Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople: History and Significance

Sacred Tradition tells us that the holy apostle Andrew the First-Called in 38 year ordained his disciple Stachy to the bishops of the city of Byzantium, in the place of which Constantinople was founded three centuries later. Since this time, the church has its origin, at the head of which for many centuries stood the patriarchs, who bore the title of the Ecumenical.

The right of primacy among equals

Among the presidents of the fifteen autocephalous, that is, independent, local Orthodox churches, "the leading among equals" is the Patriarch of Constantinople. This is its historical significance. The full title of the person occupying such an important post is the Divine Hierarchy of the Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome and the Ecumenical Patriarch.

The first Ecumenical title was awarded to the first Patriarch of Constantinople, Akaki. The legal basis for this was the decision of the Fourth (Chalcedonian) Ecumenical Council, held in 451 and entrenched the heads of the Church of Constantinople as bishops of New Rome, second in importance after the presidents of the Roman Church.

If, at first, such an establishment met with rather harsh opposition in certain political and religious circles, by the end of the next century the position of the patriarch had become so strong that his actual role in the decision of state and church affairs became paramount. At the same time, his so lush and verbose title was finally established.

Patriarch - victim of iconoclasts

The history of the Byzantine church knows many names of patriarchs who have forever entered it, and canonized in the face of saints. One of them is St Nichiphoros, Patriarch of Constantinople, who occupied the patriarchal pulpit from 806 to 815.

The period of his reign was marked by a particularly fierce struggle carried out by the supporters of iconoclasm - the religious trend, which rejected the veneration of icons and other sacred images. The situation was aggravated by the fact that among the followers of this direction there were many influential persons and even several emperors.

Father of the Patriarch Nicephorus, being the secretary of the emperor Constantine V, lost his post for the promotion of icon-worshiping and was exiled to Asia Minor, where he died in exile. Nikifor himself, after the emperor-icon-bearer Lev the Armenian was elevated to the throne in 813, became a victim of his hatred for holy images and ended his days in 828 as a prisoner of one of the remote monasteries. For his great services to the church, he was subsequently canonized. In our days, Saint Patriarch of Constantinople Nikifor is revered not only in his homeland, but throughout the Orthodox world.

Patriarch Photius - the recognized father of the church

Continuing the story of the most prominent representatives of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, one can not help recalling the outstanding Byzantine theologian Patriarch Photius, who led his flock from 857 to 867. After John Chrysostom and Gregory the Theologian, he is the third generally recognized father of the church, who once occupied the Constantinople chair.

The exact date of his birth is unknown. It is generally accepted that he was born in the first decade of the 9th century. His parents were unusually rich and versatile educated people, but under Emperor Theophilus - a fierce icon-bearer - were subjected to repression and found themselves in exile. In the same place they died.

The struggle of Patriarch Photius with the Pope

After the accession to the throne of the next emperor, a minor Michael III, Photius begins his brilliant career - at first as a teacher, and then on an administrative and religious career. In 858, he holds the highest post in the church hierarchy. However, this did not bring him a quiet life. From the very first days Patriarch Photius of Constantinople found himself in the thick of the struggle of various political parties and religious movements.

To a large extent, the situation was aggravated by the confrontation with the Western Church, caused by disputes over jurisdiction over Southern Italy and Bulgaria. The initiator of the conflict was the Pope. Patriarch of Constantinople Photius made his sharp criticism, for which he was excommunicated by the pontiff from the church. Not wishing to remain in debt, Patriarch Photius also betrayed his opponent's anathema.

From anathema to canonization

Later, already during the reign of the next emperor, Basil I, Photius became a victim of court intrigues. Supporters of the opposing political parties, as well as the deposed Patriarch Ignatius I, received influence at the court. As a result, Photius, who had desperately entered the struggle with the pope, was removed from the pulpit, excommunicated and died in exile.

After nearly a thousand years, in 1847, when Patriarch Anthimus VI was the patriarch of the Church of Constantinople, the anathema with the rebellious patriarch was lifted, and, in view of the numerous miracles that took place on his grave, he himself was listed as a saint. However, in Russia for a number of reasons this act was not recognized, which was the reason for discussions between representatives of the majority of churches in the Orthodox world.

A legal act unacceptable to Russia

It should be noted that the Roman Church for many centuries refused to recognize the Church of Constantinople as an honorable third place. His decision was changed only after the so-called Union - the agreement on the unification of the Catholic and Orthodox churches - was signed at the Florence Cathedral in 1439.

This act provided for the supreme primacy of the Pope, and, while preserving the Church's own rituals, the adoption of Catholic dogma. It is only natural that such a treaty, which ran counter to the requirements of the Charter of the Russian Orthodox Church, was rejected by Moscow, and Metropolitan Isidor, who signed it, was deprived of his rank.

Christian patriarchs in an Islamic state

Less than one and a half decades have passed. In 1453, the Byzantine Empire collapsed under the onslaught of Turkish troops. The second Rome fell, losing its place to Moscow. However, the Turks in this case showed religious tolerance that is surprising for religious fanatics. Having built all the institutions of state power on the principles of Islam, they nevertheless allowed the existence of a very large Christian community in the country.

Since that time, the Patriarchs of the Church of Constantinople, having completely lost their political influence, nevertheless remained Christian religious leaders of their communities. Having retained the nominal second place, they, deprived of their material base and practically without means of subsistence, were forced to struggle with extreme need. Until the establishment in 1589 of the Patriarchate in Russia, the Patriarch of Constantinople was the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, and only the generous donations of the Moscow princes allowed him to make ends meet.

In turn, the Patriarchs of Constantinople did not remain in debt. It was on the banks of the Bosphorus that the title of the first Russian Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible was consecrated, and Patriarch Jeremiah II blessed the first Moscow Patriarch Job upon his accession to the pulpit. This was an important step towards the development of the country, which placed Russia on a par with other Orthodox states.

Unexpected ambitions

For more than three centuries, the patriarchs of the Church of Constantinople have played only a modest role for the heads of the Christian community within the powerful Ottoman Empire, while it did not collapse as a result of the outcome of the First World War. In the life of the state, much has changed, and even its former capital Constantinople in 1930 was renamed Istanbul.

On the wreckage of the once mighty power, the Patriarchate of Constantinople immediately became more active. Since the mid-twenties of the last century, its leadership has actively pursued the concept that the Patriarch of Constantinople must be endowed with real power and be given the right not only to lead the religious life of the entire Orthodox diaspora, but also to participate in solving internal problems of other autocephalous churches. This position aroused sharp criticism in the Orthodox world and was called "Eastern Papism."

Judicial appeals of the patriarch

Signed in 1923, the Treaty of Lausanne legally formalized the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and established the line of the borders of the newly formed state. He also recorded the title of the Patriarch of Constantinople as the Ecumenical, but the government of the modern Turkish Republic refuses to recognize it. It gives consent only to the recognition of the patriarch as the head of the Orthodox community of Turkey.

In 2008, the Patriarch of Constantinople was forced to apply to the European Court of Human Rights with a lawsuit against the government of Turkey, illegally appropriating one of the Orthodox shelters on the island Buiucada in the Sea of Marmara. In July of the same year, after the trial, the court fully satisfied his appeal, and, in addition, made a statement recognizing his legal status. It should be noted that this was the first time that the Primate of the Church of Constantinople appealed to the European judiciary.

Legal document of 2010

Another important legal document, which in many respects determined the current status of the Patriarch of Constantinople, was a resolution adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in January 2010. This document prescribed the establishment of religious freedom for representatives of all non-Muslim minorities living in the territories of Turkey and Eastern Greece.

The same resolution called on the Turkish government to respect the title "Ecumenical", since the Patriarchs of Constantinople, whose list numbered several hundred people, wore it on the basis of relevant legal norms.

The current incumbent of the Church of Constantinople

Bright and original personality is Bartholomew Patriarch of Constantinople, whose enthronement was committed in October 1991. His worldly name is Dimitrios Archondonis. A Greek by nationality, he was born in 1940 on the island of Goekcead, which belongs to Turkey. Having received a general secondary education and graduated from the Khalka Theological School, Dimitrios, already in the rank of deacon, served as an officer in the Turkish army.

After demobilization, he begins his ascent to the heights of theological knowledge. For five years, Archondonis has been studying at higher educational institutions in Italy, Switzerland and Germany, which has resulted in becoming a doctor of theology and lecturer at the Pontifical Gregorian University.

Polyglot on the patriarchal department

The ability to learn this person's knowledge is phenomenal. During the five years of his studies he perfectly mastered German, French, English and Italian. One should also add his native Turkish and the language of theologians - Latin. Returning to Turkey, Dimitrios went through all the steps of the religious hierarchical ladder, until in 1991 he was elected head of the Constantinople Church.

"The Green Patriarch"

In the sphere of international activities, All-holy Bartholomew, Patriarch of Constantinople, became widely known as a fighter for the preservation of the natural environment. In this direction he became the organizer of a number of international forums. It is also known that the patriarch is actively cooperating with a number of public environmental organizations. For this activity, All-holy Bartholomew received an unofficial title - "The Green Patriarch".

Patriarch Bartholomew associates close friendly relations with the heads of the Russian Orthodox Church, whom he paid a visit immediately after his enthronement in 1991. During the negotiations that took place, the Constantinople primate expressed his support for the ROC of the Moscow Patriarchate in its conflict with the self-proclaimed and, from the canonical point of view, the illegitimate Kyiv patriarch. Similar contacts continued in subsequent years.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew Archbishop of Constantinople has always been principled in resolving all important issues. A vivid example of this can be his speech during the discussion in 2004 at the All-Russian Russian People's Council about the recognition of Moscow as the status of the Third Rome, which emphasizes its special religious and political significance. In his speech, the patriarch condemned this concept as untenable from a theological point of view and politically dangerous.