“The Case of Citizen Archondonis”: The Ideological Origins of Patriarch Bartholomew

Russian Orthodox Church

The 232nd Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, was born on March 12, 1940 on the Turkish island of Imvros. He graduated from school in Istanbul and theological school on the island of Halki. In 1961-1963. served as an officer in the Turkish army. He received further education (ecclesiastical law) in Switzerland and the University of Munich. Doctor of Theology from the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome.

On December 25, 1973, he was consecrated bishop with the title Metropolitan of Philadelphia. For 18 years he was the manager of the Patriarchal Cabinet. In 1990 he was appointed Metropolitan of Chalcedon.

He was elected Primate of the Church of Constantinople on October 22, 1991, and the enthronement ceremony took place on November 2 of the same year.

Title of Primate: His Holiness Archbishop of Constantinople - New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch.

The Patriarchal residence and the Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious are located in Phanar (a district of Istanbul).

***

Anti-canonical actions of the Patriarchate of Constantinople in Ukraine

On September 7, 2022, a communiqué of the General Secretariat of the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Constantinople was published, which announced the appointment of two hierarchs of this Church - Archbishop Daniel of Pamphylia (USA) and Bishop Hilarion of Edmonton (Canada) - “exarchs” of the Patriarchate of Constantinople in Kyiv.

This decision was made without the consent of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' and His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv and All Ukraine.

The reaction to the anti-canonical actions of the Patriarchate of Constantinople was the statements of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church on September 8 and 14. The statement dated September 14, in particular, notes: “If the anti-canonical activities of the Patriarchate of Constantinople continue on the territory of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, we will be forced to completely break off Eucharistic communion with the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Full responsibility for the tragic consequences of this division will fall personally on Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople and the bishops who support him.”

Having ignored the calls of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the entirety of the Russian Orthodox Church, as well as the fraternal Local Orthodox Churches, their Primates and bishops for a pan-Orthodox discussion of the “Ukrainian question,” the Synod of the Constantinople Church made unilateral decisions: to confirm the intention “to grant autocephaly to the Ukrainian Church”; about the opening in Kyiv of the “stauropegia” of the Patriarch of Constantinople; about the “restoration to the episcopal or priestly rank” of the leaders of the Ukrainian schism and their followers and the “return of their believers to church communion”; on the “cancellation of the effect” of the conciliar charter of the Patriarchate of Constantinople of 1686 concerning the transfer of the Kyiv Metropolis to the Moscow Patriarchate. A message about these decisions was published by the Patriarchate of Constantinople on October 11.

At a meeting of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, held on October 15, a statement was adopted in connection with the encroachment of the Patriarchate of Constantinople on the canonical territory of the Russian Orthodox Church. Members of the Holy Synod recognized it as impossible to continue to remain in Eucharistic communion with the Patriarchate of Constantinople.

The statement, in particular, says: “The acceptance into communion of schismatics and a person anathematized in another Local Church with all the “bishops” and “clergy” ordained by them, an encroachment on other people’s canonical inheritances, an attempt to renounce one’s own historical decisions and obligations - all this takes the Patriarchate of Constantinople beyond the canonical field and, to our great sorrow, makes it impossible for us to continue Eucharistic communion with its hierarchs, clergy and laity.”

“From now on, until the Patriarchate of Constantinople refuses the anti-canonical decisions it has made, it is impossible for all clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church to concelebrate with the clergy of the Church of Constantinople, and for the laity to participate in the sacraments performed in its churches,” the document states.

The Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church also called on the Primates and Holy Synods of Local Orthodox Churches to properly assess the above-mentioned anti-canonical acts of the Patriarchate of Constantinople and to jointly search for ways out of the grave crisis tearing apart the body of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.

On December 15 in Kiev, on the territory of the National Reserve “Sophia of Kiev”, under the chairmanship of the hierarch of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, Metropolitan Emmanuel of Gallia, a so-called unification council took place, at which it was announced the creation of a new church organization called “The Orthodox Church of Ukraine”, which arose as a result of the unification of two non-canonical structures: “ Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church" and "Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate".

Materials about the anti-canonical actions of the Patriarchate of Constantinople in Ukraine are published on the website “In Defense of the Unity of the Russian Church”

Awards

Secular

• American Congress Gold Medal (1997, USA)
• Order of Freedom (July 27, 2013, Ukraine, in honor of the 1025th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus) [5]
• Order of Freedom (January 22, 2014, Ukraine, for outstanding church activities aimed at growing the authority of Orthodoxy in the world, and on the occasion of the celebration in Ukraine of the 1025th anniversary of the baptism of Kievan Rus) [6]

• honorary doctorate from the Universities of Athens, Thessaloniki, Patras and Yannina in Greece; Georgetown and Yale Universities in the USA; University of London and Edinburgh in the UK; Moscow University in Russia; University of Louvain in Belgium; University of Bologna in Italy; University of Bucharest in Romania, Fliders University in Australia; University of Manila in the Philippines
• a number of awards for the fight to preserve the environment

Prayers

Troparion app. Bartholomew and Barnabas, tone 3

The tongue was inspired by fire in the power of the Spirit, / you preach the Word that came in the flesh everywhere, / for whose sake the head was truncated, / but he was stoned, / and the natural apostolic face was stolen request,/ Bartholomew and Barnabas,/ we also honor your memory and ask:/ / pray to Christ God to grant us forgiveness of sins.

Troparion app. Bartholomew and Barnabas, Greek, voice 3

[29]

The divine organs of the Paraclete,/ the manifestation of God the Word/ the apostles, the seers of God, appeared,/ Bartholomew, the Twelfth Sepulchre,/ and Barnabo, as the son of consolation./ But pray to Christ God, O all-honoured One,// grant us great mercy.

Kontakion ap. Bartholomew, tone 4

(Similar to: You appeared:)

Thou hast appeared, the great sun of the Church, / teachings with radiance and terrible miracles, enlightening thee singing, // Bartholomew, Lord Apostle

.

Kontakion app. Bartholomew and Barnabas, Greek, tone 4

[29]

As Christ's apostles/ and ministers of piety with dogma,/ you enlighten the whole earth,/ Bartholomew is accepted with Barnabas,// for this reason we sing for you

.

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Content

• 1 Early life and background 1.1 Ordinations and ecclesiastical appointments