(RNS) Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of the world’s 300-million Orthodox Christians, will travel to the U.S. in October and lead a symposium on the environment in Memphis, Tenn., the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America announced on Friday (June 26).
Bartholomew, often called the “Green Patriarch” for his environmental advocacy, will also visit New York, Atlanta and Washington. He will arrive Oct. 17 in Memphis to headline a weeklong symposium titled “The Great Mississippi River: Restoring Balance.”
Bartholomew will visit New York on Oct. 25-30, with a short visit to Atlanta on Oct. 29; and Washington Nov. 2-5.
As patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew is spiritual leader of Eastern Orthodox churches worldwide. He last visited the U.S. in 2006, when he presided over a celebration of the Epiphany in Tarpon Springs, Fla., according to a spokesman for the GOA.
