(VIDEO) The Historic Address of the Ecumenical Patriarch at the Hellenic Parliament
“With the imposing phrase of Augustine of Hippo, ‘God gives the wind, but man must raise the sail,’ the President of the Hellenic Parliament, Mr. Nikitas Kaklamanis, welcomed on Tuesday, 5 May, at the Greek Parliament, His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, in a historic Special Session of the Plenary.
The visit of the Primate of Orthodoxy took place in an atmosphere of profound institutional and spiritual elevation, in the presence of the President of the Hellenic Republic, Mr. Konstantinos Tasoulas. The entirety of the state, political, and religious leadership of the country honoured His All-Holiness for the dual anniversary of 35 years of his Patriarchal ministry and 65 years of his priestly service.
In his address, Mr Kaklamanis stressed: “With the wonderful words of Saint Augustine, I would like to honour the precious contribution of the Ecumenical Patriarchate across the ends of the world and through time.”
Continuing, the Speaker likened the Ecumenical Patriarchate to “a ship sailing through the centuries,” leaving behind a brilliant trace while charting new luminous destinations.
“From the founder of the Church of Constantinople, the first ‘Roman’ Saint, the Apostle Andrew, to modern times, the Ecumenical Patriarchate has remained the emblematic centre of Orthodoxy, with its seat in the City of Cities,” he noted, adding that His All-Holiness, as the 270th Ecumenical guide, through his worth and tireless work, “enlightens both Hellenism throughout the world and the enrichment of all humanity.”
Concluding his speech, the Speaker underlined the institutional significance of the Phanar as the guarantor of Orthodox unity, stating: “To the Ecumenical Patriarchate we owe honour and gratitude, for to it we owe our existence, our cohesion, and our continuity. Its mission is the guarantee of our history, our present, and our future.”
Subsequently, in a moment of high symbolism, the Speaker of the Hellenic Parliament awarded to His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew the Gold Medal of the Hellenic Parliament.
This was followed by the address of His All-Holiness from the podium of the Plenary, in which he referred to the global situation and stressed that the preaching of peace by the Holy Great Church of Christ “is neither utopian nor rhetorical,” despite the fact that “public discourse is internationally dominated by geopolitical and geoeconomic considerations, by analyses of the so-called ‘balance of power,’ and by approaches described as pragmatic.”
“It is a fact,” the Ecumenical Patriarch noted, “that the contemporary version of so-called Realpolitik has fully prevailed over International Law and even over the Charter of the United Nations, which is governed by the general principle of the peaceful resolution of disputes.”
He continued: “Humanity is in need of a stable consensus upon a core of common fundamental values, which will function, despite political, social, religious, and cultural differences and tensions, as a basis for coexistence and cooperation for the common good.”
The Primate of Orthodoxy also emphasised the urgent need for such a consensus, pointing to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a foundational reference, describing it as the response of the global community to the greatest humanitarian catastrophe in history.
The plenary hall, filled to capacity, was attended by members of the Cabinet, leaders of parliamentary parties, former President of the Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou, former prime ministers, former Speakers of Parliament, members of Parliament, representatives of the Archbishop of Athens, leaders of other Christian confessions and religions, ambassadors, and senior officials of the Parliament and the diplomatic corps, the 2nd Plenipotentiary Minister, Consul General of Greece in Constantinople Konstantinos Koutras, the Secretary General of the Parliament Vasileios Bagiokos, the Special Thematic Secretary of the Parliament Eleftheria Papageorgiou, the President of the Executive Committee and Secretary General of the Foundation of the Parliament Evanthis Chatzivasileiou, the diplomatic adviser of the Parliament, Ambassador Konstantinos Oikonomidis, as well as the President of the Scientific Council of the Parliament Kostas Mavrias.
What follows is the historic address delivered by His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew:
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