“I thank the most gracious God for the supreme gift of the priesthood: eight years as a deacon, four as a priest, 18 as a metropolitan and 35 as Ecumenical Patriarch, in the service of the entire Christian community under the dominion of the Lord, of the Great Church, of inter-Orthodox cooperation, inter-Christian and interreligious dialogues, peace and solidarity, the protection of the natural environment and the encounter between the Church and the contemporary world,
“The words Jesus alone were inscribed forever upon my soul and have served as a compass throughout my life. My spiritual father earnestly urged me, as I became a cleric, to look only to Jesus.
“My entire journey has been a life in dialogue,
“Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew once again thanked the Archbishop of Albania for his presence and participation throughout the celebrations held on Imbros
“the order according to which every newly elected Orthodox primate, upon taking the helm of his Church, begins visiting the other Orthodox Churches, naturally starting with the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
“Constantinople “diminished itself and itself granted them ecclesiastical independence, known as autocephaly – it weakened itself in order to serve each Orthodox people.”
“The Church of Russia emerged in the 16th century, while the Churches of the Balkans emerged in the 19th and 20th centuries. And all of them, before their autocephaly was proclaimed, were part of the jurisdiction of our Ecumenical Patriarchate
“his Church had “diminished itself” by granting autocephaly, only to receive a “cup of ingratitude” in return
“saw no one but Jesus alone
“to teach the word of God
“until my last breath
“We cannot journey toward God while turning our backs on our fellow human beings.
“The Ecumenical Patriarchate has never been a spectator of the course of human affairs
“My entire journey has been a ‘life in dialogue,’
“supreme gift of the priesthood
“Jesus only
“taken up the mantle of the late Archbishop Anastasios and was continuing the work established by his predecessor with zeal, conscientiousness and fear of God
“Our Ecumenical Patriarchate stood by the Church of Saint Mark, the Church of Alexandria
“To be ‘peacemakers’ is to move away from what serves our own interests to what embraces the rights of others.
“Peace always—and ultimately—starts in the heart. It takes time, toil, and tears. Nevertheless, it is our only hope for survival as individuals, as nations, and as a species.
“peace was “an existential and spiritual demand.”
“The Annunciation is a consoling teaching, a voice of optimism, a proclamation of joy—the glad tidings of God’s goodwill and peace on earth.
“May the joy of the Incarnation of the Word of God spread everywhere, so that peoples may advance in harmony and brotherhood and walk together toward enduring love, true justice, and the longed-for peace. Only these bring lasting and inalienable joy to humanity and to the nations of the earth—this is the message proclaimed by the Church: ‘Rejoice, O earth, with great joy; praise, O heavens, the glory of God!’
“truth is under attack. The followers of the Risen Lord are once again being persecuted, especially in the Middle East, the cradle of Christianity, which continues to give birth to new martyrs of the faith in our own time.
“Through the diversity of languages and traditions, unity in Christ is highlighted, transcending all national distinction,
“It is a bond of blood and Spirit, a relationship of centuries-old historical and spiritual kinship .
“We therefore wish that our presence here today will be the preliminary message of what is to take place in October in Bulgaria, as an additional proof of the love of the Holy Great Church of Christ for this Saint, who, although he lived in ascetic obscurity on Mount Rila, became a source of sanctification not only for the Bulgarian people, but for the entire Orthodox Church
“the arrival of the Primates a great honor for himself and his homeland