Bartholomew I to Speak at Symposium, Celebrate Mass
His All Holiness Bartholomew I, spiritual leader of the world’s 250 million Orthodox Christians, is visiting Southern California this week as part of a monthlong U.S. tour.
The ecumenical patriarch from Istanbul heads the mother church of Orthodox Christianity. The Orthodox community includes Greek, Romanian, Russian, Bulgarian, Lebanese, Serbian and Ukrainian Christians.
Here are some of Bartholomew’s public events this weekend:
Today: Bartholomew will join U.S. Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt and Jean-Michel Cousteau, son of the late marine scientist and environmental activist Jacques Costeau, for a Santa Barbara symposium on religion and the environment.
The event is sponsored by UC Santa Barbara and Santa Barbara Greek Orthodox Church. Bartholomew will speak from 10 a.m. to noon at the church, 1205 San Antonio Creek Road.
Sunday: Bartholomew will celebrate a 10 a.m. Divine Liturgy at the Los Angeles Convention Center that is expected to draw thousands of Orthodox Christians from across Southern California.
The Mass will be followed by a 1 p.m. youth rally at the convention center.
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