Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew met with the President of the United States Donald J. Trump at the White House on Monday. This is the sixth American head of state with whom the head of the Patriarchate of Constantinople has held an official meeting. The conversation took place in the Oval Office and lasted more than half an hour. President Trump showed special interest in the missionary activity of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, as well as in the situation of Christian communities in Turkey.
Patriarch Bartholomew congratulated the American president on his efforts in favor of international peace, with a special emphasis on the situation in Ukraine. The two also discussed the situation of Christians in the Middle East.
Among the topics of the meeting was the upcoming visit of Pope Leo XIV to Turkey in connection with the celebration of the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea. US Vice President J.D. Vance, who is a Roman Catholic by religion, also expressed interest in the event, the official statement of the patriarchate says.
The Ecumenical Patriarch expressed his condolences to President Trump for the murder of his friend and collaborator Charlie Kirk.
The meeting was attended by the American Archbishop Elpidophoros (Ecumenical Patriarchate), Metropolitan Theodoret of Laodicea (representative of the Patriarchate in Athens) and Maximus of Silivria, as well as representatives of the patriarchal office. On the American side, the president was accompanied by Vice President Vance, Reince Priebus, a member of the Advisory Council on Intelligence, and Michael Kratzis, a scientific advisor to the president.
Immediately after the meeting with Donald Trump, Patriarch Bartholomew announced the news that Pope Leo XIV would visit the patriarchate on the day of its throne feast, November 30, and immediately before that, together with Patriarch Bartholomew, they would make a joint visit to Nicaea, where the First Ecumenical Council was held. Patriarch Bartholomew emphasized that US Vice President J.D. Vance had shown particular interest, noting that “Rome and Constantinople are the two great centers of Christianity.” The official statement from the patriarchate emphasized that Vance, a Roman Catholic by confession, had expressed his readiness to support the initiative.
A special Vatican delegation arrived later in Istanbul to hold talks with the Turkish Foreign Ministry to prepare for the visit. As the head of state of the Vatican, the Pope will be greeted with strict diplomatic protocol. The delegation will discuss the Pope’s visit with representatives of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, as well as with the Catholic community in Turkey.
The Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate* reported the discussion between the Ecumenical Patriarch and the President included the Turkish government’s forced closure of the Theological School of Halki; both the Ecumenical Patriarch and President Trump expressed hope that “with the dialogue that has begun with the present government there will be a positive result.”
The Ecumenical Patriarch also stated that he and President Trump discussed the situation in Ukraine, including Russia’s unjustified and unprovoked war. His Holiness congratulated President Trump on his efforts to end wars around the world, particularly in Ukraine. His All-Holiness explained: “We also spoke about the tragedy of the Ukrainian people, about the Holodomor, about the oppression they suffered, about the present war that Russia has unleashed against Ukraine, about the thousands of victims, about the destruction, about the kidnapped children, about all these tragic events that wound the conscience of humanity.”
His All-Holiness and President Trump also discussed the persecution of Christians in the Middle East, noting the “continuous decrease of Christians in the Middle East” and expressing the “fear that if this continues, one day the holy places will remain without Christians.” They also spoke about the upcoming visit to Constantinople of Pope Leo XIV; the Ecumenical Patriarch explained: “The theological dialogue with Rome is special, but parallel to this theological dialogue we also carry out and promote the dialogue of love.”
* A devoted group of passionate leaders, relentlessly focused on protecting religious freedom for everyone and ensuring the future of the Ecumenical Patriarchate – the historical spiritual center of the world’s 300+ million Orthodox Christians.
