What other concerns comprise priorities for Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew?
A. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has provided support for countries, which were long under the oppression of the Iron Curtain. He has visited Moslem nations, previously never visited by Christian heads of Churches, advocating religious tolerance. Moreover, his pioneering initiatives for the preservation of the natural environment have earned him the title “Green Patriarch.” He organized five environmental seminars at Halki in co-sponsorship with His Royal Highness Prince Philip (1994-1998). He also established the Religious and Scientific Committee, which has organized six international, interfaith and interdisciplinary seaborne symposia to date: Patmos and the Mediterranean (1995), the Black Sea (1997), the Danube River (1999), the Adriatic Sea (2002), the Baltic Sea (2003), and the Amazon River (2006).
