His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew on Tuesday, September 16, 2025, attended a luncheon in his honor at the Orangery of the historic Dumbarton Oaks Museum and Gardens. Hosting the luncheon was Ekaterini Nassika, the Ambassador of Greece to the United States.
Also present was His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America; the Hierarchs and other members of the Patriarchal delegation; the Spiritual Advisor of the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Rev. Protopresbyter of the Ecumenical Throne Alexander Karloutsos; Dr. Anthony J. Limberakis, National Commander of the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate; and other Archons and dignitaries.
In his remarks, His All-Holiness emphasized the importance of the Greek language and the inseparable bond between the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Hellenism. Speaking in Greek, the Ecumenical Patriarch stated: “We wish to begin our mutual conversation in the Greek language, the language that raised the word to the highest art and nourished philosophy; the language of culture, but also of the Gospel. In this language, the Fathers of the Church spoke and wrote, the great hymnographers composed hymns, and the great teachers shaped the soul and identity of the Genos.”
His All-Holiness continued: “The Ecumenical Patriarchate, the first Throne of Orthodoxy, is a living and vital bearer of this great heritage. During the centuries of trials, the Great Church was the cradle and support of the Genos. When political conditions were unfavorable, the Church undertook to keep the lamp of faith burning, and when the danger of oblivion abated, it became the school and the ark of preservation of the Greek language and education, uniting faith with culture, preaching the truth of Christ and the freedom of the human being.”
The Ecumenical Patriarch also said that “the Ecumenical Patriarchate sealed the course of ecclesiastical affairs and continues to serve the flock of the whole earth. It fights tirelessly for the defense of human dignity, for world peace and solidarity, for the promotion of inter-Christian, inter-religious and inter-cultural dialogue, and for the protection of the integrity of creation.”
His All-Holiness emphasized that “the bond of the Holy Great Church of Christ with the Genos is indissoluble and unshakable. It begins from the depths of the past and leads with certainty to the future.” Addressing the attendees directly, he said: “We call on all of you to remain united with the Holy Archdiocese of America, and to support the Sacred Center of Orthodoxy. Keep alive the Greek language, the education and the faith of our ancestors. For only in this way, nourished by our roots, can we prove ourselves worthy successors of the priceless spiritual heritage, which, as it is written, ‘continues to be a hope for the present and the future of modern man.’ We pray, by the grace of God, that our Genos will always walk in unity and vitality.”
His All-Holiness then spoke in English, saying that he was “grateful to God for the opportunity to visit once again this great Land and to behold the extraordinary accomplishments brought by the Omogeneia.” He noted that “even in the purely spiritual mission of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, we are the beneficiaries of the conjunction of the ancient Greek spirit and Christian values.” Concluding, he said: “The religious and cultural traditions of the City of Constantine continue to be affirmed, especially in this year of the Seventeen Hundredth Anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea. What is called the ‘Nicene Creed’ is the theological standard for all of Christianity.”
Read the full text of His All-Holiness’ remarks here.
After the luncheon, His All-Holiness visited the historic gardens of the Center and the Museum, viewing in particular its Byzantine collection, which consists of coins, icons, sacred vessels, and other historic and precious objects.
