With a deep spiritual reverence and profound theological perspective, the Christmas message from the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew highlights the essential significance of the Incarnation of the Divine Word as a moment of existential participation in the divine plan. He stresses that Christmas is not just a sentimental experience, but a transformative journey towards divinization through grace.
The Patriarch points out the contrast between advancements in science and technology and the spiritual aspect of human life. While acknowledging scientific knowledge as a gift from God, he cautions against the pitfalls of scientism and raises important questions about the concept of the “post-human” and the limitations of artificial intelligence. The Church, he affirms, is not opposed to technology, but approaches progress in technology with wisdom and accountability.
The message also underscores the urgent need for peace in a world plagued by violence, social injustice, and a crisis of values. The Ecumenical Patriarch urges believers to seek salvation through the mystery of Christ as both God and Man, emphasizing that the Incarnation of Christ brings truth and bridges the gap between heaven and earth.
He concludes with a message of hope and prayer, extending warm wishes for a blessed Christmas and a New Year filled with peace, health, and spiritual abundance.
Read below the Christmas message of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew
Most Reverend Hierarchs and Beloved Children in the Lord,
By God’s grace, we have once again reached the glorious day of the Incarnation of the Word of God, who came to earth and dwelt among us out of His infinite love for humanity. With psalms, hymns, and indescribable joy, we celebrate the profound mystery of the Incarnation, the most recent of all things, the only new thing under the sun, through which the path to divinization through grace is opened to humanity and the entire creation is renewed.
Christmas is not merely a fleeting emotional experience that comes and goes quickly. It is an existential participation in the entire divine plan. As the Evangelist Matthew recounts, from the very beginning, the rulers of the world sought to destroy the Divine Child. For the faithful, alongside the “Christ is born” of the Incarnation feast of the Son and Word of God, the sorrowful bells of the Passion, the “Christ is risen” always resound, the Gospel proclamation of victory over death and the hope of a shared resurrection.
“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace” resounds once more in a world marred by violence, social injustice, and the degradation of human dignity. The remarkable progress in science and technology does not reach the depths of the human soul, for humanity is always more than what science can grasp and more than what technological progress seeks to achieve. The gap between heaven and earth in human existence cannot be bridged through scientific means.
Today, discussions on the “post-human” and the exaltation of artificial intelligence echo. The dream of the “superhuman” is certainly not new. The notion of the “post-human” is founded on technological advancement and on providing humanity with unprecedented ways to surpass human limitations. The Church is not anti-technology. It views scientific knowledge as a “gift of God to humanity,” while also acknowledging and cautioning against the dangers of scientism.
The crucial question of how to preserve the “culture of the person” amidst the developments of technological culture has been definitively answered in the mystery of the Incarnation. The Word of God became flesh, for the darkness has passed away, and the true light already shines.”
Brothers and children in the Lord,
Bowing reverently before the Theotokos, we extend to you all our heartfelt wishes for a joyous Christmas and a peaceful, healthy, and spiritually fruitful New Year.
Christmas 2024
The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople
Bartholomew
Photo: Nikos Papachristou / Translated by Ioanna Georgakopoulou