Bartholomew was born in the village ofAgios Theodoros (officially called Zeytinliköy) on the island ofImbros (later renamed Gökçeada by the Turkish government). After his graduation, he held a position at thePatriarchal Theological Seminary of Halki, where he was ordained a priest. Later, he served asMetropolis of Philadelphia andChalcedon and he became a member of theHoly Synod as well as other committees, prior to his enthronement as Patriarch.
Bartholomew's tenure has been characterized by intra-Orthodox cooperation and intra-Christian andinter-religious dialogue, such as formal visits toRoman Catholic,Old Catholic,Oriental Orthodox, andMuslim leaders previously visited by a patriarch. He has exchanged numerous invitations with church and state dignitaries. His efforts to promote religious freedom and human rights, his initiatives to advance religious tolerance among the world's religions, as well as his efforts to promote ecology and theprotection of the environment, have been widely noted, and these endeavors have earned him the title "The Green Patriarch".[20][21]
Dimitrios Arhondonis was born in the village ofAgioi Theodoroi on the island ofImbros (now Gökçeada, Turkey), son of Christos and Meropi Archodónis (née Skarlatos), both ofGreek descent. He was the fourth and last child and as a boy helped his father in his coffee shop that also doubled as a barber's.[25]
He began his studies at Imbro and went on to attend theZografeion Lyceum high school in Istanbul, then entered theTheological School of Halki on the island of that name (Turkish:Heybeliada), in theSea of Marmara. There he gained a doctorate in theology. On 13 August 1961, he was ordained deacon and in the years 1961–1963 completed military service in the Turkish army with the rank of sublieutenant. Following this, from 1963 to 1968, with a study bourse from the Ecumenical Patriarchate, he gained diplomas in postgraduate specialization at theOriental Institute of theGregorian University inRome, theEcumenical Institute of Bossey (Switzerland) and theLudwig Maximilian University of Munich. Subsequently, he gained a doctorate from Rome's Gregorian University with a thesis regarding the codification of the canons and canonical decrees in the Orthodox Church, perfecting also in these years his knowledge of Latin, Italian, French, English, and German.
As Ecumenical Patriarch, Bartholomew has been particularly active internationally. One of his first focuses has been on rebuilding the once persecutedEastern Orthodox churches of the formerEastern Bloc following the fall ofCommunism there in 1990. As part of this effort, he has worked to strengthen ties among the various national churches and patriarchates of the Eastern Orthodox Church. He has also continued the reconciliation dialogue with theCatholic Church started by his predecessors and initiated dialogue with other faiths, including otherChristian Churches,Muslims, andJews.[26][27]
He has also gained a reputation as a prominentenvironmentalist, putting the support of the Ecumenical Patriarchate behind various international environmental causes.[28] This has earned him the nicknames of "the Green Patriarch" and "the Green Pope",[29][30][31][32] and in 2002 he was honored with theSophie Prize for his contribution to environmentalism.[33] He has also been honoured with theCongressional Gold Medal,[34] the highest award which may be bestowed by theLegislative Branch of theUnited States government.
In an interview published on 19 November 2006 in the daily newspaperSabah, Bartholomew addressed the issues of religious freedom and the then upcomingpapal trip of Pope Benedict XVI to Turkey. He also referred to the closing of theHalki seminary by saying: "As Turkish citizens, we pay taxes. We serve in the military. We vote. As citizens we do everything. We want the same rights. But it does not happen... If Muslims want to study theology, there are 24 theology faculties. Where are we going to study?" He also addressed the issue of his ecumenical title and it not being accepted by the Turkish government: "We've had this title since the 6th century... The word ecumenical has no political content. [...] This title is the only thing that I insist on. I will never renounce this title".[35][36]
During his trip to Turkey in November 2006,Pope Benedict XVI traveled to Istanbul on the invitation of Bartholomew. The pope participated in the feast day services ofSt. Andrew the First Apostle, the patron saint of the Church of Constantinople. This was the third official visit to the Ecumenical Patriarchate by a pope (the first being byPaul VI in 1967, and the second byJohn Paul II in 1979). He attended thepapal inauguration of Pope Francis on 19 March 2013, paving the way for better Catholic–Orthodox relations. It was the first time that the spiritual head of Eastern Orthodox Christians had attended a papal inauguration since theGreat Schism in 1054.[37][38] After, he invited Pope Francis to travel with him to the Holy Land in 2014 to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the embrace between PatriarchAthenagoras I of Constantinople andPope Paul VI. Pope Francis was also invited to the Patriarchate for thefeast day ofSaint Andrew (30 November).[39]
It was after more than two decades as Ecumenical Patriarch, that Bartholomew was the target of an assassination plot which was planned to take place on 29 May 2013. One suspect was arrested and there is an ongoing search for two others.[40]
On 2 July 2019, it was announced thatPope Francis had given Bartholomew possession of nine bone fragments believed to belong toSaint Peter and which were publicly displayed by Pope Francis in November 2013 during a Vatican "Year of Faith" Mass.[46] Bartholomew, who also gained possession of the bronze reliquary in which they are displayed,[46] described the Pope's gesture as "brave and bold".[46]
Bartholomew has criticised both the Russian state and the Russian church for theinvasion of Ukraine, calling it a crime of aggression and saying that it has caused enormous suffering both to the Ukrainian and the Russian people.[49] In Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew's opinion he says "This is the theology that the sister Church of Russia began to teach, trying to justify an unjust, unholy, unprovoked, diabolical war against a sovereign and independent country – Ukraine".[50]
In 1997, Bartholomew received theCongressional Gold Medal. The Congressional Gold Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom are the highest civilian awards given by the United States.[63]
In 2002, he received theSophie Prize for his work on the environment.[64]
In 2012, he received the Four Freedoms Award for the Freedom of Worship.[67]
On 3 December 2013, he received theGlobal Thinkers Forum 2013 Award for Excellence in Peace and Collaboration.[68]
In 2019, he received the Plaque of St. Erik from the Archbishop of Church of Sweden, for promoting religious freedom, calling attention to the needs of refugees and care for creation.
On 1 November 2021, Bartholomew received the Human Dignity Award from the American Jewish Committee (AJC), a global Jewish advocacy organization. The AJC honor recognizes Bartholomew's singular care for humanity and the environment, exceptional commitment to interreligious coexistence, and indispensable advancement of Orthodox-Jewish relations.
In October 2022, he was one of the first faith leaders to have an audience withKing Charles III.[69]
On 10 April 2025, he was awarded theTempleton Prize for "his pioneering efforts to bridge scientific and spiritual understandings of humanity’s relationship with the natural world, bringing together people of different faiths to heed a call for stewardship of creation."[71]
^John Meyendorff, John Chapin, Nicolas Lossky (1981),The Orthodox Church - its past and its role in the world today, Crestwood, N.Y.,St Vladimir's Seminary Press, p. 132ISBN0-913836-81-8
^Fitzgerald, Thomas E. (1998).The Orthodox Church.Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 117.ISBN978-0-275-96438-2.THE VISIT OF THE ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios I of Constantinople, together with a delegation that included five Metropolitans made an unprecedented visit to the United States 2–29 July 1990. Among the delegation was the present patriarch, Patriarch Bartholomew, who succeeded Patriarch Dimitrios in 1991. Although other Orthodox Patriarchs had visited this country in the past, this was the first visit of the Ecumenical Patriarch. His visit had a special significance because he is viewed as the first bishop of the Orthodox Church. As such, the Ecumenical Patriarch is frequently looked upon as the spiritual leader of the 300 million Orthodox Christians throughout the world
^Holt, Andrew P.; Muldoon, James (2008).Competing Voices from the Crusades.Greenwood World Publishing. p. xiv.ISBN978-1-84645-011-2....one made during a visit to Greece in 2001 for the crusaders' sack of Constantinople in 1204. Three years later, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of the world's 300 million Orthodox Christians, finally accepted the Pope's
^Eastern Churches Journal - A Journal of Eastern Christendom. Society of Saint John Chrysostom. 2004. p. 181.His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is the 270th successor to the Apostle Andrew and spiritual leader of 300 million Orthodox Christians worldwide.
^Jewish Political Studies Review. Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. 2001. p. 8.Bartholomew I, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, the spiritual leader of an estimated 300 million Orthodox Christians around the ...
^The Living Church.The Living Church by Morehouse-Gorham Company. 1997. p. 3.the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, is now touring 14 cities on his first visit to the United States. The 57-year-old leader of 300 million Orthodox Christians wore a gold and crimson mandya with train and tinkling bells
^"Quick facts about the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople". Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. Retrieved18 June 2011.His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew serves as the spiritual leader and representative worldwide voice of some 300 million Orthodox Christians throughout the world
^Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I - insights into an Orthodox Christian worldview (2007) John Chryssavgis International Journal of Environmental Studies, 64, (1), pp. 9–18
^"The Green Patriarch".Patriarchate.org. Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. 29 August 2013. Archived fromthe original on 3 September 2013. Retrieved3 September 2013.
^Указ Президента України № 393/2013 [Decree of the President of Ukraine].president.gov.ua (in Ukrainian). Офіс Президента України [Office of the President of Ukraine]. 393/2013. Archived fromthe original on 24 October 2013. Retrieved18 November 2013.
A Patriarch in Dire Straits by John Couretas, director of communications at the Acton Institute and executive director of the American Orthodox Institute
^The ROCsevered full communion with the Ecumenical Patriarchate in 2018, and later severed full communion with theprimates of the Church of Greece, the Patriarchate of Alexandria, and the Church of Cyprus in 2020.
^abcdefghiAutocephaly or autonomy is not universally recognized.
^UOC-MP has moved to formally cut ties with the ROC as of 27 May 2022.
^Semi-autonomous part of theRussian Orthodox Church whose autonomy is not universally recognized.
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