Monday marks the 35th anniversary of the enthronement of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I.
The 270th Patriarch of Constantinople was born on 29 February 1940 on the island of Imbros (Gökçeada, in present-day Turkey) and was given the name Demetrios at baptism.
Education and academic activity
He studied at the Gregorian University in Rome, the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey in Switzerland, and the University of Munich in Germany.
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew speaks six modern languages fluently — Greek, Turkish, French, Italian, German, and English — and also knows Ancient Greek and Latin.
His doctoral thesis, defended at the University of Athens in Greece, was in canon law. His All-Holiness is also a founding member of the Society for the Law of the Eastern Churches.
Clerical ministry
He was ordained as a deacon in 1961, marking 65 years since the start of his clerical ministry.
He was ordained to the priesthood in 1969 by Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras.
Episcopal ministry and election as Ecumenical Patriarch
In 1973, he was ordained a bishop with the title of Metropolitan of Philadelphia, and in 1990 he became Metropolitan of Chalcedon.
On 22 October 1991, following the repose of Ecumenical Patriarch Demetrios I, the Synod unanimously elected him Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch.
On 22 October 2026, marking the 35th anniversary of his election, the Patriarch of Romania sent a congratulatory message to His All-Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew I on behalf of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church.
Following his enthronement on 2 November 1991, the Ecumenical Patriarch has undertaken extensive pastoral and cultural activity.
He has actively promoted dialogue, peace and responsibility towards God’s creation, earning him the nickname the “Green Patriarch”.
Quotations from Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I
“Human rights are part of the very essence of religion, which inherently supports and promotes religious freedom and tolerance,” His All-Holiness once stated.
On another occasion, the Ecumenical Patriarch said: “We have the power either to increase the suffering inflicted upon our world or to contribute to its healing. The choice is ours.”
Speaking about environmental protection, he said: “For human beings to destroy God’s creation, to damage the integrity of the earth and to pollute the planet’s waters, soil and air — all these are sins.”
The Patriarch of Romania on the Ecumenical Patriarch
“His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is the most widely known and influential personality of the contemporary Orthodox world, enjoying the highest international visibility, particularly due to his constant dialogue with the world’s religious and political leaders, as well as due to his active involvement in promoting peace, religious freedom, and the protection of the environment,” His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel said on 11 June 2026.
The Patriarch of Romania was visiting the island of Imbros on that occasion for the name day of His All-Holiness.
“Thus, throughout his 35 years of service as Ecumenical Patriarch, His All-Holiness Bartholomew has become an Orthodox figure whose spiritual standing is recognised and appreciated internationally.”
At the time, Patriarch Daniel also recalled the 14 official visits His All-Holiness made to Romania, 12 of them as Ecumenical Patriarch.
The most recent took place on the occasion of the consecration of the National Cathedral’s mosaic iconography in Bucharest.
