By Helleniscope’s Editorial Team

I was in my local Church this past Sunday and I could not believe my ears when the priest read and praised Patriarch Bartholomew’s message for September 1, the beginning of the Indiction. The Church enters the new ecclesiastical year with prayers of thanksgiving and renewed commitment to Christ. Traditionally, this day—known as the Indiction—is a moment of repentance, of turning back to God, and of asking for His blessings upon the year ahead.

But this year, once again, Patriarch Bartholomew chose to substitute the voice of the Gospel with the rhetoric of globalist ideology. His message, delivered from Constantinople, is less a theological exhortation and more a political manifesto on environmentalism from top to bottom. Acting in such a way, he reinforced his image among the faithful as a paid actor in international politics – and he was widely perceived as such in his involvement in Ukraine but also elsewhere.

A Mantle of “Applied Ecology” Instead of Orthodoxy

In his own words, Orthodoxy is “the eco-friendly form of Christianity” («Ἡ Ὀρθοδοξία … εἶναι ἡ οἰκοφιλική μορφή τοῦ Χριστιανισμοῦ»), and the life of the Church is nothing less than “applied ecology” («ἐφηρμοσμένη οἰκολογία»). He even claims that the proclamation of September 1 as a day of prayer for the environment was not a mere response to modern concerns, but “a consequence and extension of the life of the Church.”

Yet nowhere in his lengthy statement does he call for repentance in Christ, for holiness, or for the salvation of souls. The axis of the message is not the Cross and Resurrection but “sustainability,” “ecological repentance,” and “solidarity.” The Faith is emptied of its saving content and recast as a political tool.

Ecumenism Disguised as Environmentalism

The Patriarch openly declares his intent to make ecology “a central issue of inter-Christian and interreligious dialogue” («εἰς τήν ἀνάδειξιν τῆς οἰκολογικῆς θεματικῆς εἰς κεντρικόν ζήτημα τοῦ διαχριστιανικοῦ καί τοῦ διαθρησκειακοῦ διαλόγου»). He boasts of promoting “Christian eco-friendly principles” in “international institutions, ecological organizations, scientific foundations, and civil society.”

This is the familiar ecumenist and globalist agenda that has marked his entire tenure. Instead of defending the truth of Orthodoxy against error, Bartholomew places the Church in the service of the United Nations, the World Economic Forum, and other secular bureaucracies. The Fathers warned against the Church being subsumed into worldly structures; Bartholomew enthusiastically embraces them.

False Diagnosis of the Crisis

Perhaps most troubling is his dramatic proclamation: “The future of life on our planet will either be ecological and peaceful—or nonexistent” («Τό μέλλον τῆς ζωῆς εἰς τόν πλανήτην μας ἤ θά εἶναι οἰκολογικόν καί εἰρηνικόν ἤ ἀνύπαρκτον»).

This kind of absolutist fearmongering belongs to failed environmental movements of the past fifty years, not to the mouth of a Patriarch. It completely ignores the true civilizational crisis of our time: collapsing birth rates, abortion, sterility, destruction of the family, apostasy, and moral decay.

Everywhere we look, populations are shrinking—not only in the West, but in China, Japan, Russia, and even parts of Africa. Entire nations face demographic suicide. Instead of calling Orthodox Christians to “be fruitful and multiply” (Gen. 1:28), to defend life and rebuild family, Bartholomew diverts attention to carbon emissions and climate slogans.

Political Ideology in a Religious Mantle

Bartholomew himself boasts that the Patriarchate will continue to project its message “within international institutions, ecological organizations, scientific foundations, and civil society.” («εἰς τήν προβολήν … ἐν τῷ πλαισίῳ διεθνῶν θεσμῶν, οἰκολογικῶν ὀργανώσεων, ἐπιστημονικῶν ἱδρυμάτων καί τῆς κοινωνίας τῶν πολιτῶν»).

This turns the Church into a lobbying group. The task of the Patriarchate becomes not shepherding souls but promoting political campaigns. This inversion is dangerous: the Gospel is no longer the measure of politics; politics becomes the measure of the Gospel. Orthodoxy, reduced to environmental activism, becomes indistinguishable from any secular NGO.

Conclusion: Heresy Dressed in Green

The Indiction message of Patriarch Bartholomew is a tragic witness to his long drift away from Orthodoxy. Instead of repentance and salvation in Christ, he preaches “ecological repentance.” Instead of theosis, he offers “sustainability.” Instead of the Cross, he offers “solidarity.”

At a moment when civilization itself is perishing through sterility and apostasy, the Patriarch of Constantinople has nothing to say about life, family, or holiness. He preaches a false gospel of ideology wrapped in religious clothing.

This is why many faithful rightly call him not the “Ecumenical Patriarch,” but the “Green Patriarch”—a hierarch who exchanges the riches of Orthodoxy for the currency of globalism, quite literally wrapping himself in green dollars instead of the mantle of Christ.

Patristic Counterpoints: The Orthodox Vision of Creation

The Holy Fathers spoke powerfully about creation—but never in the politicized, alarmist way of Bartholomew.

• St. Basil the Great in his Hexaemeron taught that creation reveals the wisdom and glory of God, but that its proper order can only be perceived when man himself is purified through repentance. The beauty of the cosmos points us to the Creator, not to political slogans.

• St. Maximus the Confessor explained that the cosmos finds its fulfillment only in Christ, in whom “the whole creation is recapitulated.” It is not ecological programs but holiness of life that transfigures the world.

• St. Symeon the New Theologian described how even stones and trees appear filled with light to the sanctified person. True “ecological vision” comes from union with God, not from United Nations conferences.

In other words, the authentic Orthodox approach to creation is profoundly theological and ascetical: man repents, becomes holy, and through him creation itself is healed and renewed. This is light-years away from the hollow environmentalism of the so-called “Green Patriarch.”

September 1, 2025, n.stamatakis@aol.com   www.helleniscope.com

DISCLAIMER: The views and statements expressed in this article constitute constitutionally protected opinions of this author.

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BELOW BARTHOLOMEW’S MESSAGE IN ENGLISH AND IN GREEK

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Message of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew for the Beginning of the Ecclesiastical Year (September 1st)

“Most honorable brethren Hierarchs and blessed children in the Lord,

With the good pleasure of the all-giving God, today we enter the new ecclesiastical year, glorifying His heavenly name for the unbroken and abundant fruitfulness of the initiatives of His Holy Great Church in the area of the protection of creation. The Ecumenical Patriarchate not only recognized in due time the seriousness of environmental problems, but also turned attention to their causes, to their inner spiritual and moral roots, and proposed solutions on the basis of the Orthodox Eucharistic and ascetical ethos.

Orthodoxy, as faith, divine worship, and worldly witness, is the eco-friendly form of Christianity. In this sense, the proclamation of the feast of the Indiction as a Day of Prayer for the protection of the natural environment was not simply a reaction to the modern ecological crisis, but a consequence and extension of the life of the Church as ‘applied ecology.’ From the beginning, we declared the indivisibility of respect for creation and for the human person and highlighted the common root and interconnectedness of environmental and social problems. Alienation from God begets a possessive and exploitative stance and behavior towards both creation and fellow human beings, whereas life in Christ and according to Christ is the source of environmental sensitivity and philanthropic action. As the Lord said, ‘Every good tree produces good fruit, but a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot produce good fruit’ (Matt. 7:17–18).

Respect for spiritual values sharpens our discernment for what is good and what is to be done. Indifference to the Transcendent and the ensuing ‘anthropomonism’ leads to the imprisonment of man in earthly things, to the shrinking of his freedom into pragmatic choices and decisions, always bound up with superficial perceptions of things and with the identification of the good with the ‘useful for the moment.’ The current discourse about ‘ecological repentance,’ beyond the call to regret the ecological damage already done and to a radical change of mindset and behavior towards creation, also refers to the need to transcend the mistaken stance which sustains the view of the ‘autonomy of the economy’—destructive for the natural environment—as the sole path to development, and which feeds the naïve belief in the ability of nature to perpetually rejuvenate itself despite human-generated burdens, such as the intensifying climate change and its destructive planetary consequences. To all this is added today the pandemonium of war cries, bombings, missiles, and explosions, which cover up the cries of the innocent victims of ruthless violence and the groaning of creation. The future of life on our planet will either be ecological and peaceful—or nonexistent.

The Ecumenical Patriarchate, together with its struggle for peace, justice, and solidarity, will continue to take the lead in the protection of nature, in making ecological issues central to inter-Christian and interreligious dialogue, in promoting the importance of Christian eco-friendly principles and traditions within the framework of international institutions, ecological organizations, scientific foundations, and civil society. We are convinced that cooperation in the field of ecology strengthens the sense of common responsibility for the course towards the future and creates new favorable prospects.

Returning to what we mentioned in a previous Message, we once again call upon the Eparchies of the Mother Church throughout the oikoumene, the parishes and the holy Monasteries, to develop coordinated actions and concrete interventions for the mobilization of the faithful, with an emphasis on the education of the new generation. The application of the ecological consequences of our faith in practice constitutes a decisive dimension of our Orthodox identity.

In this spirit, wishing all of you a prosperous and fruitful new ecclesiastical year in good and God-pleasing works, we call upon the children of the Holy Great Church of Christ throughout the world to live in an eco-friendly and brotherly manner, to pray for creation and for peace, to struggle for the integrity of the natural environment and for sustainability, as well as for the establishment of a culture of solidarity. And we invoke upon you, through the intercessions and protection of the Most Holy Theotokos Pammakaristos, the life-giving grace and great mercy of the Almighty Creator of all and All-merciful God of love.

Blessed ecclesiastical year, brethren and children in the Lord!

September 1st, [2025]

† Bartholomew of Constantinople
fervent intercessor before God for you all.”

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ΜΗΝΥΜΑ ΠΑΤ. ΒΑΡΘΟΛΟΜΑΙΟΥ ΓΙΑ ΤΗΝ ΑΡΧΗ ΤΗΣ ΙΝΔΙΚΤΟΥ

«Τιμιώτατοι ἀδελφοί Ἱεράρχαι καί τέκνα ἐν Κυρίῳ εὐλογημένα,

Εὐδοκοῦντος τοῦ πανδώρου Θεοῦ, εἰσερχόμεθα σήμερον εἰς τό νέον ἐκκλησιαστικόν ἔτος, δοξολογοῦντες τό ὑπερουράνιον ὄνομα Αὐτοῦ διά τήν ἀδιάσπαστον δαψιλῆ καρποφορίαν τῶν πρωτοβουλιῶν τῆς Ἁγίας Αὐτοῦ Μεγάλης Ἐκκλησίας εἰς τόν χῶρον τῆς προστασίας τῆς κτίσεως. Τό Οἰκουμενικόν Πατριαρχεῖον ὄχι μόνον ἐπεσήμανεν ἐγκαίρως τήν σοβαρότητα τῶν περιβαλλοντικῶν προβλημάτων, ἀλλά ἔστρεψε τήν προσοχήν εἰς τά αἴτιά των, εἰς τάς ἐσωτερικάς, πνευματικάς καί ἠθικάς καταβολάς των, καί προέτεινε λύσεις ἐπί τῇ βάσει τοῦ Ὀρθοδόξου ευχαριστιακοῦ καί ἀσκητικοῦ ἤθους.

Ἡ Ὀρθοδοξία ὡς πίστις, θεία λατρεία καί ἐγκόσμιος μαρτυρία εἶναι ἡ οἰκοφιλική μορφή τοῦ Χριστιανισμοῦ. Ἐν τῇ ἐννοίᾳ ταύτῃ, ἡ ἀνακήρυξις τῆς ἑορτῆς τῆς Ἰνδίκτου εἰς Ἡμέραν προσευχῆς ὑπέρ τῆς προστασίας τοῦ φυσικοῦ περιβάλλοντος δέν ὑπῆρξεν ἁπλῶς ἀντίδρασις εἰς τήν σύγχρονον οἰκολογικήν κρίσιν, ἀλλά συνέπεια καί προέκτασις τῆς ζωῆς τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ὡς «ἐφηρμοσμένης οἰκολογίας». Ἐξ ἀρχῆς διεκηρύξαμεν καί τό ἀδιαίρετον τοῦ σεβασμοῦ τῆς δημιουργίας καί τοῦ ἀνθρωπίνου προσώπου καί ἀνεδείξαμεν τήν κοινήν ρίζαν καί τήν ἀλληλουχίαν περιβαλλοντικῶν καί κοινωνικῶν προβλημάτων. Ἡ ἀπομάκρυνσις ἀπό τόν Θεόν γεννᾷ τήν κτητικήν καί ἐκμεταλλευτικήν στάσιν καί συμπεριφοράν ἔναντι τῆς κτίσεως καί τοῦ συνανθρώπου, ἐνῷ ἡ ἐν Χριστῷ καί κατά Χριστόν ζωή εἶναι πηγή περιβαλλοντικῆς εὐαισθησίας καί φιλανθρώπου δράσεως. Συμφώνως πρός τόν Κυριακόν λόγον, «πᾶν δένδρον ἀγαθόν καρπούς καλούς ποιεῖ, τό δέ σαπρόν δένδρον καρπούς πονηρούς ποιεῖ. Οὐ δύναται δένδρον ἀγαθόν καρπούς πονηρούς ποιεῖν, οὐδέ δένδρον σαπρόν καρπούς καλούς ποιεῖν» (Ματθ. ζ’, 17 – 18).

Ὁ σεβασμός τῶν πνευματικῶν ἀξιῶν, ὀξύνει τό αἰσθητήριόν μας διά τό ἀγαθόν καί τό πρακτέον. Ἡ ἀδιαφορία διά τό Ὑπερβατικόν καί ὁ συνακόλουθος «ἀνθρωπομονισμός» ὁδηγοῦν εἰς ἐγκλωβισμόν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου εἰς τά γεώδη, εἰς συρρίκνωσιν τῆς ἐλευθερίας του εἰς πραγματιστικάς ἐπιλογάς καί ἀποφάσεις, συνυφασμένας πάντοτε μέ ἐπιφανειακάς θεωρήσεις τῶν πραγμάτων καί μέ τήν ταύτισιν τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ μέ τό «περιστασιακῶς χρήσιμον». Ὁ ἐπίκαιρος λόγος περί «οἰκολογικῆς μετανοίας», πέραν τῆς κλήσεως εἰς μεταμέλειαν διά τήν ἐπιτελεσθεῖσαν οἰκολογικήν ζημίαν καί εἰς ριζικήν ἀλλαγήν νοοτροπίας καί συμπεριφορᾶς ἔναντι τῆς δημιουργίας, ἀναφέρεται καί εἰς τήν ἀνάγκην ὑπερβάσεως τῆς σφαλερᾶς τοποθετήσεως, ἡ ὁποία στηρίζει τήν θεώρησιν τῆς καταστροφικῆς διά τό φυσικόν περιβάλλον «ἰδιονομίας τῆς οἰκονομίας» ὡς μονοδρόμου πρός τήν ἀνάπτυξιν, καί τροφοδοτεῖ τήν ἀφελῆ πίστιν εἰς τήν δυνατότητα τῆς φύσεως νά ἀναζωογονῆται ἀφ᾿ ἑαυτῆς εἰς τό διηνεκές, παρά τάς ἀνθρωπογενεῖς ἐπιβαρύνσεις της, ὡς ἡ ἐντεινομένη κλιματική ἀλλαγή καί αἱ καταστροφικαί πλανητικαί συνέπειαί της. Εἰς ὅλα αὐτά προστίθεται σήμερον τό πανδαιμόνιον τῶν πολεμικῶν ἰαχῶν, τῶν βομβαρδισμῶν, τῶν πυραύλων καί τῶν ἐκρήξεων, τό ὁποῖον ἐπικαλύπτει τήν κραυγήν τῶν ἀθώων θυμάτων τῆς ἀνηλεοῦς βίας καί τούς στεναγμούς τῆς δημιουργίας. Τό μέλλον τῆς ζωῆς εἰς τόν πλανήτην μας ἤ θά εἶναι οἰκολογικόν καί εἰρηνικόν ἤ ἀνύπαρκτον.

Τό Οἰκουμενικόν Πατριαρχεῖον, ὁμοῦ μετά τοῦ ἀγῶνος διά τήν εἰρήνην, τήν δικαιοσύνην καί τήν ἀλληλεγγύην, θά συνεχίσῃ νά πρωτοστατῇ εἰς τήν προστασίαν τῆς φύσεως, εἰς τήν ἀνάδειξιν τῆς οἰκολογικῆς θεματικῆς εἰς κεντρικόν ζήτημα τοῦ διαχριστιανικοῦ καί τοῦ διαθρησκειακοῦ διαλόγου, εἰς τήν προβολήν τῆς σημασίας τῶν χριστιανικῶν οἰκοφιλικῶν ἀρχῶν καί παραδόσεων ἐν τῷ πλαισίῳ διεθνῶν θεσμῶν, οἰκολογικῶν ὀργανώσεων, ἐπιστημονικῶν ἱδρυμάτων καί τῆς κοινωνίας τῶν πολιτῶν. Εἴμεθα βέβαιοι ὅτι ἡ σύμπραξις εἰς τόν τομέα τῆς οἰκολογίας ἐνισχύει τήν αἴσθησιν τῆς κοινῆς εὐθύνης διά τήν πορείαν πρός τό μέλλον καί δημιουργεῖ νέας εὐνοϊκάς προοπτικάς.

Ἐπανερχόμενοι εἰς ὅσα ἀνεφέρομεν εἰς παλαιότερον Μήνυμά μας, καλοῦμεν ἐκ νέου τάς ἀνά τήν οἰκουμένην Ἐπαρχίας τῆς Μητρός Ἐκκλησίας, τάς ἐνορίας καί τάς ἱεράς Μονάς, νά ἀναπτύξουν συντονισμένας δράσεις καί συγκεκριμένας παρεμ-βάσεις διά τήν κινητοποίησιν τῶν πιστῶν, μετ᾿ ἐμφάσεως εἰς τήν διαπαιδαγώγησιν τῆς νέας γενεᾶς. Ἡ ἐφαρμογή τῶν οἰκολογικῶν συνεπειῶν τῆς πίστεώς μας ἐν τῇ πράξει ἀποτελεῖ καθοριστικήν διάστασιν τῆς Ὀρθοδόξου ἡμῶν ἰδιοπροσωπίας.

Ἐν τῷ πνεύματι τούτῳ, εὐχόμενοι πρός πάντας ὑμᾶς αἴσιον καί πολύκαρπον ἐν ἔργοις ἀγαθοῖς καί θεαρέστοις τόν νέον ἐκκλησιαστικόν ἐνιαυτόν, καλοῦμεν τά ἀνά τήν ὑφήλιον τέκνα τῆς Ἁγίας τοῦ Χριστοῦ Μεγάλης Ἐκκλησίας νά ζοῦν οἰκοφιλικῶς καί φιλαδέλφως, νά προσεύχωνται διά τήν κτίσιν καί τήν εἰρήνην, νά ἀγωνίζωνται διά τήν ἀκεραιότητα τοῦ φυσικοῦ περιβάλλοντος καί τήν ἀειφορίαν, καθώς καί διά τήν ἐμπέδωσιν τοῦ πολιτισμοῦ τῆς ἀλληλεγγύης, καί ἐπικαλούμεθα ἐφ᾿ ὑμᾶς, μεσιτείᾳ καί προστασίᾳ τῆς Παναγίας Θεοτόκου τῆς Παμμακαρίστου, τήν ζείδωρον χάριν καί τό μέγα ἔλεος τοῦ πανσθενοῦς Κτίστου τῶν ἁπάντων καί παντελεήμονος Θεοῦ τῆς ἀγάπης.

Εὐλογημένον ἐκκλησιαστικόν ἔτος, ἀδελφοί καί τέκνα ἐν Κυρίῳ!

,βκε’ Σεπτεμβρίου α’

Ὁ Κωνσταντινουπόλεως

διάπυρος πρός Θεόν εὐχέτης πάντων ὑμῶν»