Bartholomew I
Ecumenical Patriarch since 1991. He convoked and chaired the council of Orthodox churches on Crete in 2016, granted autocephaly to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine in 2019, and prayed with Pope Leo XIV at Nicaea in 2025.
Dimitrios Archontonis was born on the island of Imbros on 29 February 1940 (Ecumenical Patriarchate, Biography of Patriarch Bartholomew). He was ordained a deacon in 1961 and a priest in 1969, became metropolitan of Philadelphia in 1973 and of Chalcedon in 1990, and was elected Ecumenical Patriarch on 22 October 1991 (Ecumenical Patriarchate, Biography of Patriarch Bartholomew).
The encyclical of the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church names him as the one who convoked the council and carries his signature as chairman (Holy and Great Council, Encyclical preamble and signatures). The tomos of 6 January 2019, issued in his name as archbishop of Constantinople and Ecumenical Patriarch, declared the Orthodox Church in Ukraine autocephalous (Tomos of Autocephaly of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine (2019) opening, paragraph 2 and signatures); the synod of the Russian Orthodox Church had declared communion with his patriarchate impossible in October 2018 (Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, Statement of 15 October 2018 closing paragraphs). See Constantinople Grants Autocephaly to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
On 28 November 2025 he and Pope Leo XIV prayed together at İznik, where, the pope said, Bartholomew had decided the anniversary of Nicaea should be kept (Leo XIV, Address at İznik (28 November 2025)). The two signed a joint declaration at the Phanar the next day (Joint Declaration of Leo XIV and Bartholomew I (2025) bulletin); see the Churches Mark 1,700 Years since Nicaea.
In the timeline
- June 2016, firm dateThe Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church
After decades of preparation a council of the Orthodox churches meets on Crete under the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. Ten of the fourteen autocephalous churches take part; Antioch, Bulgaria, Georgia and Russia stay away, having asked for it to be postponed.
- 6 January 2019, firm dateConstantinople Grants Autocephaly to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine
The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew hands Metropolitan Epiphanius a tomos declaring the Orthodox Church in Ukraine autocephalous. The Moscow Patriarchate, which counts Ukraine as its own canonical territory, has already broken communion with Constantinople over the decision.
- 28 November 2025, firm dateThe Churches Mark 1,700 Years since Nicaea
Pope Leo XIV, the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and leaders of other churches pray together at İznik, the ancient Nicaea, and profess the creed. The next day pope and patriarch sign a declaration naming the faith of Nicaea as what binds Christians together.
Primary sources
Encyclical of the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church
- Holy and Great Council, Encyclical preamble and signaturesholycouncil.org