November 2, 2009
Orthodox head brings 'green' views to D.C.
by Julia Duin
The Washington Times
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual head of the world's 250 million to 300 million Orthodox Christians, arrived in Washington on Sunday night bearing the standard as the world's foremost religious leader on environmental issues.
But one of his first tasks in the areawill be a visit to a Greek Orthodox parish in Annapolis on Monday, where he will celebrate the 18th anniversary of his enthronement to his Istanbul-based See.
"It's like the pope coming to our church," says the Rev. Kosmas Karavellas, protopresbyter (pastor) of Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church on Riva Road, who will also host a dinner for 500 guests. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our church."
The 69-year-old patriarch, who has been touring the United States since Oct. 20, spent the first five days of his 18-day visit leading a "Religion, Science and the Environment" symposium in New Orleans. It is the most recent of many efforts that have earned him the sobriquet of the "green patriarch." During a 1997 trip to the United States, he hosted an environmental summit in Santa Barbara, Calif., where he called the destruction of the environment "a sin" and offered "a vision of repentance" for those who have acted as "materialistic tyrants" toward God's creation.
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