On Earth As In Heaven: Ecological Vision and Initiatives of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew

Introduction

Introduction Rev. Dr. John Chryssavgis In the past two decades, the world has witnessed alarming environmental degradation—with climate change, the loss of biodiversity, and the pollution of natural resources—and the widening gap between rich and poor, as well as increasing failure to implement environmental policies. During the same decade, one religious leader has discerned the signs of the times and called people’s attention to this ecological and social situation. The worldwide leader of the Orthodox Churches, His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has persistently proclaimed the primacy of spiritual values in determining environmental ethics and action. No worldwide church leader has been as recognized internationally for his dynamic leadership and initiatives in addressing the theological, ethical , and practical imperative in relation to the critical environmental issues of our time as has His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. Patriarch Bartholomew has long placed the environment at the head of his church’s agenda by developing ecological programs, chairing PanOrthodox gatherings and international symposia, and organizing environmental seminars for more than a decade. The Green Patriarch Patriarch Bartholomew (born Demetrios Archontonis), the current Ecumenical Patriarch of the Orthodox Church, was born on February 29, 1940, in a small village on the island of Imvros, modern-day Gökçeada 1 2 兩 Introduction in Turkey. The residents of this island, like the inhabitants of so many other regions of Asia Minor, have been known through the centuries for their profound tradition and pious devotion, and in general for their cultivation of spiritual values. As the young Demetrios, Patriarch Bartholomew was raised to work the earth of the heart, long before he would be prepared to preserve the green of the environment as Ecumenical Patriarch. His theological training also attracted the young Demetrios to move beyond the library and to breathe the air of the oikoumene, the breadth of the universe of theological communication and ecclesiastical reconciliation . In later years, he would see a similar connection between church and environment: For us at the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the term ‘‘ecumenical’’ is more than a name: it is a worldview, and a way of life. The Lord intervenes and fills His creation with His divine presence in a continuous bond. Let us work together so that we may renew the harmony between heaven and earth, so that we may transform every detail and every element of life. Let us love one another. With love, let us share with others everything we know and especially that which is useful in order to educate godly persons so that they may sanctify God’s creation for the glory of His holy name.1 In 1961, Demetrios graduated from the Patriarchal School at Halki,2 which for 127 years trained numerous clergymen and theologians of the Ecumenical Patriarchate throughout the world until it was forced to close its doors officially in 1971. This school was to be—and still remains—the 1. See his address at Scenic Hudson (November 13, 2000). 2. The Patriarchate’s international theological school at Halki (Heybeliada, on the Princes’ Islands in the Sea of Marmara) has been closed since 1971, further to a Turkish law forbidding private universities to function. The closure would appear to be in breach of Article 40 of the Treaty of Lausanne and Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights. Yet Halki served as the formative and theological center for numerous leaders of the (especially, but not only) Greek-speaking Orthodox world. The function of Halki had been diminished both as a secondary school and graduate seminary since the late 1950s. The magnificent 19th-century building contains a library of 40,000 books and historical manuscripts, as well as classrooms filled with old wooden desks, and spacious reception and dormitory rooms. It is Patriarch Bartholomew’s dream and desire to reopen the Theological School, where he often retires to rest and write. Introduction 兩 3 venue for numerous meetings and seminars on environmental issues during his tenure as Patriarch. In 1961, Demetrios was ordained to deacon. It was during this office that the young Demetrios also received the monastic name of Bartholomew. From 1963 to 1968, Bartholomew attended several prestigious centers of scholarship and ecumenical dialogue, such as the University of Munich , the Ecumenical Institute in Bossey (Switzerland), and the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Gregorian University in Rome. In the last of these institutions, he received his doctorate in Canon...