The Ecumenical Patriarch noted that one of the first petitions in the Divine Liturgies of St. Basil the Great and St. John Chrysostom was “Let us pray for the peace of the whole world, the stability of the holy churches of God, and the unity of all.”

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew: "The commitment of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to the mission of the World Council of Churches, from its earliest years as one of its founding members, through even the most difficult periods, has always been unwavering.”

The 2025 Pilgrimage of Discovery, an annual program of the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, completed another successful pilgrimage to Constantinople. Participants visited many important sites & had an audience with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.

His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has spoken, with illuminating wisdom and deep gratitude to God, on several occasions recently about the Ecumenical Patriarchate and its pivotal role in God’s Holy Church.

On Aug. 23, the Archons hosted a breakfast in honor of His All-Holiness in Stockholm. His Eminence Metropolitan Cleopas, National Commander Anthony Limberakis, National Secy. Gus Pablecas, & Regional Commanders Gerry Ranglas & Isidoros Garifalakis spoke.

At the final Ecumenical Prayer Service of Ecumenical Week in Uppsala, Sweden, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew led the participants in recitation of the Nicene Creed, a fitting commemoration of the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council.

On Aug. 23, His Eminence Metropolitan Cleopas of Sweden and All Scandinavia delivered a book presentation of his recently published study, in the presence of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and an Archon delegation. (Photos by J. Mindala)

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew says the “Common Sacred Worldview” is "not an attempt to create a syncretistic religion, nor a substitution for the worldviews that characterise each religious tradition. Its purpose is highlighting a field of consensus."

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew: “We owe it to our global community to be united in faith and action. We can only offer a credible witness when we stand together in prayerful invocation of God’s peace that surpasses our understanding and achievements.”

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew preached a homily in the historic cathedral of Stockholm on Saturday, August 23, in the presence of His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf and Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Sweden, along with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.

His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew speaks of "an ambitious intellectual edifice: that of the 'Common Sacred Worldview,' a framework that aspires to function as the theoretical foundation for a 'Common Sacred Flourishing.'"

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew: "In this beautiful and blessed world, created by the all-wise & all-powerful God, there is room for everyone. We do not need to kill each other to fit. The Church tells us: Peace be with all! Give us, O Lord, Your peace.”

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew: "The need for common action, as expressed from the beginning of the movement 'Different Faiths – Common Action,' presupposes a common meeting place, a ground where the individual voices can articulate a common testimony."

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew delivered a major address on Aug. 22 at the Ecumenical Celebration – Time for God’s Peace at the Filadelfia Church in Stockholm, Sweden, on the crucial importance of unity among Christians of differing faith traditions.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew: "Have mercy on us and on Your world, O Lord! And enlighten the leaders. that they may bring peace to the world. To stop the homicidal wars. To end the bloodshed. Let logic prevail. Let justice and mutual respect prevail.”

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew arrived in Stockholm on Aug. 21 to begin his Patriarchal visit to the Holy Metropolis of Sweden & the Lutheran Church of Sweden, which invited him to participate in the centennial observance of Sweden’s Ecumenical Week.

His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew calls for "the re-articulation of a discourse that dares to speak of love, compassion, mercy, forgiveness and self-sacrifice not as abstract moral values, but as active elements of a fuller reality."

On Thursday, August 21, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and his entourage arrived in Stockholm, Sweden. Metropolitan Cleopas of Sweden and All Scandinavia, welcomed His All-Holiness, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, at Arlanda Airport in Stockholm.

His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew: "The encounter of the different religious traditions, each one a bearer of a unique experience of the Sacred, becomes the necessary condition for the confrontation with a globalised meaninglessness."

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew: "Yes! The Etesian winds that torment humanity today are very strong: wars everywhere, injustices, rivalries, violent uprooting of people, political and religious turmoil, persecutions against Christians, and so much more!"