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Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, spiritual leader to 300 billion Orthodox Christians worldwide, talks with reporters at St. Nicholas Cathedral in Seoul on Dec. 3.
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Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew celebrates 50th anniversary of city’s St. Nicholas Cathedral
“Does it make any sense for a South Korean to be opposed to peace and unification between North and South Korea?” This was the opening question from Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, spiritual leader to 300 billion Orthodox Christians worldwide, during a talk with reporters on Dec. 4 at St. Nicholas Cathedral in Seoul’s Ahyeon neighborhood. Visiting South Korea from Dec. 3 to 8 for the 50th anniversary of St. Nicholas Cathedral – the main cathedral of the Korean Orthodox Church – Bartholomew stressed that the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople “is always praying for the peace and unification of the Korean Peninsula.” “Through the prayer ceremony on Dec. 6 for the 50th anniversary of the cathedral’s construction and a prayer visit to the Demilitarized Zone that day, I will play for peace so that the Korean Peninsula can achieve unification and divided family members will be able to reunite,” he added. In response to comments in South Korea about North Korean leader Kim Jong-un potentially feeling uncomfortable about visiting, Bartholomew said, “The Korean people were divided against their wishes due to external influences.” “Is the opposition to these divided families being reunited not an attempt to guard their own interests?” he asked. “No profits can be placed above the love and agreement that allows families to become one, so I do not believe there are many people in South Korea who oppose reconciliation and peace between North and South,” he continued. Bartholomew, who is visiting South Korea for the fourth time, also announced plans to “offer thanks and encouragement to President Moon Jae-in for his efforts toward peace and unification of the Korean Peninsula when I go to meet him at the Blue House on Dec. 7,” adding that he would “pray for unification to be achieved during his term.” Bartholomew’s overall message of peace and reconciliation throughout the world While the Orthodox Church parted ways with the Roman Catholic Church due to the schism between the Eastern and Western churches in 1054, Bartholomew has been renowned as an open-minded religious leader who has led the way in promoting reconciliation and dialogue among religions. Indeed, he offered well-wishing remarks for Pope Francis, saying he “welcome[s the Pope’s] plans to visit North Korea” and describing the Catholic leader as “a humble Pope who is capable of playing a good role in reconciliation and unification between North and South Korea.” The “Green Patriarch” Bartholomew is also noted for his environmental activism. He has met and collaborated with Pope Francis and the Archbishop of Canterbury on overcoming ecological crises. In 2009, he urged all nations to cooperate toward the Copenhagen Agreement on climate change, and he has held nine International Symposium on the Environment events at locations such as the Amazon and Danube Rivers. Staging numerous environmental protection seminars with the support of the Duke of Edinburgh, husband of Queen Elizabeth II of England, he has been described by former US Vice President Al Gore as the “Green Patriarch.” Bartholomew directed critical words toward US President Donald Trump and other leaders of major countries, who he described as “ignoring the earth’s environmental issues.” “South Korea is a proud example of working hard at recycling and leading the way in environmental preservation,” he added. “We have a responsibility to preserve the environment for the next generations,” he said. Bartholomew is scheduled to attend the International Symposium on the Environment at the Grand Hilton hotel in Seoul’s Hongeun neighborhood on Dec. 7, where he is to personally deliver a lecture titled “And God Saw that Everything Was Good: The Theological Vision of Creation in the Orthodox Tradition.” The “patriarch of children” Bartholomew has also been nicknamed the “patriarch of children” for his particular interest in children’s issues. In a Christmas message in 2016, he proposed designating 2017 the “year of protecting children.” “Children today are besieged by the digital,” he said. “When we forsake the proper education and guidance of children, we cannot preserve God’s order of creation,” he continued. The largest single church within the World Council of Churches, the Orthodox Church is the oldest in the history of Christianity and has been described as faithfully maintaining the model of the earliest church. It is better known to many as the Eastern Orthodox Church. Bartholomew became patriarch in 1991 in accordance with the tradition in which the ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople (Istanbul) represents the Orthodox Church throughout the world. By Cho Hyun, religion correspondent Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]
