Patriarch Bartholomew calls for 'global consensus around a core of shared fundamental values', in historic speech to the Hellenic Parliament

In his address, Kaklamanis compared the Ecumenical Patriarchate "with a ship sailing through the centuries," and paid homage to its valuable contribution in all parts of the world through the ages. He concluded by emphasising the institutional importance of the Ecumenical Patriarchate as the guarantor of unity in the Orthodox faith, noting that its mission "is a guarantee for our history, present and future."

In a moment of high symbolic significance, Kaklamanis then presented Patriarch Bartholomew with the Gold Medal of the Hellenic Parliament.

The country's political, state and religious leadership were in attendance for the Patriarch's visit, among them President of the Hellenic Republic Constantine Tassoulas, and to honour the dual anniversary marking his 35th year as Patriarch and his 65th year of priestly ministry.

Patriarch Bartholomew then delivered a historic speech to the plenary session, the first since he first addressed Greek lawmakers in 1999, referring to current events and noting that the Church's message of peace "is neither utopian nor rhetorical," even though "public discourse worldwide is dominated by geopolitical and geo-economic considerations, by analyses of the so-called 'balance of power' and approaches described as pragmatic".

"It is a fact that the modern version of so-called Realpolitik has fully prevailed over International Law and even over the Charter of the United Nations itself, which is governed by the general principle of the peaceful settlement of disputes," the Ecumenical Patriarch noted.

He continued, adding: “ Humanity is in need of a stable consensus around a core of shared fundamental values, which - despite political, social, religious, and cultural differences and tensions - will function as a basis for coexistence and cooperation among people for the common good."

As the foundation of this core of values, he pointed to the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, describing this as the global community's reply to the greatest humanitarian disaster in world history.
The packed parliamentary session was attended by the members of the cabinet, political party leaders, former Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou, former prime ministers, former Parliament presidents, MPs, representatives of the Athens Archdiocese, the leaders of other religions and denominations, ambassadors and Parliamentary officials.