On Tuesday, February 10, 2026, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew attended the Divine Liturgy held at the Chapel of Saint Charalambos, within the Patriarchal complex in Phanar. This day is dedicated to the memory of Saint Hieromartyr Charalambos, known for his miracles, and the Chapel, which houses a holy spring, attracts multitudes of faithful each year. His All-Holiness actively participated in the liturgy, praying alongside the priests and faithful, honoring one of Orthodoxy’s most important saints.
Read: Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew: Humility is grace, wisdom, strength, and peace
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew’s message for World Greek Language Day celebration
The previous day, Monday February 9, Patriarch Bartholomew attended the Greek Consulate General’s event in Constantinople, celebrating World Greek Language Day. The event took place at the Community Cultural Center in the historic Galata Civic School building, with historian and professor emeritus Maria Efthymiou as the keynote speaker for the second consecutive year. In his address, His All-Holiness emphasized the decisive role of the Greek language in global intellectual culture, literature, and sciences, characterizing it as the “mother tongue of the spirit.” As he stated: “We honor the ‘mother tongue of the spirit,’ which has offered countless and invaluable contributions to global intellectual culture, literature, and sciences.” He made special reference to the relationship between Greek language and Christian theology: “It is not coincidental that Greek became the axial language of Christian theology. Through it, the Church expressed its faith and addressed broader circles,” he emphasized. His All-Holiness explained that the Church Fathers achieved something unique: they combined philosophical language with theological teaching without “Hellenizing” Christianity, simultaneously creating a universal dimension of Greek thought that has been preserved to this day.
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew: Language and faith are the core of Greek identity
In his speech, the Patriarch emphasized that the Greek language and Orthodox faith constitute the core of the Nation’s spiritual and cultural identity: “The Church, from the early Christian times until today, contributed decisively to the formation, preservation, and dissemination of the Greek language. Through its worship, hymnology, and theology, our language lives today in ecclesiastical services, connecting us with the past.” He also referenced the words of Zissimos Lorentzatos: “Only through our faith and language have we been saved until today, and only through these two will we be saved tomorrow.” “Never in our Nation’s history has the lamp of ancient Greek spirit been extinguished. It constitutes a real miracle that this lamp was placed upon the lampstand by Fathers and Teachers of the Church. Our people lived their Greekness together with the experience of Orthodoxy. And today, as the blessed Metropolitan of Pergamon John writes, ‘the more we draw from ourselves and our Greekness, the more we drink the water of Orthodoxy,'” he continued.
His All-Holiness also noted that the Greek language remains a source of inspiration for the entire world, as works of ancient philosophers and poets are studied and discussed in libraries throughout the world, while Greek words and terms continue to permeate scientific terminology internationally: “We are certain that you all feel proud of our language, the language of our ancestors and ours, the language of the indigenous inhabitants of the City of Constantine, the language of the Diaspora, which is the bearer and expression of the character and civilization of the person, of freedom as faith and love in their indissoluble unity. We boast about the magnificent language in which incomparable and unrepeatable works were written. This language, even in our time, constitutes a source of inspiration and compass of spiritual orientation for countless fellow humans throughout the world. We rejoice that the works of Ancient philosophers and poets adorn the libraries of the world, are studied and discussed, for the fact that thousands of Greek and Greek-derived words and terms are found in the terminology of sciences and in the languages of the world.”
The Patriarch congratulated the Greek Consul General in Constantinople, Mr. Konstantinos Koutras, for the initiative of the event, who in turn emphasized the global recognition of the Greek language’s contribution, while making special reference to the work of the Community Educational Institutions of Constantinople and Imbros, as well as the substantial contribution of the educators working in them. He wished for the reopening of the Holy Theological School of Halki. Subsequently, His All-Holiness congratulated the President of the Galata Civic School Foundation, Mrs. Mary Komorosano, while warmly welcoming Mrs. Maria Efthymiou, regarding the theme of this year’s lecture “Roman – Romios: historical coordinates of a designation.” “For us, the concepts of Romios and Romiosyne express the universality of the Greek spirit in conjunction with Orthodox Christian universality,” the Patriarch emphasized. The event was also attended by Hierarchs of the Throne, Official Archons, teachers from community schools, and many people who honored both the language and the faith that keep Greek identity alive in the City.
