With deep spiritual reverence and a profound theological perspective, the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew emphasizes in his Christmas message the fundamental significance of the Incarnation of the Divine Word as an event of existential participation in the divine economy. He emphasizes that Christmas is not merely an emotional experience, but a transformative entry into the path of divinization through grace.
The Patriarch emphasizes the contrast between advances in science and technology and the spiritual dimension of human existence. While recognizing scientific knowledge as a divine gift, he warns against the dangers of scientism and critically addresses the concept of the “post-human” and the limits of artificial intelligence. The Church, he notes, is not technophobic, but approaches technological progress with discernment and responsibility.
The message also draws attention to the need for peace in a world marked by violence, social injustice, and a crisis of values. The Ecumenical Patriarch calls the faithful to seek salvation through the mystery of the God-Man, recalling that the Incarnation of Christ brings truth and bridges the gap between heaven and earth.
He concludes with a message of hope and prayer, expressing his heartfelt wishes for a blessed Christmas and a New Year filled with peace, health, and spiritual abundance.
Read below the Christmas message of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew
Most Reverend Hierarchs and Beloved Children in the Lord,
By divine grace we have once again reached the glorious day of the Incarnation of the Word of God, who came to earth and dwelt among us “out of his infinite love for mankind. With psalms, hymns, and inexpressible joy, we honor the great mystery of the Incarnation, “the most recent of all things, the only new thing under the sun,” through which the path to divinization by grace is opened to man and the whole of creation is renewed.
Christmas is not just an experience of fleeting emotions that “come quickly and pass even more quickly”. It is an existential participation in the whole event of the divine economy. As the Evangelist Matthew testifies, from the very beginning the leaders of the world sought to destroy the Divine Child. For the faithful, along with the “Christ is born” of the feast of the Incarnation of the Son and Word of God the Father, and the sorrowful bells of the Passion, the “Christ is risen” always resounds, the Gospel message of victory over death and the hope of a common resurrection.
“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace” is heard again in a world filled with violence, social injustice and the degradation of human dignity. The remarkable progress of science and technology does not reach the depths of the human soul, because man is always more than what science can conceive and more than what technological progress aims to achieve. The gap between heaven and earth in human existence cannot be bridged scientifically.
Today, the discourse on the “post-human” and the praise of artificial intelligence resonate. Certainly, the dream of the “superhuman” is not new.The idea of the “post-human” is based on technological progress and on providing man with unprecedented means to transcend human limits. The Church is not technophobic.It approaches scientific knowledge as a “gift of God to man”, without ignoring or hiding the dangers of scientism.
The critical question of how to preserve the “culture of the person” in the midst of technological culture’s developments has been answered once and for all in the mystery of the Incarnation.The Word of God became flesh, for the darkness is passed away, and the true light already shines. “
Brothers and children in the Lord,
Bowing devoutly before the Theotokos, we wish you all a blessed Christmas and a peaceful, healthy and spiritually fruitful New Year.
Christmas 2024
The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople
Bartholomew
Photo: Nikos Papachristou / Translated by Ioanna Georgakopoulou
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