Throughout his nearly thirty-four years as Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch, His All-Holiness Bartholomew has repeatedly emphasized the cardinal importance of dialogue with people of other Christian faith traditions, as well as with non-Christians, as the only sure pathway to mutual understanding, harmony, and peace.
In remarks after the Divine Liturgy on Sunday, July 6, 2025, His All-Holiness once again stressed the indispensable nature of dialogue, stating: “Dialogue is not an optional choice; it is a Gospel obligation. It is not a luxury reserved for theologians, but a Christian duty inscribed in the heart of our calling as baptized persons. How can we claim to love God, whom we do not see, if we do not love our brothers and sisters whom we do see?” (cf. 1 John 4:20)
The Ecumenical Patriarch added that this dialogue, particularly with the Roman Catholic Church, has been carried out in obedience to the command of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ: “For decades, we have engaged in authentic and courageous ecumenical dialogue, especially with our sister Church in Rome. Not from strategy or weakness, but in obedience to Christ’s prayer: ‘that they may all be one’ (John 17:21). What unites us is far greater than what divides us.”
Speaking of the Orthodox Church’s dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church in Nov. 2023, His All-Holiness said: “We are confident that the convergence of our Churches contributes to the dialogue and peace at large. Christianity and the religious traditions hold principles not only for nurturing inner spiritual peace but also for striving to establish peace in human relationships and society. It is contrary to the essence and mission of a representative of the Church or religion to promote violence in the name of God.”
In May 2025, shortly after His Holiness Leo XIV became Pope of Rome, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew recalled the beginning of the modern dialogue between the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches: “Since the time of Pope John XXIII and especially Pope Paul VI — and from our side, Patriarch Athenagoras — a new era began in the relations between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. With the late Pope Francis, we sought, in full harmony and mutual understanding, to continue the Ecumenical Dialogue.”
The Ecumenical Patriarch pointed out in Jan. 2025 that this year “marks the 60th anniversary of the mutual lifting of the excommunications between Old and New Rome by Pope Paul VI and Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras on December 7, 1965. This historic act laid the cornerstone for the rapprochement and dialogue of love and truth between the two Churches.”
Dialogue is just as central with adherents of non-Christian religions. In May 2024, a prominent Shi’ite Muslim leader from Iraq, Ayatollah Seyyid Cevad Şehristani, visited the Ecumenical Patriarchate and met with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. They discussed the ongoing dialogue between Orthodox Christianity, and the overall goal of dialogue in establishing the conditions for peace around the world.
In Nov. 2022, the Ecumenical Patriarch traveled to Bahrain to participate in the Bahrain Forum for Dialogue: East and West for Human Coexistence. In his address there, he stated: “Honest interfaith dialogue contributes to the development of mutual trust and to the promotion of peace and reconciliation. The Church strives to make ‘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 Cor 13:5). The oil of faith must be used to soothe and heal the wounds of others, not to rekindle new fires of hatred.” (Encyclical, par. 17).”
In the same vein, His All-Holiness stated in his July 6, 2025 address that “Christian faith is not an ideology or a closed identity, but a path of life, truth, and love.” Speaking in particular to the young people who were present, he said: “Do not fear your neighbor, even if they pray differently or understand God differently. Within every person dwells a divine spark. Dialogue begins with a glance, a gesture, a kind word. It begins when we dare to experience otherness.”
As the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate continue in their mission of supporting and defending the Ecumenical Patriarchate and religious freedom worldwide, we urge all religious and political leaders to read carefully and ponder the wisdom of His All-Holiness regarding dialogue, and to have the compassion and humility to put that wisdom into practice.
