The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew hinted at the behaviour of other Churches regarding their response to the “brotherly disposition” of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, referring to their attitude at the Holy and Great Council in Crete and towards the Ukrainian Church.
The Ecumenical Patriarch, speaking to monks, educators and students of the Athonias Academy about the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s affection and love for all its spiritual children, also raised the issue of a panorthodox unity and cooperation.
“The Ecumenical Patriarchate’s interest, concern, affection, and prayer for its children everywhere, reach all the world, as well as, as is well known, it embraces the whole of Orthodoxy; as far as it concerns us, the Phanar, we offer our best for a panorthodox unity and cooperation,” Bartholomew said.
He also noted, “Unfortunately, there are others who do not appreciate our brotherly disposition towards these Churches, and the proof is that in the great event of our Church’s history, I refer to the Holy and Great Council, four autocephalous Churches did not join us. And with the recent Ukrainian ecclesiastical issue, was once again shown, how reluctant some Churches are to work with the Protothronos Church and to understand and apply the Canonical order, which has been in force in our Orthodox Church for centuries, since the era of the Ecumenical Councils, the first centuries of Christianity.”
Patriarch Bartholomew, as quoted by ANA-MPA, expressed his excitement to visit the Athonias Academy again, stressing that every time he seeks to visit Mount Athos. He then congratulated everyone, the director and the educators, for their work. He mentioned that students of different nationalities and races, who speak different languages, are studying at the Athonias Academy, and added:
“It is a miniature of our Ecumenical Patriarchate, which includes within and under its jurisdiction pious Orthodox children of all origins, as far as the Asiatic countries, as far as New Zealand, as far as Canada and Argentina.”
