2016

RESPONSE BY HIS ALL-HOLINESS ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH BARTHOLOMEW, CHAIRMAN OF THE HOLY AND GREAT COUNCIL OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCH, TO HIS EMINENCE ARCHBISHOP IRENAIOS OF CRETE, PRESIDENT OF THE HOLY EPARCHIAL SYNOD OF THE CHURCH OF CRETE, ON THE OCCASION OF THE ARRIVAL OF THE ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH AND THEIR BEATITUDES THE PRIMATES OF THE ORTHODOX AUTOCEPHALOUS CHURCHES AND THE DOXOLOGY AT THE HOLY CATHEDRAL OF THE HOLY APOSTLE TITUS (Heraklion, June 18, 2016) Your Eminence, beloved brother in Christ, Archbishop Irenaios of Crete and beloved brothers Eminences and Graces, members of the Holy Eparchial Synod of the Church of Crete, beloved eparchy of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Your Excellency the Regional Governor, Most honorable Mayor of Heraklion, and representatives of local and regional authorities, Beloved and heroic Orthodox flock of Crete, Truly, all of us, the brother Primates ...

«Love for Christ knows no bounds, neither does love for your neighbour. Let it extend everywhere, to the ends of the earth. Everywhere, to all people. I’d like to go and live with the hippies in Matala, without sinning, of course, to show them the love of Christ. How great it is and how it could change them, transform them. Love is above all things. Let me give you an example. There was an ascetic and he had two disciples. He tried very hard to benefit them and make them good. But he was worried as to whether they were, in fact, making any progress in the spiritual life and whether they were ready for the Kingdom of God. He waited ...

HOMILY BY HIS ALL-HOLINESS ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH BARTHOLOMEW CHAIRMAN OF THE HOLY AND GREAT COUNCIL OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCH AT THE CONCELEBRATION OF THE DIVINE LITURGY IN THE METROPOLITAN CHURCH OF ST. MINAS IN HERAKLION, CRETE WITH THEIR BEATITUDES THE PRIMATES OF THE HOLY ORTHODOX CHURCHES (Sunday of Pentecost, June 19, 2016) Your Beatitudes, Holy Brother Primates of the local Orthodox Churches, Theodoros of Alexandria, John of Antioch, Theophilos of Jerusalem, Kirill of Moscow, Irinej of Belgrade, Daniel of Bucharest, Neophyte of Bulgaria, Ilia of Georgia, Chrysostomos of Cyprus, Ieronymos of Athens, Sawa of Warsaw, Anastasios of Tirana, and Rastislav of Prešov, together with Your honorable delegations, Your Excellency Mr. President of the Hellenic Republic, Your Eminence Archbishop Irenaios of Crete, together with the Most Reverend and beloved brothers who, together with you, comprise the ...

Besides, humble people are like nightingales: they hide away in leafy hollows and spread joy to people’s souls with their mellifluous singing, giving praise day and night to the Creator of the world. Proud people, on the other hand, are like clucking hens that deafen you with their cackling, as if their egg were as big as the planet.

TOAST BY HIS ALL-HOLINESS ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH BARTHOLOMEW CHAIRMAN OF THE HOLY AND GREAT COUNCIL OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCH AT THE OFFICIAL DINNER HOSTED IN HIS HONOR AND IN HONOR OF THEIR BEATITUDES THE PRIMATES OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCHES BY THE HOLY EPARCHIAL SYNOD OF THE CHURCH IN CRETE (Heraklion, June 18, 2016) Your Eminence, Archbishop Irenaios of Crete and Your Eminences and Graces holy brother concelebrants, members of the Holy Eparchial Synod of the beloved Orthodox Church of Crete of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Your Excellency, the Regional Governor of Crete, Most honorable Mayor of Heraklion, and other representatives of local and regional authorities of the island of Crete, the land of saints and heroes, Blessed participants, The Grace of the Triune God condescended to allow us to experience once more the communion ...

The Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church has commenced in Crete. Ten of the fourteen Church Primates concelebrated the Divine Liturgy yesterday for the Sunday of Pentecost. The following morning, Monday of the Holy Spirit, a Divine Liturgy — presided over by Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem — was celebrated in a monastery beside the Orthodox Academy of Crete where the Council has been convened. The Divine Liturgy will be celebrated each morning during the Council, concluding with a second Synodal Divine Liturgy for the Sunday of All Saints (June 26th). This sacramental, Eucharist unity is the most important part of Orthodox worship and the glue that binds the fourteen Orthodox autocephalous (self-headed, or administered) churches into the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic ...