Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople Initiates a Meeting of the Pentarchy

Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople has proposed a fraternal meeting with the primates of the Orthodox Churches of Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem. The event is scheduled for November 30, the feast day of the Church of Constantinople, and is aimed at jointly seeking solutions to the pressing challenges facing the Orthodox world.

Speaking in Budapest at the 27th International Congress of the Society for the Law of the Eastern Churches, Patriarch Bartholomew emphasized that this initiative stems from the special pastoral responsibility of the four ancient Patriarchates to preserve the apostolic faith. An important topic of discussion was the question of ecclesiastical primacy and the restoration of full Eucharistic communion with Rome. The Patriarch referred to the position of Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI), noting that the primacy of the Bishop of Rome must correspond to the model of the first millennium, functioning as a “primacy of service” within the communion of sister Churches, rather than as authority over them.

During his speech, special attention was given to the title “Patriarch of the West,” which was removed from the official directory, the *Annuario Pontificio*, in 2006 and reinstated in 2024. Patriarch Bartholomew described this decision as a positive and encouraging sign for the continuation of theological dialogue between the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches, noting that this title is intrinsically linked to the ancient institution of the Pentarchy.