choices and challenge governments, churches, and individuals.” —Brian Daley, S.J., author of God Visible, “Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is widely recognized as one of the most significant and influential religious leaders in our time. Those familiar with his writings and addresses will welcome this volume to the library of Patriarch Bartholomew’s wisdom, while those new to his thinking and ministry will find this book an excellent introduction to his work.” —Daniel P. Horan, O.F.M., author of All God’s Creatures, "This important book is both a gift and a challenge to Christians of all traditions and backgrounds, as well as to others who share with us the stewardship of this planet Earth, 'our island home.' In these pages there is much of value for anyone who would dare to follow Jesus and his Way of Love for all of God's children and all of creation." —The Most Reverend Michael B. Curry, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church and author of Love is the Way, "It is such a gracious filial duty to celebrate, with this publication, the stalwart figure and the eminently moral voice that His All-Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew is in ecumenical relations, in international policy formulation, and in thinking about care for the earth, our common home. So beautifully do the words of Ben Sirach apply to him: 'a counsellor in his prudence, a seer of all things in prophecy, and a resolute prince of God's flock'! (Sirach 44:3–4)." —Cardinal Peter K. A. Turkson, chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, "Archdeacon Chryssavgis has had a front-row seat to the remarkable leadership and ministry of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. In publishing this compilation of Bartholomew’s prophetic and courageous statements, Chryssavgis has done a great service for those who stand in awe of the Ecumenical Patriarch’s witness to the power of the gospel and his hope for Christian friendship and unity." —Rev. Austin I. Collins, C.S.C., vice president for mission engagement and church affairs, University of Notre Dame

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is the 270th archbishop of Constantinople. He is the spiritual leader of Eastern Orthodox Christians worldwide.John Chryssavgis is the author of numerous books and a theologian serving as archdeacon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and advisor to the ecumenical patriarch on theological and environmental issues. He is the author of Bartholomew: Apostle and Visionary, the official biography of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, and, most recently, Creation as Sacrament: Reflections on Ecology and Spirituality.John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., has served as the University of Notre Dame’s seventeenth president since 2005. In this role, Father Jenkins has devoted himself to fostering the university’s distinct place in academia, the church, our nation, and the world.