Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew spoke of “the wound of Orthodoxy” and described ethnophyletism as “a great danger”.

“First of all, we are Orthodox, and then Greeks, Russians, Bulgarians, Ukrainians and everything else,” he said during an interview on a Greek radio station in Australia. He pointed out, “Since the fall of communism, there is a resurgence of ethnophyletism in the Church world.”

Moreover, he stressed the need to respect traditions by sounding the alarm about the future of Europe. “It is our duty, as representatives of the Churches, to make greater efforts to ensure that Europeans follow the teachings of the Gospel in their everyday life. We must not cut off from our roots and not forget that Christianity is the foundation of the European civilisation,” he said.

Church of Hagia Sophia belongs to all humanity

The Ecumenical Patriarch opposed the conversion of the Church of Hagia Sophia into a mosque. “Hagia Sophia belongs to all humanity,” he added, “and for us, it will always be a historic, traditional, and glorious Christian Church. We want it to remain a museum so that people from all over the world will continue to admire it.”

The Ecumenical Patriarch also referred to several issues of modern life, such as scientific discoveries and fake news. “We want everything to be done in moderation […] Moderation is the best thing.” In particular, he referred to the cloning of Dolly the sheep, which is “an abuse of science and technology.” He also spoke of fake news in the Church world. “It is a sin to mislead people with fake news,” he said.