Patriarch Bartholomew, the most prestigious dignitary of the Orthodox churches, tested positive for Covid-19 on Friday, December 24, announced the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.
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“
His All Holiness, who is fully vaccinated, is currently experiencing mild symptoms but his general condition is good,
” the Patriarchate reported on its Facebook page. The patriarch, 81, based in Istanbul, had undergone surgery in November in New York City to receive a stent (vascular stent). He tested positive in an Istanbul hospital where he was taken Friday to undergo "
preventive examinations
", added the Patriarchate.
Elected in 1991, the patriarch exercises an honorary and historical primacy over the other patriarchs of the Orthodox world.
He is "
first among his equals
": this does not give him the right to intervene in the religious affairs of other Orthodox Churches, but gives him spiritual and protocol precedence.
The religious role of Constantinople dates back to the Emperor Constantine who in 313 recognized Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire and made Constantinople its capital.
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Over the centuries, however, it was the Patriarchate of Moscow, which has many more faithful than that of Constantinople, that gained the ascendancy over the Orthodox world.
The Orthodox Churches are all autonomous with their own hierarchy, unlike the authority of the Pope over all Catholics.
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