Following the historic meeting of the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church in Crete in June 2016, World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit met with His All Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, Archbishop of Constantinople, on 9 December 2016.

The meeting took place in link with Bartholomew marking 25 years as Archbishop of Constantinople and Ecumenical Patriarch, and a key focus was on the follow up on the Holy and Great Council, which was convened by the Ecumenical Patriarch, will mean for the common ecumenical journey forward.

“This is an opportunity to reaffirm and thank His All Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew for his contribution to Church unity, justice and peace in the world,” says Tveit.

Tveit said at the meeting “We have been blessed by your leadership, wisdom and humanitarian commitment to protect the environment and the right of God’s people for justice and peace. Your prayers and vision have been a constant source of inspiration and support for the WCC activities, especially those focused on promoting ecological and economic justice.”