Phanar head criticizes trade system at World Policy Conference

A speech of Patriarch Bartholomew at a political forum. Photo: the press service of the Constantinople Church

On April 24, 2026, the head of the Constantinople Church, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew participated in the international "World Policy Conference" held in the city of Chantilly in France, reports the official website of the Constantinople Patriarchate.

Speaking about the state of the world economy, Bartholomew said: "The international trading system, which could be a means of peaceful cooperation, tends to transform into a collection of sometimes competitive regional blocs, structured around dominant powers. In this context, the universality of law is weakened and the feeling of injustice is intensified."

According to him, the "global governance system appears deeply weakened." "Despite the proliferation of international organizations, we do not see greater unity, but rather increasing complexity, sometimes bordering on fragmentation. This network of institutions, if not guided by a common moral vision, risks becoming a new Tower of Babel: a multiplicity of voices without real harmony," said the head of Phanar. He called the reform of international institutions an "urgent necessity."

Touching on social issues, Bartholomew reminded the participants about his own initiatives in the field of ecology and "protection of God's creation."

Concluding his speech, the Patriarch addressed the audience with the words: "History is not determined solely by economic forces or power dynamics. It is also shaped by human freedom: the capacity to choose, to transform, to forgive, and to cooperate."

The name of Jesus Christ was not mentioned in Patriarch Bartholomew's speech at the forum.

Earlier, the UOJ wrote that Patriarch Bartholomew cited ecology as justification for the Tomos of the OCU.

Read also