Speaking the Truth in Love: Theological and Spiritual Exhortations of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew

Introduction

Introduction Rev. Dr. John Chryssavgis The Ecumenical Patriarch was trained and experienced in inter-Christian relations, having pursued studies in Roman Catholic theology at the Gregorian University of Rome, in Protestant thought at the University of Munich, and in the ecumenical movement at the World Council of Churches in Geneva. Moreover, he has lectured widely on the significance and role of Orthodox theology in contemporary society, having received honorary doctorates from esteemed academic institutions throughout the world. Unafraid to address sensitive and even controversial issues—such as papal primacy, divisions within Christianity, and the fragility of interOrthodox unity—His All Holiness balances Orthodox doctrine and canon law with open-mindedness and open-heartedness. Sometimes, his remarks appear gentle and provide guidelines, revealing historical and human understanding of misconceptions or deviations. At other times, his words have the effect of rebuke and even censure; they seek to rectify errors or inform ignorance. Always, however, his statements reflect a profound and positive determination to ‘‘speak the truth in love’’ (Eph. 4.15) in an effort to provide a contribution to ecumenical discussion that will prove constructive in the search for Christian unity. In this regard, he is faithful to the teaching of St. Paul, who urges leaders to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. 1 2 兩 Introduction For we must no longer be as children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s deceit or by their craftiness in schemes. But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love. Eph. 4.12–16 Moreover, as His All Holiness often confesses and acknowledges, he stands fully in the tradition of a long list of Ecumenical Patriarchs from antiquity (such as St. Gregory the Theologian in the fourth century and St. John Chrysostom in the fifth century) through contemporary times (such as Patriarchs Athenagoras and Dimitrios, his immediate predecessors). The visits of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to Rome as the personal guest of Pope John Paul II marked the first occasion in history that an Orthodox patriarch met so regularly with the Roman Catholic pope. His invitation to Pope Benedict XVI marked the opening of the pontiff’s ministry and the pontiff’s first visit to a Christian minority within a Muslim nation. Over the last two decades, Bartholomew is also the first Ecumenical Patriarch to have traveled so widely throughout the world and to have convened meetings of Orthodox primates of autocephalous churches as well as assemblies of bishops directly within the Ecumenical Patriarchate . This book plainly reveals the spiritual depth and profound doctrine of the Orthodox Church from the unique perspective of a Christian leader speaking the truth in love (Eph. 4.15). The first volume in this series by Fordham University Press incorporates a detailed biographical note on Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. In the present volume, I have chosen instead to outline significant moments that shaped the Patriarch’s ecumenical conscience and theological principles, which have enabled him to articulate ‘‘the truth in love.’’ The timeline below is complemented by passages from three exceptional theologians —the late Professor Olivier Clément (an extraordinarily insightful and inspiring French theologian and historian, who interviewed His All Holiness in preparation for a book), His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America (a senior and revered hierarch and scholar of the Orthodox Church, who in his diverse roles representing His All Holiness has comprehended and embraced the vision of the Ecumenical Patriarchate), and Dr. Samuel Kobia (former general secretary of the World Council Introduction 兩 3 of Churches, who explicitly testified to the ecumenical openness of the Patriarchate and actively supported the ecumenical leadership of His All Holiness). Biographical Timeline Key Educational and Ecumenical Milestones student years 1957–61 Following primary and secondary schooling on his island of Imvros and at the Zografeion Lyceum in Istanbul, His All Holiness studied at the Patriarchal Theological School of Halki.1 1963–68 His...