The Halki Ecological Institute (June 5, 1999)

To the participants, facilitators, trainers, staff, organizers, volunteers, and sponsors of The Halki Ecological Institute, our Modesty's beloved spiritual children in the Lord: Grace and peace from God the Creator and our Lord Jesus Christ.

"And the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters."  [Genesis 1:2]

God, His Spirit hovering over the waters, moved beyond Himself in order to create from chaos all that is "good".  Out of His love, He created the cosmos in all its grandeur, grace, and beauty; and in this cosmos He envisioned a pure and harmonious world, a world of blessedness and abundance, and so He created it.  Despite the fact that humankind rejected and continues to reject this purpose and design, God remains faithful to His vision.  Although humankind has marred creation, stripping it of its original splendor by our carelessness, God continues to invite us back to Eden and forward to His Kingdom by showing us how to live these realities in the present.  Ultimately, this is the purpose of our life as God's servants.  Our sacramental life, ascetic practices, values, beliefs, and principles all serve to direct us along this path.  

Navigating through the turbulent waters of life, the Church seeks to collaborate with God in His work of creation by filling the "void" and shining forth the radiant light of Christ on the "darkness" that sin has brought upon the world.  This is why the Ecumenical Patriarchate over the past years has undertaken significant projects aimed at raising environmental awareness world wide and encouraging people locally to deal with the ecological problems they face, problems which are first and foremost spiritual.  The Halki Ecological Institute, an interdisciplinary learning opportunity for clergy, scientists, educators, journalists, and students, is one such initiative born of our previous multidisciplinary environmental consultations, in particular "Symposium II: 'The Black Sea in Crisis'."  Our aim is to establish an environmental network throughout the Black Sea region involving all these disciplines and so it is with great enthusiasm that the Ecumenical Patriarchate, in collaboration with the committee of "Religion, Science, and the Environment", launches this inaugural session of The Halki Ecological Institute.  We take profound spiritual pride in the institution of this new and bold environmental project and wish to commend and thank our Sister Orthodox Churches from around the Black Sea who have embraced this program from its inception and have worked closely with us in order to realize this objective.  We should also like to thank our sponsors, the coordinators and facilitators, and those who have worked tirelessly in the planning and organization of this Institute.  

We personally welcome each and every one of you to The Halki Ecological Institute and rejoice in this unique opportunity to explore the depths of the scientific and theological richness available to us.  As you embark on this journey of discovery and revelation, we pray that the grace of the Creator and Sustainer of "all things, seen and unseen" will continually guide you as you seek to enhance the beauty and wonder of His creation.

Bestowing upon you our paternal and patriarchal blessings, we invoke upon you, and the work of this Institute, the abundant grace of the Holy Spirit and the rich mercies of God.

At the Phanar, June 5, 1999

Your fervent supplicant before God,

+ Bartholomew
Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome
and Ecumenical Patriarch