A rare and symbolically charged moment unfolded in the Hellenic Parliament on Tuesday, as Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew delivered a landmark address to lawmakers, marking his first appearance in the chamber since 1999.
Speaking before a special plenary session in Athens, attended by Greek President Constantine Tassoulas, the spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians framed his remarks around the need for peace — not as an abstract ideal, but as a fragile achievement requiring justice, interfaith cooperation and a rejection of religious fanaticism.
Special plenary session of the Hellenic Parliament, during which Archbishop of Constantinople–New Rome, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew addressed the chamber, Tuesday, May 6, 2026. (GIANNIS PANAGOPOULOS/EUROKINISSI)
His address ranged widely, from Hellenism and Christianity to human dignity, ecology and human rights. But its most pointed contemporary message was that peace between peoples and cultures is impossible without peace among religions.
Bartholomew praised ancient Greek civilization for giving humanity “freedom and democracy,” reason as dialogue, science, education and humanism. He also described the meeting of Greek culture and Christianity as a defining force in the history of Orthodoxy, made possible above all through the Greek language.
But the strongest contemporary note in the address was his insistence that religion must not retreat from public responsibility. The Patriarch said the Ecumenical Patriarchate opposes racism, discrimination, modern forms of slavery and forces that undermine social cohesion, peace and creation. He rejected criticism that the Church oversteps its authority by intervening in public affairs, saying speaking out on peace and human dignity is necessary. On peace, Bartholomew addressed directly the criticism that religions can fuel fanaticism and violence “in the name of God.” He rejected fundamentalism as a distortion of religious experience, not something inherent to faith. “Authentic faith is the strictest critic of religious fanaticism and intolerance,” he said.
He said he supports every sincere peace initiative and continues to work for interfaith cooperation and the peace-making role of religions. The Patriarch also linked peace to human rights, warning against attempts to dismiss them as a Western instrument of cultural dominance. Religious freedom, he said, holds a central place among human rights and is a basic test of the rule of law.
Environmental responsibility formed another major part of the address. Bartholomew said the Ecumenical Patriarchate had long treated the ecological crisis as a social problem, tied to economic models that fail to respect the natural environment. Economic activity that ignores “the home of life,” he said, is not economy but “eco-anomy.”
Bartholomew closed by emphasizing solidarity as the path toward a sustainable future — a word he framed not as sentiment, but as a demand to stand close to one another across social and cultural differences.
The session drew a full political and diplomatic audience. On the government benches were Kostis Hatzidakis, Sofia Zacharaki and Kostas Vlasis. In the officials’ gallery, alongside Constantine Tassoulas, were former President Katerina Sakellaropoulou, former Prime Minister Ioannis Sarmas and Vasiliki Thanou.
Party leaders present in the chamber included Nikos Androulakis, Sokratis Famellos, Dimitris Koutsoumpas, Dimitris Natsios and Zoe Konstantopoulou, alongside figures such as Afroditi Latinopoulou, Evangelos Meimarakis and Vyron Polydoras.
Far- right MEP Afroditi Latinopoulou and former PM Vasiliki Thanou at the special plenary session of the Hellenic Parliament, during which Archbishop of Constantinople–New Rome, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew addressed the chamber, Tuesday, May 6, 2026. (GIORGOS KONTARINIS/EUROKINISSI)
From early morning, officials were directed through the Parliament building to packed galleries. Diplomats from across the world attended, along with representatives of different faiths, underlining the broader significance of the Patriarch’s message. Academics were also present, including theologian Christos Karagiannis and constitutional scholar Nikos Alivizatos.
Parliament President Nikitas Kaklamanis received Bartholomew and awarded him the Gold Medal of the Hellenic Parliament, citing his “long and multifaceted contribution” and “significant work.”
Parliament President Nikitas Kaklamanis awarding the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew the Gold Medal of the Hellenic Parliament during the special plenary session in which the spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians addressed the chamber, Tuesday, May 6, 2026. (GIORGOS KONTARINIS/EUROKINISSI)
An official luncheon followed at the Athenian Club, bringing the formal proceedings to a close.
