ELCA NEWS SERVICE February 2, 2004 ELCA, LWF Leaders Visit Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch in Istanbul 04-014-JB ISTANBUL, Turkey (ELCA) -- The presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) praised His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Batholomew for his great concern for care of the environment, and said that people of faith appreciate the patriarch's leadership often carried out "in the face of adversity." The Rev. Mark S. Hanson and a 14-member joint ELCA-Lutheran World Federation (LWF) delegation met with Bartholomew for about 45 minutes Jan. 28 here at the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Hanson also made the visit in his role as LWF president. He was accompanied by the Rev. Ishmael Noko, LWF general secretary, Geneva, Switzerland. Bartholomew is the world leader of Orthodox Christians, which include churches such as Greek Orthodox, Syrian Orthodox and Antiochan Orthodox churches. Among patriarchs who lead the many Orthodox churches, Bartholomew is considered "first among equals." The ELCA group was originally scheduled to visit Orthodox leaders here as part of the presiding bishop's March 2003 ecumenical journey, which included meetings with world church leaders in Geneva, Rome and London. But the group postponed its trip here until 2004 because of security concerns related to the start of the U.S.-led war with Iraq. The January trip here was not announced in advance because of those concerns. During the audience Bartholomew, Hanson and Noko exchanged formal statements, and Bartholomew described his trip to dedicate an Orthodox church building in Cuba, from which he returned earlier in the same week. "I am here to witness to the growing unity we have in Christ," Hanson said in his statement. He said the LWF Assembly in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in July 2003, with the theme "For the Healing of the World," focused on justice and peace and the healing of divisions within the church. In his role as ELCA presiding bishop, Hanson said he has "come to appreciate all the more that Lutherans and Orthodox have much that binds us together." He noted that followers of Martin Luther hoped to forge strong ties with Constantinople (Istanbul) and that key agreements have been reached in the U.S. Lutheran- Orthodox dialogue. Bartholomew is known in many circles as the "Green Patriarch" because of his emphasis on care of the environment. Hanson presented Bartholomew with a copy of the ELCA social statement on the environment, "Caring for Creation: Vision, Hope and Justice." He also presented the ecumenical patriarch with a glass mosaic of the ELCA emblem. "The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) wishes to strengthen its partnership with Orthodox sisters and brothers in all places and in all ways," said the Rev. Ishmael Noko, LWF general secretary, in his remarks. A strengthened partnership, said Noko, would contribute "to the accomplishment of our efforts in all areas where churches struggle with serious challenges in the world." The LWF and the Ecumenical Patriarchate share similar concerns and commitments regarding conflict resolution and peace building, Noko said. He underlined the patriarch's "strong dedication to the cause of protecting God's creation as it has been entrusted to us for good stewardship, with respect for all life and its environment." "It is a pleasure and a blessing at the same time to come together as Christian brothers and sisters," Bartholomew said in his remarks to the Lutherans. "We really appreciate your visit to our church which is an expression of the long and good relationship between our two churches." The Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarchate has existed for 1,700 years, he said. For many centuries, the Orthodox Church was the "center" of all Christianity, and today it is still the center of Orthodoxy, Bartholomew said. The Orthodox Church responds to a variety of human needs and seeks justice for all, Bartholomew said. "Moreover, we work against all kinds of violence including terrorism," he said. "It is not surprising that the Ecumenical Patriarchate has been working for the peaceful coexistence of religious communities here and abroad. We have been living in a predominantly Muslim environment for centuries and our Patriarchate has always encouraged people to live together in peace and harmony, independently of their differences in race, religion and culture." On Christian unity, the ecumenical patriarch noted that such relationships can be difficult to develop. "Nevertheless, we have found good partners in this journey among the Evangelical Lutheran Church," he said. "We thank God for all the progress we have made together so far. It's always been a pleasure for us to be with you, to have a theological dialogue with you and to share with you not only our knowledge but also our spiritual experience." Bartholomew said Lutherans and Orthodox members should "join our spiritual forces so as to work constructively and fruitfully" on environmental matters. "We take your visit as an opportunity to demonstrate our brotherly love to you and to renew our commitment to the continuation of our common spiritual journey toward unity," Bartholomew concluded. LWF President, Cuba Visit, Monastery Noted Following the exchange of statements, Bartholomew spoke informally to the Lutherans. "It seems providential that you would come here in another capacity," Bartholomew told Hanson. Since the postponement of the originally scheduled visit here last March, Hanson was elected LWF president and now represents 63 million Lutherans worldwide, including the 5-million member ELCA. When he was a young bishop, Bartholomew said he visited the ELCA churchwide office in Chicago, and in 1995, he visited the LWF in Geneva as ecumenical patriarch. Through the LWF Lutherans are involved in an international theological dialogue with Orthodox Christians, and in North America the ELCA is in a dialogue with the Orthodox. Bartholomew noted the "longstanding" relationship of the Orthodox with Lutheran "brothers and sisters" and said he encouraged the dialogues "as a continuation of our relationship and fellowship in Christ." Bartholomew said he was personally received by Cuban President Fidel Castro, who offered to translate some Orthodox theological books into Spanish and proposed opening an Orthodox seminary in Cuba, at which students would be trained in Spanish. Bartholomew called that "a happy surprise" and said the proposal was welcome, but he said it is also very important for an Orthodox monastery on Halki Island near Istanbul to reopen first before establishing a seminary in Cuba. The ELCA group visited the Halki Island monastery, known as the Holy Monastery of St. Trinity, Jan. 29. The monastery, which has trained Orthodox clergy for centuries, has been closed since 1971, though a small staff remains there to host scholars who use the library. A grade school is also operated there. The monastery was closed 33 years ago by a government order which outlawed privately operated universities, said Metropolitan Apostolos Daniilidis, monastery abbot. Since then the Orthodox Church has been working with the government in hopes of reopening the monastery to seminary students, he said. -- -- -- Presiding Bishop Hanson's formal statement to His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is at http://www.elca.org/bishop/messages.html on the ELCA Web site. Information about Lutheran-Orthodox dialogues can be found on the Department for Ecumenical Affairs home page at http://www.elca.org/ea on the ELCA Web site. For information contact: John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask] http://www.elca.org/news