On September 15, 2025, His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew held a press conference following his private meeting with the President of the United States Donald Trump in the Oval Office.

His All-Holiness reported that the tone of the meeting was “warm, cordial,” and “sincere.” He later said, “We discussed issues that concern us the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the few Christians that remain in Türkiye, the hardships they face, the difficulties, the persecutions, but also the fact that despite all these we survive and we continue to carry out our mission.”

His All-Holiness also recounted that they spoke about the war in Ukraine, and the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s 2019 granting of the Tomos of Autocephaly, which established the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. (Photos by J. Mindala)