[InTime News]
Speaking in a special session honoring his 35 years as patriarch and 65 years of priestly service, Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians worldwide, said that peace “has never been a given” but is a hard-won achievement born of courage, sacrifice, and the rejection of violence.
Bartholomew, who addressed lawmakers after receiving the Gold Medal of the Greek Parliament, outlined global challenges including war, the ecological crisis, and the erosion of fundamental values. He warned that modern “realpolitik has completely prevailed over international law and even the United Nations Charter,” which is grounded in the peaceful resolution of disputes.
He called for a renewed global consensus around shared values, pointing to the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a moral foundation forged after humanity’s greatest catastrophe. He expressed concern over the “resounding questioning” of those rights today and emphasized the importance of interfaith dialogue.
On climate issues, he said that economic activity which ignores the natural environment “is not ‘economy’ but ‘eco-nomylessness,’” urging a shift toward an ecological economy.