His All Holiness Bartholomew I |
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Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople | |
Church | Church of Constantinople |
Diocese | Constantinople |
See | Constantinople |
Installed | 2 November 1991 |
Predecessor | Demetrios I |
Personal details | |
Birth name | Dimitrios Arhondonis (Δημήτριος Αρχοντώνης, Dimítrios Archontónis) |
Born |
Aghios Theodoros (Zeytinli Köyü), Imbros (Gökçeada), Turkey |
29 February 1940
Denomination | Eastern Orthodox |
Residence | Fener, Istanbul, Turkey |
Parents | Christos (father) and Merope (mother) Archontónis |
Alma mater | Patriarchal Theological school (Halki seminary) |
Styles of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople |
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Reference style | His All Holiness |
Spoken style | Your All Holiness |
Religious style | Ecumenical Patriarch |
Posthumous style | N/A |
Bartholomew I (Greek: Πατριάρχης Βαρθολομαῖος Α', Patriarchis Bartholomaios A' , Turkish: Patrik I. Bartholomeos; born 29 February 1940) is the 270th and current Archbishop of Constantinople and Ecumenical Patriarch, since 2 November 1991. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, he is regarded as the primus inter pares (first among equals), and as the spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians worldwide.
Born Dimitrios Arhondonis (Greek: Δημήτριος Αρχοντώνης, Dimítrios Archontónis), in the village of Agios Theodoros (Zeytinli Köyü) on the island of Imbros (later renamed Gökçeada by Turkey), after his graduation he held a position at the Patriarchal Theological Seminary of Halki, where he was ordained a priest. Later, he served as Metropolitan of Philadelphia and Chalcedon and he became a member of the Holy Synod as well as other committees, prior to his enthronement as Ecumenical Patriarch.
Bartholomew's tenure has been characterized by intra-Orthodox cooperation, inter-Christian and inter-religious dialogue, as well as by formal visits to Roman Catholic, Old Catholic, Orthodox and Muslim leaders seldom previously visited by an Ecumenical Patriarch. He has exchanged numerous invitations of 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 the protection of the environment, have been widely noted, and these endeavors have earned him the title "The Green Patriarch". Among his many international positions, he currently sits on the Board of World Religious Leaders for the Elijah Interfaith Institute.