Washington, D.C., became a focal point on Monday afternoon as Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew met former U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House.
The meeting, held in the Oval Office at 2 p.m. local time, centered on safeguarding the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s global role and the importance of protecting religious freedoms. The Patriarch raised critical concerns affecting the Church, while both leaders discussed strengthening interfaith dialogue.
Bartholomew, accompanied by Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, Metropolitans Theodoritos of Laodicea and Maximos of Selyvria, and Grand Ecclesiarch Father Aetios, was warmly received by White House protocol officer Monica Crowley.
Following the talks, he laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington alongside General Andrew Poppas. His schedule includes a State Department dinner, a bipartisan luncheon with House Speaker Mike Johnson, and a reception at Saint Catherine’s parish in Virginia. On Thursday, he will visit Saint Nicholas Church at Ground Zero in New York, meet young Orthodox faithful, honor 9/11 rescuers, and hold discussions with UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
The visit will culminate with the Templeton Prize ceremony on September 24 at Lincoln Center, attended by figures such as Jane Goodall, Al Gore, and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Bartholomew will also take part in World Cleanup Day at the Hamptons and will preside over a Divine Liturgy with hierarchs from across America.
