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When Fr. Alexander Karloutsos speaks of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, he does so with a mixture of reverence and candor that befits a man who has spent more than half a century at the heart of the Greek Orthodox Church in America. Interviewed by Fr. Eugene Pappas for Cosmos FM’s 27th anniversary broadcast, Karloutsos—known simply as “Fr. Alex” to generations of Greek Americans—offered a sweeping account of the Ecumenical Patriarch’s upcoming 12-day visit to the United States, a journey he repeatedly described as “Apostolic” in both scope and spirit.
The immediate catalyst is the Templeton Prize, one of the world’s most prestigious awards at the intersection of science and religion. First awarded to Mother Teresa in 1973, the prize carries not only international prestige but also a $1.3 million honorarium. This year, the 2025 recipient is Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, recognized for his decades of leadership on issues ranging from religious freedom to interfaith dialogue and environmental stewardship. The award ceremony is scheduled for September 24 at Lincoln Center, where Jane Goodall, former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis are among those expected to attend. But as Fr. Alexander explained, the Ecumenical Patriarch’s itinerary extends well beyond a single evening. [Unlike 2021] “now that COVID is behind us, His All-Holiness wanted to embrace the faithful, visit parishes he has never seen, and engage directly with political, academic, and diplomatic leadership,” he said.
Why Apostolic?
Fr. Alexander reminded listeners that Bartholomew’s office is rooted in Apostolic tradition: the Ecumenical Patriarch is considered the successor of St. Andrew, brother of Peter. “Every journey he makes carries the Apostolic voice, the “κήρυγμα,” Fr. Alexander noted. That distinction—unique among Orthodox hierarchs—explains why the U.S. government treats his arrival with the protocol of a head of state. He will land at Joint Base Andrews, greeted by the U.S. chief of protocol, before heading to Washington, D.C.
From the White House to Arlington
One of the earliest stops will be the Oval Office, where Bartholomew will meet with President Trump on September 15. Fr. Alexander, who organized the first-ever meeting between a U.S. president and an Εcumenical Patriarch in 1990, emphasized the historic weight of such encounters. “For the first time, the President of the United States tangibly understood the religious leadership coming out of Constantinople [Istanbul],” he recalled. Those precedents, he argued, still shape U.S. policy today.
The following day, His All Holiness will lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, joined by Gen. Andrew Pappas, one of the highest-ranking Greek Americans in the U.S. military. “We should always be grateful to those who lay down their lives for our freedom,” Fr. Alexander said, underscoring the symbolic gravity of the gesture.
Congress, Diplomats, and the Faithful
The visit is designed to balance diplomatic gravitas with pastoral outreach. In Washington, Bartholomew will speak at a bipartisan, bicameral luncheon hosted by Speaker Mike Johnson, bringing him face-to-face with congressional leaders from both parties. Discussions are expected to include religious freedom, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the fragile Christian presence in the Middle East.
The Ecumenical Patriarch will also attend a reception at St. Katherine’s Church in Virginia, his first visit to the area. “Some critics have been saying he doesn’t see the faithful,” Karloutsos said pointedly. On the contrary, “that’s what he wants—to look into their eyes, as Patriarch Athenagoras used to say.”
Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine
From Washington, Bartholomew will travel north to New York. One of his most personal stops will be at the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Shrine at Ground Zero, rebuilt after years of delays and political battles. The Ecumenical Patriarch championed the project from its inception. “He never saw it completed in 2021,” Fr. Alexander explained. “Now he will see it as the light on the hill he always envisioned.”
ater that day, he will meet Secretary-General António Guterres at the United Nations, followed by a unique address to the highly prestigious Council on Foreign Relations. The following evening, the Ecumenical Patriarch will join young Orthodox leaders at the shrine, where cast members from The Chosen series will participate, and later attend the “Beacon of Hope” gala, honoring first responders of 9/11.
The Hamptons and Beyond
The Ecumenical Patriarch’s schedule even stretches to the Hamptons, where he will mark World Cleanup Day with marine researchers at Stony Brook University and receive the school’s highest medal. He will also celebrate liturgies with Orthodox hierarchs from across the United States. “Our theme is ‘Come, all you faithful,’” Fr. Alexander said, emphasizing that the liturgies will be open to everyone, without tickets or reserved seating.
A Global Leader with a Personal Mission
Fr. Alexander closed the interview by highlighting the Ecumenical Patriarch’s decision to dedicate his Templeton Prize money to building an eldercare facility on Imvros, his native island. “That tells you everything,” Fr. Alexander said. “For His All-Holiness, recognition is never for himself, but for service—to the Church, to the faithful, and to the world.”
The Ecumenical Patriarch’s visit, spanning from Arlington to the United Nations, from the White House to small parish halls, will be at once diplomatic, spiritual, and deeply personal. In Fr. Alexander’s words, it is nothing less than “an Apostolic Visitation”—a mission of Andrew’s successor to remind America, and the world, of the enduring voice of Constantinople.
Photo by Orthodox Observer/Brittainy Newman
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