The proceedings of the present Conference were announced by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who delivered an opening address.

“Any attempt to challenge the Autocephaly of the Church of Ukraine undermines inter-Orthodox peace and hinders cooperation and common witness of the Orthodox Churches,” Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew said at the beggining of his speech.

Moreover, in his speech, the Ecumenical Patriarch underlined the multidimensional contribution of the Holy Theological School of Chalki to the Church and theology, and its importance for the Ecumenical Patriarchate as “it was the theological ‘headquarters’ of the Great Church’ (of Constantinople).”

“The ‘spirit of Chalki’, as this spirit of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, was the incarnation of unshakable faithfulness to the dogmatic, liturgical and canonical tradition of the Church,” he stated. “It was evident that the professors of Chalki should participate in the events of the Patriarchate, as theological advisers, as members of Committees, as special rapporteurs, as defenders of its rights. The School ‘feeds’ the Holy Church of Christ with highly trained, dynamic and dedicated members. Its graduates entered the Patriarchal Court and they were the future bishops, the spiritual leadership of the Church. And it is certain that Chalki gave them the necessary spiritual knowledge and the necessary qualifications to master the ‘ethos of the Phanar’,” he added among other things.

“The holy mission of the Church is not promoted on the basis of an ‘introverted’ theology and spirituality, which ignore or reject the world in order to preserve intact the orthodoxy and purity of the faith,” he stressed.

“A spirit of love, solidarity and dialogue was taught in Chalki by the brothers of the same family, behind the desk and the pew, in the communal everyday life and the simplicity of life. Theology was existential and empirical knowledge, it was the answer to the spiritual quests of man, inspiration and impulse for good testimony in order to habe hope and a good and fruitful ecclesiastical ministry.

We know that without the initiatives of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, not only Orthodoxy, but also the image of the Christian world would be different. And today, the Holy Great Church of Christ is dynamically expanding its pan-Orthodox responsibility, by intervening, when circumstances require it, in order to solve long-standing or new matters that arise,” he concluded.

Then, greetings were addressed by the President of the Ephorate of the School, Elder Metropolitan Apostolos of Derkoi, The Abbot of the Holy Trinity Monastery, Bishop Kassianos of Aravissos, the President of the Estia Centre of theologians of Chalki, Professor Mr. Nikolaos Xexakis, as well as representatives of the local Orthodox Autocephalous Churches and the Holy Community of Mount Athos.

The papers of the elected delegates followed, as well as discussions, while the conclusion and selective remarks were delivered by Elder Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon, President of the Committee on Interorthodox Issues of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

Also present were representatives of the Churches of Alexandria, Serbia, Cyprus, Greece, Poland and Ukraine, a representative of the Holy Community of Mount Athos, the local Hierarchy of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Archon Officials of the Ecumenical Throne, the Consul of Greece in Constantinople, graduates of the Theological School, Professors of Greek and European Universities, representatives of organisations and Theological Academies.

During the course of the conference, the Ecumenical Patriarch presented honorary plaques to the President, Natalia Poulou, and the Director, Flora Karagianni, of the European Centre for Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Monuments, as well as to Ms. Irini Vantaraki, for all their contribution and assistance to the work of the Theological School of Chalki.