Patriarch Bartholomew honored for climate protection and ecumenical efforts

Patriarch Bartholomew. Photo: Delfi

On 10 April 2025, the John Templeton Foundation announced that the 2025 Templeton Prize would be awarded to Bartholomew, head of the Church of Constantinople. The Patriarch was awarded for his "pioneering efforts to bridge scientific and spiritual understandings of humanity’s relationship with the natural world".

Representatives of the Foundation especially highlighted the Patriarch’s environmental initiatives and his numerous ecumenical and interreligious efforts both within and beyond the Abrahamic traditions.

The statement also emphasised Patriarch Bartholomew’s stance on the issues of “Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”.

The official award ceremony is set to take place in New York in September 2025.

The Templeton Prize is considered one of the most prestigious honors in the field of religion. Its first recipient in 1973 was Mother Teresa. Subsequent laureates have included the 14th Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, King Abdullah II of Jordan, and other prominent religious and public figures.

It is worth recalling that Patriarch Bartholomew recently stated that there was no true schism between Rome and Constantinople in 1054, but rather “tensions that intensified over time”.

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