Washington, D.C., September 16, 2025
orthodoxobserver.org
Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople met privately with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office yesterday, September 15, accompanied by Archbishop Elpidophoros of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and other hierarchs and clerics, reports the Archdiocese’s Orthodox Observer.
The Patriarch arrived in America on Sunday evening and will remain until September 25. His schedule includes meeting with various politicians, luncheons and banquets in his honor, and visits to a few churches.
The main purpose of his visit is to receive the 2025 Templeton Prize. According to the John Templeton Foundation, the Patriarch “has been awarded the 2025 Templeton Prize for his pioneering efforts to bridge scientific and spiritual understandings of humanity’s relationship with the natural world, bringing together people of different faiths to heed a call for stewardship of creation.” The prize carries an award of approximately $1.4 million USD.
Pat. Bartholomew described the meeting as “warm, cordial,” and “sincere” during a press conference at a nearby hotel. “We discussed issues that concern us the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the few Christians that remain in Turkey, the hardships they face, the difficulties, the persecutions, but also the fact that despite all these we survive and we continue to carry out our mission,” he told reporters.
The discussion covered several pressing issues, including the war in Ukraine and the Patriarchate’s 2019 granting of the tomos of autocephaly to the “Orthodox Church of Ukraine,” (which is considered schismatic by the majority of the Orthodox world).
The leaders also addressed the continuous decrease of Christians in the Middle East and their fear that the holy places will eventually remain without Christians. Pat. Bartholomew discussed the indefinite closure of the Theological School of Halki with President Trump, expressing hope for a positive result through dialogue with the current government.
During his remarks to the press, the Patriarch outlined the remainder of his Apostolic Visit to the United States, which runs from September 14-25. “In the next days we will have other meetings, here in Washington, in New York. We will receive the Templeton Prize, which is one of the greatest prizes in the world for religion, for spirituality,” said His All-Holiness.
Regarding the itinerary for the rest of his visit to America, Pat. Bartholomew said: “We will speak to the students, to the professors, we will meet the Greek American community, we will celebrate the Liturgy, we will pray together, we will glorify the name of God.”
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