The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in "Archontariki": The interview in the first years of his Patriarchatetranslated

Thirty-five years have passed since the historic election of A.Th. His Holiness, the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, on the First Throne of Orthodoxy, on October 22, 1991. On the occasion of this important anniversary, we look back to a special televised meeting, when His Holiness, in the early years of His Patriarchate, was a guest on the show "ARCHONTARIKI" of ET1, which was presented by the then Archimandrite Ignatios Georgakopoulos, Proto-Secretary of the Holy Metropolis of Piraeus (now Metropolitan of Dimitrias and Almyros).

In that interview, the Ecumenical Patriarch testified personal experiences, thoughts and feelings from His long spiritual journey, which began in His birthplace, Imbro, and led Him to the Ecumenical Throne of Constantinople.

Today, thirty-five years after His election, that historic interview takes on special significance. Through the authentic speech of His Holiness, His first visions, hopes and expectations for the future of the Church are highlighted, at the same time illuminating a multi-year Patriarchal ministry full of offering, struggles and continuous witness of Orthodoxy in the modern world.

OR…