Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew arrived in the U.S. capital on Sunday evening to begin a weeklong visit that will include meetings with President Donald J. Trump, senior U.S. officials, and religious and community leaders. The trip coincides with his being awarded the Templeton Prize, one of the world’s most prestigious honors for advancing spiritual life.
When the hotel doors opened, the patriarch was first greeted by the well-known Greek American diaspora photographer Dimitris Panagos, who said: “Your All Holiness, welcome to America.” Inside, a crowd of clergy, students, and faithful had gathered to receive him.
Bartholomew was accompanied by Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, the Very Rev. Grand Ecclesiarch Aetios, and the Third Patriarchal Deacon Barnabas. Also present at the reception were Metropolitan Apostolos of New Jersey and Bishop Athenagoras of Nazianzus.
Meeting at the White House
According to the White House, President Trump will welcome the patriarch on Monday at 2 p.m. in the Oval Office. In the coming days, Bartholomew will lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington, accompanied by Gen. Andrew P. Poppas, a four-star general of Greek heritage who since 2022 has served as Commanding General of U.S. Army Forces Command, the Army’s largest command.
The Patriarch’s Washington itinerary also includes a state dinner at the State Department, a bipartisan luncheon on Capitol Hill hosted by Speaker Mike Johnson, and a reception at St. Catherine’s parish in Virginia.
Visit to New York
On Thursday, Bartholomew will travel to New York, where he will visit St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church at Ground Zero, celebrate a doxology, and meet with young Orthodox Christians. He is expected to take part in memorial events for the first responders of September 11, hold talks with U.N. Secretary General António Guterres, and address the Council on Foreign Relations.
The highlight of his trip will be the Templeton Prize ceremony, set for Sept. 24 at Lincoln Center, where attendees are expected to include Jane Goodall, Al Gore, and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Community and Academic Engagement
During his stay, the patriarch will visit the Greek Orthodox parish in the Hamptons and join researchers from Stony Brook University for World Cleanup Day. The university will present him with its highest academic medal.
The visit will conclude next Sunday with a divine liturgy celebrated alongside hierarchs from across the United States.
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, often referred to as the “Green Patriarch” for his decades of environmental advocacy, has led the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople — the spiritual headquarters of the world’s Eastern Orthodox Christians — since 1991.
Throughout his tenure, Bartholomew has emphasized interfaith dialogue, religious freedom, and reconciliation among Christian denominations. He played a central role in fostering ties with the Vatican, meeting with several popes, including John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis.
He is perhaps most widely known for linking Orthodox spirituality to environmental stewardship. Since the early 1990s, he has convened international ecological symposia, drawing attention to climate change, biodiversity, and the degradation of the world’s seas and rivers. His work earned him the nickname “Green Patriarch” and, most recently, the Templeton Prize, awarded to figures who advance humanity’s spiritual vision.
Bartholomew has also navigated complex geopolitical pressures. Based in Istanbul, he serves in a position without political power but with immense symbolic influence, often balancing relations with the Turkish state, the Orthodox churches of Russia and Eastern Europe, and diaspora communities around the world.
Now in his mid-80s, Bartholomew remains an active global voice, emphasizing the role of faith in confronting the ecological crisis, defending democracy, and fostering peace.
