Ecumenical Patriarch: The Church is the space of “common salvation” (upd)

LAST UPDATE: 11.23

The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is officially visiting the Metropolis of Nikopolis and Preveza starting Thursday, June 27, 2024.

Upon his arrival in the city of Preveza, he was welcomed by Metropolitan Chrysostomos and the Mayor of the town, Nikos Georgakos, in the presence of Metropolitan Maximos of Ioannina, representing Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece, the Metropolitans Nektarios of Corfu, Paxi, and the Diapontian Islands, Nektarios of Lefkada and Ithaca, Kallinikos of Arta, Athanasios of Ilia and Oleni, monks and officials of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, government representative Deputy Spyridon Kyriakis, Member of Parliament Konstantinos Barkas, local authorities, and faithful people.

In his address, the Mayor of Preveza warmly welcomed the Ecumenical Patriarch to his municipality, visiting again after 25 years. In response, the Ecumenical Patriarch emphasized, among other things:

“We honor, honorable Mayor, those who bear high responsibilities for the common good, those who strive for public welfare, for the organization and management of human affairs, for social cohesion and progress. We recall that the promotion of all these is in harmony with cultivating and respecting spiritual values. Our nation is the heir to a unique great spiritual and cultural heritage that has shaped its long and adventurous journey, defining our identity today and serving as a guide and guarantee for the future.

The Church has been and remains the carrier and defender of this venerable tradition, within which, as has been said, the precious ideals of ancient Greek civilization are preserved and completed. “Hellenism becomes Byzantinized”, notes Eleni Glykatzis-Arveler.

Our humility urges you not to forget the role of the Church in the adventurous journey of our people, in shaping its identity, in education and cultural development, its decisive role in times of crisis. Our Church has never ignored history and society. It has contributed to sharpening the senses of the faithful towards the signs of the times, towards the great challenges of each era, as well as towards the positive prospects of every age. It sanctifies life through its mysteries, its celebrations, gives comfort in sorrows, and strengthens the faithful in facing the critical situations of life. Orthodoxy is tied to our soul, language, and music, our customs and traditions, social life, and our entire culture. Its symbols are “familiar and irreplaceable” in our consciousness.”

Later, a Doxology was held at the Holy Temple of Saints Constantine and Helen, where the local shepherd warmly addressed the Ecumenical Patriarch, highlighting the importance of ministry and the multifaceted contribution of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. With great respect and emotion towards the institution of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Metropolitan conferred upon the Ecumenical Patriarch the highest honorary distinction of the Holy Metropolis, the “Cross of Apostle Paul,” founder of the local Church of Nikopolis.

In his response, the Ecumenical Patriarch referred to his visit 25 years ago to Preveza and the then-shepherd, the late Metropolitan of Nikopolis Meletius, with whom he had strong spiritual bonds. “Through his spirituality, wisdom, catechetical work, and writings, our late brother wrote his name in golden letters in the modern history of the Church. May his memory be eternal!” he said and then addressed the current Metropolitan, whom he thanked for the reception, heartfelt words, respect for the Great Mother Church of Christ, and also for awarding him the Cross of the Apostle Paul.

“Serve faithfully and sacrificially, holy brother, a tradition of faith, love, and hope that is an inexhaustible source of vital truths for humanity and the world. Faithfulness to this tradition has nothing to do with sterile conservatism, which ultimately “kills tradition”. It is rightly written that conservatism is “anti-traditional”. Genuine tradition listens to the voice of the Fathers, while at the same time, it hears the voice of its contemporaries, and selects and highlights the relevance of Christian truths and their existential content. The Church knows that Christian witness cannot be given by indifferent people to their fellow humans and the world, nor by believers with a secular mindset that undermines the creative powers.

In our days, an impression is skillfully created that the proposition of freedom and the standards represented and promoted by the Church entrap life in outdated forms. The truth is completely different, and the contemporary affirmation through the word of truth is three dogmatic texts of the Holy and Great Synod, which took place in June 2016 at the Orthodox Academy of Crete—today exactly 8 years have passed since the completion of its work—: a) The mission of the Orthodox Church in the modern world, b) Encyclical, and c) Message of the Synod to the Orthodox people and every person of goodwill. In these texts, the openness of the Orthodox Church and its sensitivity to the adventures of human freedom are revealed.

The Church does not proclaim God hidden in absolute transcendence but God the Word incarnate for us humans and for our salvation. The Church is where God works out the salvation of man and the world. It is the space of “common salvation”, “common obedience”, “common freedom”, “common ethos”, a foretaste and hope of “common resurrection” and “common kingdom”. We are not in the Church as “a sum of individuals” but as “a communion of persons”.

In the afternoon, the Municipality of Preveza honored the Ecumenical Patriarch by naming a square in front of the Church of Saint Nektarios after him during a special ceremony.