CONSTANTINOPLE – The Feast of the Indiction marking the beginning of the New Ecclesiastical Year was celebrated with splendor and according to the long-standing ecclesiastical order and tradition at the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The day was also dedicated to the Protection of the Creation of God – the natural Environment – the protection of which Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is a pioneer.

His All Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch officiated during the Divine Liturgy at the Patriarchal Church of St. George, with the participation of many hierarchs who are members of the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate, hierarchs of the Phanar and abroad, including His Eminence Archbishop Nektarios of Anthidon, Patriarchal Representative of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Constantinople.

At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy the Service of the Indiction took place, during which the Patriarchal Prayer was offered for the new Indiction. Then His All Holiness signed the special Codex of the Great Church and subsequently all the co-officiating hierarchs signed as well according to their seniority.

In his Message, the Ecumenical Patriarch pointed out that in our time, “the natural environment is threatened more than ever in the history of mankind.”

His All Holiness emphasized that the protection of the common good, of the whole natural environment, is a common responsibility of all the inhabitants of the earth.

The Ecumenical Patriarch then said that it is inconceivable to make economic decisions without taking into account their ecological implications, and makes it clear that the future of humanity is not that of ‘homo oeconomicus’.

In another instance His All Holiness emphasized that the environmental activities of the Ecumenical Patriarchate are an extension of his ecclesiological self-consciousness and are not an occasional reaction to a new phenomenon.

Concluding, he urged Orthodox young men and women “to realize the importance of living as faithful Christians and modern people, as faith in Christ inspires and strengthens human effort in the face of even the greatest difficulties.”

On the eve of the Feast of the Indiction, the Ecumenical Patriarch officiated at the Vespers service that took place at the Monastery of Zoodochos Pege in Valoukli, in the presence of many Hierarchs, clergy, and the faithful.