Photo: Archons of ecumenical patriarchy.
His ecumenical patriarch all Holiness Bartholomew has repeatedly addressed the affirmation that theology and science are in conflict, and has explainIn an address on the great feast of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ in 2024, that it is not only a false hypothesis that there is an incompatibility between them, but that they are “two great forces which serve humanity”.
The ecumenical patriarch elaborate On this point in December 2023, during the 3rd international conference on “Bioethics and Young People” at the Phanar: “It is written that the discussion on modern bioethical dilemmas between the Church and science reminds the Church of confrontation with the revolutions in the field of natural sciences, associated with the name of Newton and Darwin. Bioethical problems.
In accordance with these principles, the ecumenical patriarch has maintained throughout its long and fruitful ministry that those who devoted their lives to the service of all-powerful God and His Holy Church must be completely informed of the events of this world and the concerns of the people.
His all resistance reminded us of this in his celebration of the Nativity in 2024, when he declared: “We said it a few decades ago, as we mentioned on another occasion, that the theologian and the priest had to hold” the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other “. This means that, alongside theology, it is essential to remain informed of the questions of the world, to understand the needs and the existential aspirations of modern humanity, to resolve the social problems and to listen to the Spirit and to listen to trends shaping civilization.
In accordance with this need for the clergy to know the questions of this world, the ecumenical patriarch stressed that “the dialogue between theology and science should not be a confrontation between adversaries but a collaboration between two great forces which serve humanity. It should be a partnership, not a rivalry. ” He stressed that the ecumenical patriarchy “has never been a defender of an orthodoxy turned inward or closed, because it follows the words of the Lord:” a city fixed on a hill cannot be hidden “. (Matthew 5:14).
The ecumenical patriarchy, said that his mastery, “has never fixed in a conservative way on the past but, with the certainty that tradition is the very life of the Church in its continuity and uninterrupted cohesion, it proclaimed the Gospel of freedom in Christ to the present day.”
This opening, he said, must be true of the Church as a whole: “Introduction and insularity, each time they appear, reflect an inner distortion of the life and spirituality of the Church. The causes and effects of such a condition are difficult to resolve, because they are often not recognized as a risk. “
The ecumenical patriarch too radius Likewise on the way in which theology must not only be open to science, but science must be open to theology, because a materialist vision of the world does not answer questions from human existence or does not satisfy the hunger of the soul: “Our life can be prolonged, but it does not automatically make a deeper meaning. In depth, but that has not resolved the problem of evil, which is rooted in human freedom.
Consequently, the ecumenical patriarch concluded: “We are sure that religions will have an important role to play in the treatment of existential dilemmas. Religions are associated with the brightest aspects of our existence, our charity and the ministry, religious art, the hope of eternity, respect for the human person, and the deep anthropological division. Is it not their essence, but an expression of their alienation. The objective is that religion contributes to the elevation of man, to the emergence of his eternal destiny, to peace and reconciliation. »»
The archons of ecumenical patriarchy, in their work to support and defend ecumenical patriarchy and protect religious freedom, offer a contribution to this peace and to this reconciliation.