Editing Bartholomew I of Constantinople (section)

== Patriarchate ==
[[File:President Barack Obama meets with Greek Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I crop.jpg|thumb|United States President [[Barack Obama]] meets with Bartholomew.]]
[[File:Pope Franciscus & Patriarch Bartholomew I in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem (1).JPG|thumb|[[Pope Francis]] and Bartholomew in the [[Church of the Holy Sepulchre]] in [[Jerusalem]].]]

As Ecumenical Patriarch, Bartholomew has been particularly active internationally. One of his first focuses has been on rebuilding the once persecuted [[Eastern Orthodox church]]es of the former [[Eastern Bloc]] following the fall of [[Communism]] 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 the [[Catholic Church]] started by his predecessors and initiated dialogue with other faiths, including other [[Christianity|Christian]] Churches, [[Muslims]], and [[Jews]].<ref>''Patriarch Bartholomew I - Texts and Speeches (1991–1992)'' (1998) George C. Papademetriou; Journal of Ecumenical Studies 35</ref><ref>Recent Patriarchal Encyclicals on Religious Tolerance and Peaceful Coexistence (2002) George C. Papademetriou Journal of Ecumenical Studies, 39</ref>

=== Environmentalism ===
{{Further|Christian views on environmentalism#Orthodox Churches|Religion and environmentalism}}

He has also gained a reputation as a prominent [[environmentalism|environmentalist]], putting the support of the Ecumenical Patriarchate behind various international environmental causes.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sherwood |first=Harriet |date=7 September 2021 |title=Christian leaders unite to issue stark warning over climate crisis |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/07/christian-leaders-unite-to-issue-stark-warning-over-climate-crisis |url-status=live |access-date=7 September 2021 |website=[[The Guardian]] |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210907121928/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/07/christian-leaders-unite-to-issue-stark-warning-over-climate-crisis |archive-date=7 September 2021}}</ref> This has earned him the nicknames of "the Green Patriarch" and "the Green Pope",<ref name="env">''Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I - insights into an Orthodox Christian worldview'' (2007) John Chryssavgis International Journal of Environmental Studies, 64, (1), pp. 9–18</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.patriarchate.org/multimedia/video/green-patriarch |title=The Green Patriarch |publisher=Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople |website=Patriarchate.org |date=29 August 2013 |access-date=3 September 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130903074150/http://www.patriarchate.org/multimedia/video/green-patriarch |archive-date=3 September 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/04/science/bartholomew-i-of-constantinoples-bold-green-stance.html |title=Orthodox Leader Deepens Progressive Stance on Environment |date=3 December 2012 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://ec-patr.org/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130415135950/http://www.patriarchate.org/documents/encyclical-of-his-all-holiness-for-the-church-new-year |title=Οικουμενικό Πατριαρχείο |access-date=29 January 2021 |archive-date=15 April 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> and in 2002 he was honored with the [[Sophie Prize]] for his contribution to environmentalism.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Sophie Prize 2002 - The Jury's Decision - The Sophie Prize |url=http://www.sofieprisen.no/Articles/175.html |access-date=29 October 2021 |website=sofieprisen.no}}</ref> He has also been honoured with the [[Congressional Gold Medal]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Congressional Gold Medal Recipients {{!}} US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives |url=https://history.house.gov/Institution/Gold-Medal/Gold-Medal-Recipients/ |access-date=29 October 2021 |website=history.house.gov |language=en}}</ref> the highest award which may be bestowed by the [[Legislative Branch]] of the [[United States government]].

=== Turkey ===
In an interview published on 19 November 2006 in the daily newspaper ''[[Sabah (newspaper)|Sabah]]'', Bartholomew addressed the issues of religious freedom and the then upcoming [[list of pastoral visits of Pope Benedict XVI|papal trip of Pope Benedict XVI to Turkey]]. He also referred to the closing of the [[Halki 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".<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://arsiv.sabah.com.tr/2006/11/19/gnd119.html |title=Derin devlet açtırmıyor |access-date=24 May 2007 |language=tr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/11/19/turkey.pope.ap/index.html |title=Patriarch warns Turks against pope "incidents" |publisher=[[CNN]] |access-date=19 November 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061119154818/http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/11/19/turkey.pope.ap/index.html |archive-date=19 November 2006}}</ref>

=== Ecumenical dialogue ===
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 of [[St. 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 by [[Paul VI]] in 1967, and the second by [[John Paul II]] in 1979). He attended the [[papal 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 the [[East–West Schism|Great Schism]] in 1054.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pope-idUSBRE92D05P20130319 |title=Pope sets tone for humbler papacy, calls for defense of the weak |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924180147/http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/19/us-pope-idUSBRE92D05P20130319 |archive-date=24 September 2015 |work=[[Reuters]] |date=19 March 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Our Eastern Brothers |first=Alton J. |last=Pelowski |journal=Columbia |date=May 2013 |pages=20–23}}</ref> After, he invited Pope Francis to travel with him to the Holy Land in 2014 to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the embrace between Patriarch [[Athenagoras I of Constantinople]] and [[Pope Paul VI]]. Pope Francis was also invited to the Patriarchate for the [[Calendar of saints|feast day]] of [[Andrew the Apostle|Saint Andrew]] (30 November).<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.asianews.it/news-en/United-against-economic-crisis-and-worldly-trends,-Bartholomew-and-Francis-to-be-in-Jerusalem-next-year-27450.html |title=United against economic crisis and "worldly trends", Bartholomew and Francis to be in Jerusalem next year |website=[[AsiaNews]] |date=20 March 2013}}</ref>

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.<ref name="Kaya">{{Cite news |last=Kaya |first=Bayram |date=10 May 2013 |title=One arrested as plot to assassinate Patriarch Bartholomew uncovered |newspaper=[[Zaman (newspaper)|Zaman]] |url=http://www.todayszaman.com/news-315022-one-arrested-as-plot-to-assasinate-patriarch-bartholomew-uncovered.html |url-status=dead |access-date=10 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510174058/http://todayszaman.com/news-315022-one-arrested-as-plot-to-assasinate-patriarch-bartholomew-uncovered.html |archive-date=10 May 2013}}</ref>

=== Support of refugees, reunification and peace ===
On 16 April 2016, he visited, together with [[Pope Francis]] and [[Ieronymos II of Athens|Archbishop Hieronymus II]], the [[Moria Refugee Camp]] in the island of [[Lesbos]], to call the attention of the world to the refugee issue.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2016/apr/16/pope-francis-europe-visits-lesbos-in-pictures |title=Pope Francis visits Lesbos |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=16 April 2016}}</ref> In December 2018, he visited the [[Korean Demilitarized Zone]] (KDZ) and prayed for permanent peace and unification on the Korean Peninsula.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20181208049500062?input=1195m |title=Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch hoping that North Korea will give up its nuclear weapons and to bring true peace |date=8 December 2018 |publisher=[[Yonhap News Agency]] |access-date=8 December 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.orthodoxkorea.org/his-all-holiness-ecumenical-patriarch-bartholomew-visits-the-dmz/ |title=His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew visits the DMZ |last=Lionberger |first=Erik |date=10 December 2018 |website=한국정교회 대교구 (Orthodox Metropolis of Korea) |language=en |access-date=25 January 2019}}</ref>

=== Autocephaly of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine ===
{{Main|Autocephaly of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine}}
[[File:Порошенко і п. Варфоломій.jpg|thumb|Bartholomew with Ukrainian President [[Petro Poroshenko]], 3 November 2018.]]

In October 2018 the synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate agreed to grant [[autocephaly]] (self-governing) to the [[History of Christianity in Ukraine|Orthodox Church in Ukraine]], and to revoke the legal binding of the letter of 1686 which led to the [[Russian Orthodox Church]] establishing jurisdiction over the all of Rus's Church (including those located within borders of current [[Ukraine]]) and to lift the excommunications which affected clergy and faithful of two then unrecognized Orthodox churches in Ukraine, the [[Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church]] (UAOC) and the [[Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate]] (UOC-KP). In response to revoking a legal binding letter, the [[Russian Orthodox Church]] announced it was cutting ties of communion with the [[Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople]], which marked the beginning of the [[2018 Moscow–Constantinople schism]].<ref>{{Cite news |title=Russian Orthodox Church recognizes Patriarch Bartholomew as schismatic |url=http://tass.com/society/1027025 |publisher=[[TASS|TASS Russian News Agency]] |date=20 October 2018}}</ref>

On 5 January 2019, Bartholomew granted autocephaly to the newly founded [[Orthodox Church of Ukraine]] by [[Canonical act]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |url=https://risu.org.ua/en/index/all_news/orthodox/constantinople_patriarchy/74166/ |title=Patriarch Bartholomew I signs Tomos of autocephaly of Orthodox Church of Ukraine |date=5 January 2019 |website=risu.org.ua |access-date=5 January 2019}}</ref>

=== Possession of Vatican Saint Peter Bone Fragments ===
On 2 July 2019, it was announced that [[Pope Francis]] had given Bartholomew possession of nine bone fragments believed to belong to [[Saint Peter]] and which were publicly displayed by Pope Francis in November 2013 during a Vatican "Year of Faith" Mass.<ref name=braveandbold>{{Cite news |url=https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2019/07/pope-gives-relics-of-st-peter-to-orthodox-patriarch/ |title=Pope gives relics of Saint Peter to Orthodox patriarch |first=Cindy |last=Wooden |publisher=Catholic News Service |date=2 July 2019 |access-date=2 July 2019}}</ref> Bartholomew, who also gained possession of the bronze reliquary in which they are displayed,<ref name=braveandbold /> described the Pope's gesture as "brave and bold".<ref name=braveandbold />

=== Macedonian Orthodox Church ===
In 2022, the Ecumenical Patriarchate accepted the [[Macedonian Orthodox Church – Archdiocese of Ohrid]] into [[Koinonia|communion]], recognised [[North Macedonia]] as a canonical jurisdiction.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Phanar - Yes to the recognition, no to "Macedonia" for the Archdiocese of Ohrid |website=Orthodox Times |language=en |url=https://orthodoxtimes.com/phanar-yes-to-the-recognition-no-to-macedonia-for-the-archdiocese-of-ohrid/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=12 June 2022 |title=Κοβάτσεφσκι - Ευχαριστούμε τον Πατριάρχη Βαρθολομαίο για τον τερματισμό μιας ιστορικής αδικίας |trans-title=Kovacevski - We thank Patriarch Bartholomew for ending a historic injustice |url=https://www.ieidiseis.gr/kosmos/150203/kovatsefski-efxaristoyme-ton-patriarxi-vartholomaio-gia-ton-termatismo-mias-istorikis-adikias |access-date=13 June 2022 |website=ieidiseis.gr |language=el-gr}}</ref>

=== Russian invasion of Ukraine ===
[[File:Patriarch kirill and patriarch bartholomew in kronstadt1.jpeg|thumb|Bartholomew with [[Patriarch Kirill of Moscow]] in 2010.]]

Bartholomew has criticised both the Russian state and the Russian church for the [[Russian invasion of Ukraine|invasion of Ukraine]], calling it a crime of aggression and saying that it has caused enormous suffering both to the Ukrainian and the Russian people.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://euromaidanpress.com/2023/03/23/russian-orthodox-church-shares-responsibility-for-russias-aggression-ecumenical-patriarch/ |title=Russian Orthodox Church shares responsibility for Russia's aggression – Ecumenical Patriarch |publisher=[[Euromaidan Press]] |date=23 March 2023}}</ref> 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".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Patriarch Bartholomew firmly denied the possibility of "reconsidering" the granting of autocephaly to the Church of Ukraine |url=https://risu.ua/en/patriarch-bartholomew-firmly-denied-the-possibility-of-reconsidering-the-granting-of-autocephaly-to-the-church-of-ukraine_n142200 |date=3 September 2023}}</ref>