Bartholoméo Ier, un patriarche
Jacques Debs
2003 - 67 min - Beta numérique - Couleur - France

Why a film about Bartholomew the first, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople ? The Yugoslavian wars have shown us brutally the orthodox and Muslim parts in Europe. These wars have de-stabilised our continent, and rare were the personalities urging for peace which were actually noticed. Today, Bartholomew the first, incarnates with his charisma, dynamism, youth and modern spirit the wish for peace. Bartholomew is at the centre of a complex game of international politics.
He is the only one of his peers to have a transnational voice. He is one of the few to maintain a fruitful dialogue with Protestants and Catholics alike. As a Turkish citizen of Greek origin he is one of the issues of the conflict between Greece and Turkey. Unlike some others, including some Orthodox Christians from Serbia and Russia, the Yugoslavian wars inspired him to lead a vigorous campaign for peace.
A serious analysis of the Orthodox world soon reveals that Bartholomew stands at the crossroads of the Greek, Muslim, Slavic and Western worlds. By virtue of the authority he enjoys in the USA, Western Europe and Australia and through his campaign for peace in the Balkans, it can be deduced that Bartholomew is a "modernistic" and "reforming" Orthodox Patriarch.