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October 2019
KEYNOTE REMARKS
BY HIS ALL-HOLINESS ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH BARTHOLOMEW

at the 10th World Assembly of Religions for Peace

(Lindau, Germany, 20-23 August 2019)

It is a great honor for us to attend the tenth

gathering of the World Assembly of Religions for
Peace. Today, among prominent representatives of
state and religions, of the high diversity of faith-
based traditions, it is our pleasure to offer the
following keynote remarks on the very important
theme, “Caring for our Common Future: Advancing
Shared Well-Being.”

Since our election as Ecumenical Patriarch in 1991,

we have unceasingly strived to raise awareness on
pressing global challenges, such as the protection
of the environment, the advancement of peace and reconciliation, the promotion of intercultural and interreligious
dialogue, the foundation of a culture of justice and solidarity, and the resistance to all those tendencies that do harm
to the dignity and sacredness of the human person and his inalienable fundamental rights. Almost twenty-eight
years of active engagement with all these problems has revealed one truth: that nothing can be achieved if we work
separately and independently. Nobody—not a nation, not a state, not a religion, nor science and technology—can
face the current problems alone. We need one another; we need common mobilization, common efforts, common
goals, common spirit. Our future is common, and the way toward this future is a common journey. This is why
Religions for Peace International is so crucial, because it constitutes a unique opportunity to gather people of faith
together and to express our care for the common good—at the center of which is the natural environment, currently
threatened by the so-called “modern sins” of humanity.
Today, though, it is not as strange as it may once have been in the past to witness a religious institution or leader—
one normally concerned with "sacred" values—to be involved in "secular" issues. After all, what does caring for
peace as shared well-being have to do with our various religious missions? We continue to think, quite honestly,
that one of the biggest accomplishments of Religions for Peace International, since its creation in 1970, has been
the encouragement of faith-based institutions to establish fruitful cooperation and sincere dialogue with various
people of diverse backgrounds—from the political scene to civil society, from intellectuals to practitioners, from
theologians to technocrats, etc. The problem is that it takes effort to change our behavior, to acknowledge that we,
humans, are the source of the problem and to understand ourselves as radically relational and interdependent, not
only in a sociological sense, but also in a more holistic way. We are relational beings. Truth is communion, life is
sharing, existence is coexistence, logos is dia-logos, freedom is common freedom. In the Orthodox tradition, when,
during the Divine Liturgy, the celebrant raises up the bread and wine in order to become the body and blood of
Christ, he offers this powerful prayer: “Your own of your own, we offer to You, on behalf of all and for all.” The
phrase “on behalf of all and for all” means that there could not be any sacrifice, any prayer, or any glorification of
God, if it did not include the whole cosmos.

Unless we are willing to sacrifice a little, then we may live our lives without even noticing the harmonious cosmic
concert, the symphony of beauty being performed before our very eyes and ears. In this immense orchestra, each
minute detail plays a critical role; every trivial aspect contributes in an essential way to the melody produced. Not a
single member can be removed without the entire symphony being affected. No human being, tree or animal can be
replaced without the entire picture being distorted, if not destroyed. When will we begin to hear the music of this
magnificent harmony, this concert of peace?

The mystics of all traditions understood these plain truths. They realized that a person with a pure heart, inspired by
godly virtues, can sense a connection with the rest of creation. This is where we can discern parallels in both
Eastern and Western Christianity. One may recall Seraphim of Sarov (1754-1833) feeding the bear in the forest of
the north; or Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) addressing the elements of the universe as his "brothers" and "sisters."
The same analogy may be found in the twelfth century epic Conference of the Birds and the tenderness for all of
nature in Rumi's poetry (1207-1273). These connections are not merely emotional; they are profoundly spiritual,
offering us a sense of continuity and community with all of God's creation, while providing an expression of identity
and compassion with the whole world. Therefore, love for God, love for man, and care for peace and creation,
cannot be disconnected. While, indeed, there may be a hierarchy of priority, no sharp distinction exists between
them. The truth is that we are all one family—human beings and the entire living world—and, together, all of us look
to God the Creator.

The Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church, which convened in Crete in June 2016, stated in its Encyclical
that “honest interfaith dialogue contributes to the development of mutual trust and to the promotion of peace and
reconciliation. The Church strives to make ‘the peace from on high’ more tangibly felt on earth. True peace is not
achieved by force of arms, but only through love that ‘does not seek its own’ (1 Corinthians 13:5). The oil of faith
must be used to soothe and heal the wounds of others, not to rekindle new fires of hatred.” (§17)

Despite the criticism against religion as a source of division and fundamentalism, it is not religion, but actually the
ideology of the “death of God,” proclaimed and celebrated by many in our times, which led to the most violent era
ever seen in the history of mankind, the twentieth century. This era has witnessed two world wars, several
genocides, unforeseen atrocities, bloody armed conflicts, exchanges of populations, the cold war and nuclear
threats. Mankind is at an impasse, helpless and guideless, when “God is dead.”

Yet, in the Bible we are taught that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” (Psalm 111:10). However, as
we all know, today fear can become an instrument of violence when radicalism and fundamentalism—these
expressions of “zeal not based on knowledge” (Rom. 10:2)—overtake the real nature of religion, which is to connect
humanity with God, to guide people to the depth of the truth, to inspire a fruitful relationship between peoples, and
to lead to a change of mind and life, to mutual understanding and trust. This “fear of God” is different from the one
exalted by extremism. It is a transformative moment that encompasses peace and freedom, and cultivates virtue
and cooperation. In Christian theology, we call this moment a conversion of heart and mind that leads to a peaceful
communion with God, our neighbor and all of creation.

Despite the difficulty of the task set before us, we remain hopeful about humanity’s progression toward a state of
shared well-being. This is precisely why this vision must be promoted beyond the walls of this Assembly, as well as
beyond the walls of our sacred religious sites and places of worship. Religions for Peace is the center of
interdisciplinary and interfaith initiatives, which serve as a catalyst for assembling leaders in religion, science,
business, civil society, government and academia. At this point, we would like to thank and acknowledge the fruitful
work and commitment of all those we know and do not know in this extraordinary organization. We especially
commend Dr. William Vendley, who, for so many years, has been the face and driving force behind Religions for
Peace International.

We live in an imperfect world and together, through common action and creative initiatives, we must make it a better
world, not only for the present generation, but also for those to come. Our children and our children’s children
deserve a world of freedom, of comprehensive peace and justice, of generosity and compassion, free from violence
against nature and our fellowmen. We pray that the renewed solidarity and care we are all working for will become a
sacred offering “on behalf of all and for all.” Thank you very much for your kind attention.

✠ Bartholomew of Constantinople

EDITORIAL

My awakening was harsh. The reality was not as nice as in my dream.

A DREAM ON
CHURCH UNITY
Last night, I had a dream. On a
cold day of December, under the
golden domes of Saint Sophia
Cathedral in Kyiv, about a hundred
bishops of the Moscow
Patriarchate in Ukraine responded
positively to the invitation received
from the Ecumenical Patriarch to
participate in a unifying council and
joined about forty bishops of the so
called “Patriarchate of Kyiv” and
the dozen bishops of the so called
“Ukrainian Autocephalous
Orthodox Church”, all of them
having come with a priest and a lay
person as delegates. With the
strong desire for Church unity,
having invoked the Holy Spirit, they
elected a new primate of a new
unified Church of Ukraine, to whom
the tomos of autocephaly, that is to
say full administrative
independence, ought to be granted
one month later by the Ecumenical
Patriarch according to his canonical
prerogatives. The Patriarch
Moscow immediately called the
After having boycotted the unifying council and sent back their invitation
to the Ecumenical Patriarch, some bishops of the Moscow Patriarchate
slandered the unifying council, speaking of it as a “Satanic Gathering”
and accused the Ecumenical Patriarch of having granted autocephaly to
schismatics under the pressure of the American government… The
media were full of fake news and false accusations. The recurring
slogan was that the Ecumenical Patriarch, the primus inter pares, was
dividing Orthodoxy… The tragic reality was that there were two types of
Orthodoxy: one which respects the holy canons and the ecclesiology
formulated by the Ecumenical councils, and the other which does not
and serve political interests. One which seeks pan-Orthodox unity, and
the other which thinks in categories of “schisms”. One which believes in
the Orthodox Church as being the One Church, the other which presents
Orthodoxy as a federation of independent Churches. One which refers
to ecclesiological criteria, the other which makes use of political power,
national identity and money. One which speaks of eternal truth, the other
which plays with fake-news and falsifies history... The reality looked
more like a nightmare…
Whether you prefer to dream to the nightmare or not, there is a lesson to
learn here about Church unity in general. Church unity could only be the
result of a strong desire. If we do not believe in unity, if we do not strive
for unity, we will never overcome our human divisions. If we place our
personal interests over the love of the other, we cannot find a way
towards unity. If we do not place eternal truth and the divine
commandment of love over our human ambitions and egoism, we will
never reach Church unity. If we do not understand that the mission of
Church leaders is to serve and not to dominate, our divisions will never
be healed. If our dialogue of truth is not connected to the dialogue of
charity, it will never be successful.
of
And yet, it is by acknowledging our divisions and disagreements that we

Ecumenical Patriarch to thank him could overcome them. As Father Georges Florovsky used to say, “the
for the initiatives undertaken by the greatest achievement of the modern Ecumenical Movement is in the
Mother Church to solve a division courage to acknowledge that there is a major disagreement”. The
that has lasted within the Orthodox greatest success of the World Council of Churches, is the commitment
Church in Ukraine over a quarter of of Churches that are divided to stay together: “There is a ‘deepest
century and which was not caused disagreement’ and everyone is aware of the fact. […] To speak so much
by matters of faith. The Ukrainian and so persistently of difficulties and tensions is not to indulge in a
episcopate, having found its unity, hopeless pessimism. Just the opposite is true. The growing realization of
thanked as well the Ecumenical difficulties is the greatest ecumenical promise. The Amsterdam decision
Patriarchate for the honor granted ‘to stay together’ will be vindicated only if it will stand the test and trial of
to their local Church to be counted fraternal controversy and common pain” (Florovsky’s report on the
among the other local Central Committee meeting at Chichester, England, of July 1949).
autocephalous Orthodox Churches.
— Archbishop Job of Telmessos
The local Orthodox Churches
expressed their joy of having a new
sister Church in their midst, having
received its autocephaly in the
same way and for the same
reasons most of them did before.
The granting of the autocephaly to
the Church of Ukraine was a
celebration of Church unity, since
the system of autocephaly is based
on the ecclesiology of communion
of local Churches.

NEWS

The First Meeting of the The Annual Conference of

His All-Holiness Ecumenical
Preparatory Committee for the Secretaries of World Christian
Patriarch Bartholomew visited
18th Plenary Session of the Communions took place in
the Lutheran Church of
International Joint Christiansfeld (Denmark) on 8-
Sweden and addressed the
Commission on the 10 October 2019 hosted by
Church of Sweden General
Theological Dialogue between the Moravian Church
Synod, where he was the
the Lutheran World Federation Worldwide Unity Board.The
guest of honor, on 1 October
and the Orthodox Church was annual Conference of
2019. On that occasion, he
held in Tirana, Albania, from Secretaries of World Christian
was awarded the Plaque of St
the 24th of September to the Communions brings together
Erik by Church of Sweden
1st of October 2019. The representatives from diverse
Archbishop Dr Antje Jackelén
Meeting, hosted by the Christian traditions to discuss
for his commitment to religious
Orthodox Church in Albania, their work and fellowship
freedom, human rights and
discussed the theme of “The together.
care for creation.
Place and the Role of the Holy Read more >>
Read more >>
Spirit in the Life of the
 Church”.
Read more >>

An extraordinary meeting of His All-Holiness Ecumenical The International Commission

the Holy Synod of the Patriarch Bartholomew visited
Hierarchy of the Orthodox Prague on 15 October 2019,
Church of Greece met on 12 where he addressed the 23rd
October 2019 and decided to annual conference of “Forum
approve “the normal right of 2000” Foundation under
the Ecumenical Patriarchate to the title “Recovering
confer autocephaly, as well as the Promise of 1989”. The
the privilege of the Primate of Forum 2000 Foundation
the Church of Greece to pursues the legacy of Václav
further deal with the question Havel by supporting
of the recognition of the the values of democracy
Church of Ukraine.” and respect for human rights,
Read more>> assisting the development
of civil society,
and encouraging religious,
cultural and ethnic tolerance.
Read more>>
for Anglican-Orthodox
Theological Dialogue met in
Canterbury, England from 10
to 17 October 2019 to
continue consideration of
ecology and end-of-life issues.
The meeting was hosted by
The Very Revd Robert Willis,
Dean of the Cathedral Church
of Christ, Canterbury on behalf
of the Anglican Communion.
Read more>>

FROM THE GUEST EDITOR

"HEALTHY DIETS FOR A ZERO HUNGER WORLD"

DO WE CELEBRATE, OR DO WE REFLECT?

By Dr. Manoj Kurian

On 13-20 October, we celebrated the Churches’ Week of Action on Food and on 16 October, the world
commemorated the World Food Day with the theme "Healthy Diets for a Zero Hunger World". Do we celebrate or do
we reflect? In the last few decades, the world made significant progress in the fight against hunger. However, as of
2015 the number of undernourished people is on the rise again. More than 820 million people, (one in nine), now
suffer from hunger. When we consider both moderate and severe levels of food insecurity, an estimated total of 26.4
percent of the world's population, amounting to about 2 billion people, are suffering! A similar proportion of people
in the world are also consuming contaminated drinking water. A combination of unhealthy diets and sedentary
lifestyles has also sent obesity rates soaring, not only in developed and middle-income countries but also in low-
income countries, where hunger and obesity often coexist. Today, over 670 million adults and 120 million girls and
boys (5-19 years) are obese, and over 40 million children under 5 are overweight. Obesity and other forms of
malnutrition affect nearly one in three people.

Food security and nutrition in our times is not only a matter of quantity; it is also a question of quality and diversity.
Unhealthy diets have now become a leading risk factor for disease and death worldwide. There is an urgent need to
make healthy and sustainable diets affordable and accessible to everyone. It is also a matter of justice and human
dignity.

A healthy diet is one that meets the nutritional needs of individuals by providing sufficient, safe, nutritious, and
diverse foods to lead an active life and reduce the risk of disease. It includes, among others, fruits, vegetables,
legumes, nuts, seeds and whole grains, and foods that are low in fats (especially saturated fats), sugar, and salt.

Scientists, communities working for the right to food and people’s movements have been giving clear directions on
how the world needs to persist in pursuing, for us to truly celebrate the World Food Day in the years to come. I have
summarized it under 5 pillars of action:

Transforming diets, eating habits and lifestyle. The movement from seasonal, mainly plant-based, and
fiber-rich dishes to diets that are high in refined starches, sugar, fats, salt, processed foods, meat, and other
animal-sourced products has to be overcome. Unhealthy diets, combined with sedentary lifestyles, are the
number-one risk factor for disability and death from non-communicable diseases, including cardiovascular
diseases, diabetes, and certain cancers. Apart from leading to 20% of deaths worldwide it is also taking a
toll on national health budgets costing up to USD 2 trillion per year.

Suggestions for Action

1. Let us be aware of what we eat and make a consistent effort toward a healthy, diverse diet and lead active
lifestyles.
2. Ensure nutrition education for all, including schools and congregations.
3. Highlight the gender dimension of malnutrition and work to make women and girls less vulnerable.
4. Let us work against overconsumption and wasting of food.

Overcome inequity and poverty: Unhealthy diets and lifestyles are often not only dependent on the
choice of individuals. Poverty is linked directly to how people access food and causes those affected to
purchase cheaper and less healthy food in order to make their budgets stretch. Poverty also aids the
expansion of areas of a nutritional environment with poor access to quality and fresh foods - food deserts,
all contributing to unhealthy diets. Trade and market distortions contribute making the wealthy few, richer
and the dispossessed, poorer. Eighty percent of the extreme poor live in rural areas and 65% work in the
agricultural sector. Land represents a key asset for the livelihoods of the rural poor, as it provides key
resources such as food, energy, shelter, and fodder, among others. Inequity in land ownership and access
to land and water resources is worsening poverty and widening inequalities.

Suggestions for Action

1. Work to promote access to land and resources for all and action against the grabbing of land and water
bodies by the rich and powerful from communities.
2. Examine and correct our own policies, practices and wages we pay workers at our own homes, farms, and
enterprises, congregations and communities.
3. Support organised labour and support worker advocacy organisations.
4. Boycott food products that involve exploitative labour practices.

Recognising the centrality of people, their participation, sovereignty and self-determination: It is vital
that societies and their policies recognise the centrality of people, in particular small-scale food producers
and women, and their agency in shaping food systems and nutritional outcomes. In this context we have to
specifically recognise, protect and promote Indigenous Peoples – who comprise only 5% of the world’s
population and occupy 20% of the lands, and are the guardians of 80% of the worlds biodiversity and
practicing sustainable traditional and indigenous food systems. Food traditions and cultural heritage are
central to our identity, our resilience, our connectedness to the earth and to transmitting skills and
knowledge across generations.

Suggestions for Action

1. Let us advocate for the rights of indigenous communities, especially for the rights to their
traditional lands, resources and cultures.
2. Work for equitable access to resources, land, and education for women and girls.
3. Promotion and conservation of local knowledge and the intergenerational transmission of traditions
relate to farming, food, local animals and crops.
4. Promote sovereignty of seeds and access to local resources, and seed banks, to share and supply
without restrictions and monopolies.

Promoting sustainable and lifegiving agriculture. The IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and
Land (2019) indicates that food production, preparation, distribution, and exchange should be kept within
the Earth’s ecosystems and their regeneration capacities- for us to stay at 1.5C- to ensure that the earth
can remain sustainable for life and our future generations. Climate change has become a top driver of
hunger in the world. But agriculture, in turn also has a massive influence on climate change. Land-use
change and pre-and post-food-production activities account for 21-37% of total net anthropogenic
emissions. Agriculture also consumes 70% of all available fresh water. To turn agriculture and the food
system from a large carbon emitter to a carbon sink, it is essential to choose agro-ecological approaches to
agriculture over industrial crop and livestock production. Industrial and monoculture crops and the factory
farming of livestock and the production, with its heavy reliance on chemical fertilizers, pesticides, antibiotics,
and protein feed, contributes to pest resistance and vulnerability to diseases, water contamination, and
over-usage of lands and resource, greater emission of greenhouse gases and the loss of biodiversity. On
 the other hand, agro-ecology is based on applying ecological concepts and principles to optimize
interactions between plants, animals, humans, and the environment while taking into consideration the
social aspects that need to be addressed for a sustainable and fair food system.

Suggestions for Action

1. Support small-scale food producers who have access to and control over the productive natural resources
they need to practice just and sustainable agriculture methods.
2. Support scaling up just and sustainable agriculture practices.
3. Buy locally-sourced foods and reduce dependence on ultra-refined and imported foods.
4. Challenge policies and subsidies that encourage large-scale industrial farming.

Ensuring a healthy and a living planet: Healthy diets require a healthy and a living planet. Food
production, preparation, distribution, and exchange should be kept within the Earth’s ecosystems and their
regeneration capacities. Over the last 40 years, human activity caused the decline of nearly 60 percent of
global populations of 3,706 monitored vertebrate species—fish, birds, mammals, amphibians, and reptiles
in 40 years. Today more than a third of the earth's land is severely degraded and fertile soil is being lost at
the rate of 24 billion tonnes a year. The last 5 years have seen the highest warming of the oceans,
destroying life in the oceans. The warming waters make storms more powerful and cause heavier
downpours of rainfall, increasing flooding around the world. About half of coral reefs have been lost in the
last 30 years. If global warming continues, we can also anticipate substantial reductions in fish and sea life
populations. A Native American proverb reminds us that ‘We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors,
rather we borrow it from the coming generations.’

Suggestions for Action

1. Let us promote conservation of forests and woodlands and reforestation and advocate against
deforestation and environmental.
2. Since consumption of resources is a root cause of biodiversity loss, we can consume less and be more
mindful about what we consume.
3. Let us diversify our use of energy, away from fossil fuels and adopt lifestyles- to reduce our contributions to
the greenhouse gasses, to help us trod gently on this earth.

Let us work towards the goal that all people can realise their right to adequate food
and nutrition- a commitment, that all nations have already pledged to follow up.
May we achieve it so that one and all can enjoy the full lives that God has assured
them of. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may
have life, and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10)

— Dr. Manoj Kurian, Orthodox Christian, is a Malaysian medical doctor, trained in

Community Health and Health Systems Management. After working for seven
years in mission hospitals in diverse rural regions in India, from 1999, he headed
the health work at the WCC for 13 years. From 2012, he worked for two years at
the International AIDS Society as the senior manager, responsible for the policy
and advocacy work. He is an adjunct faculty at the College of Public Health, Kent
State University, USA. Manoj is married and has two children. He is the coordinator
of World Council of Churches’ Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance.

ECUPATRIA.ORG | MMXIX

This is the newsletter of the Per​ma​nent Dele​ga​tion of the Ecu​meni​cal Patri​ar​chate to the World Council of
Churches. The Ecu​meni​cal Patri​ar​chate of Constanti​nople is the spir​itual centre of the world-wide Ortho​‐
dox Church and the Patri​arch of Constanti​nople is con​sidered the highest au​thor​ity within the East​ern
Ortho​dox Church. Since the sixth cen​tury, he has borne the title of Arch​bishop of Constanti​nople and New
Rome, and Ecu​meni​cal Patri​arch. As the «primus inter pares» (first among equals) bishop of the Ortho​dox
Church, the Ecu​menical Patri​arch under​takes vari​ous Pan-Ortho​dox ini​ti​at​ives, and co​ordin​ates re​la​tions
within the Ortho​dox Communion, as well as re​la​tions between all the Ortho​dox and other Chris​tian
Churches and World Religions.
 Our contacts:
Permanent Representative: HE Archbishop Job of Telmessos
Tel.: +41 22 791.63.47
Fax: +41 22 791.63.46
Email: Job.ofTelmessos@wcc-coe.org
Address: Ecumenical Patriarchate Permanent Delegation to the WCC
150 Route de Ferney, P.O. Box 2100. CH-1211 Geneva 2, Suisse

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