Ο Οικουμενικός Πατριάρχης Βαρθολομαίος επισκέφθηκε το Κογκρέσο των Ηνωμένων Πολιτειών και συναντήθηκε με τον πρόεδρο της Βουλής των Αντιπροσώπων, Μάικ Τζόνσον.
Η παρουσία του Πατριάρχη στο Κογκρέσο και η υποδοχή από τον τρίτο τη τάξει θεσμικό παράγοντα των ΗΠΑ επιβεβαίωσαν την αναγνώριση της ιστορικής αποστολής του Οικουμενικού Θρόνου, αλλά και τον ρόλο του στη στήριξη του διαθρησκειακού διαλόγου και στην προστασία των χριστιανικών κοινοτήτων.
Κατά τη διάρκεια της συνάντησης, ο Πατριάρχης αναφέρθηκε στις προτεραιότητες της Εκκλησίας και στα σημαντικά ζητήματα που απασχολούν το Οικουμενικό Πατριαρχείο.
Ακολούθησε γεύμα, το οποίο παρέθεσε προς τιμήν του Πατριάρχου, ο πρόεδρος της Βουλής των Αντιπροσώπων, Μάικ Τζόνσον.
Στη συνέχεια, ο Πατριάρχης θα τελέσει Δοξολογία στον Ιερό Ναό Αγίας Αικατερίνης στη Βιρτζίνια, θα μιλήσει στους πιστούς και θα τους ευλογήσει, μεταφέροντας το μήνυμα της Μητρός Εκκλησίας της Κωνσταντινουπόλεως στους ορθοδόξους της ευρύτερης περιοχής της Ουάσιγκτον. Η επίσκεψη θα ολοκληρωθεί με δεξίωση προς τιμήν του, την οποία διοργανώνουν από κοινού το Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew Foundation και ο άρχων Ιωάννης Κουδούνης, με την παρουσία του προέδρου της Βουλής των Αντιπροσώπων, Μάικ Τζόνσον.
REMARKS OF HIS ALL-HOLINESS ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH BARTHOLOMEW – Bilateral Meeting and Bipartisan, Bicameral Luncheon in Honor of His All-Holiness Hosted by Speaker Johnson [Rayburn Reception Room, United States Capitol, Washington, DC – September 17, 2025]
Mr. Speaker, the Honorable Michael Johnson,
Distinguished Members of the United States Government,
Your Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America,
Esteemed Hierarchs,
Honored Guests and Friends,
Beloved in the Lord,
It is with deep gratitude and admiration that we return to this esteemed institution—the United States Capitol—a symbol of liberty and the rule of law. We are especially mindful of the honor bestowed upon us here in 1997 with the Gold Medal of Congress.
We thank you, Mr. Speaker, for your gracious hospitality and for hosting this luncheon in our honor.
As Ecumenical Patriarch, now serving by God’s grace for nearly thirty-four years—the longest tenure in the history of the Church of Constantinople—we are ever inspired to share the light of the Gospel wherever we are called.
In this center of political and secular authority, we maintain that the spiritual values are absolutely essential. The virtuous exercise of power must align with the Divine Plan—what we in Greek call οἰκονομία, or “divine stewardship.” This stewardship encompasses all of creation, entrusted to humanity by its Creator.
Yet, through the misuse of our freedom, our “house,” our “οἶκος,” of creation has suffered from sin and its deleterious consequences. Only the Creator Himself could restore it, and through His Incarnation, the Lord assumed our human nature and became the true Steward—Οἰκονόμος—of the world, redeeming and transforming it.
In the path that the Lord Jesus trod, we find the path to healing and renewal—for our communities, our nations, and the world. It is through the same sacrificial love that He manifested that we can overcome every obstacle to justice, peace, and harmony in all the “houses” entrusted to us.
Here in the Capitol—the “People’s House”—we see how a young nation evolved to become a powerful symbol of unity in diversity.
Here, you manifest spiritual values of utmost importance – the equality of persons that makes this country so durable and so vigorous.
Native Americans occupy the same spaces with Europeans who came to the New World for conquest. Descendants of Enslaved Peoples stand under the same dome which shelters even those who fought to keep them so during the American Civil War. Figures from all political parties and walks of life fill this House where the People’s business is debated and enjoined. It truly is a remarkable assortment of individuals, and we dare to say that there is no other country on the earth that manifests such pluralism at the center of its power.
Mr. Speaker, dear friends: There is so much to be proud of in the American experience. The Capitol itself bears witness to the great experiment that is called the United States of America.
The Ecumenical Patriarchate understands how it is possible for such diverse peoples to come together and to be “E Pluribus Unum,” for the same is true of our Orthodox Christian Faith, which accepts all persons who come in sincerity of heart. Therefore, as we close our remarks today, we praise this Nation of many that strives to be one, and we invoke upon you, Mr. Speaker, and all those who serve the American People, the blessings of God and His infinite mercy. Amen!
