Orthodox head visits Lambeth Palace

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew used his two-day visit to Lambeth Palace this week to call for urgent action on the environment.

“It is not too late to act, but we cannot afford to wait,” the head of the Orthodox Christian Church said at a lecture on Tuesday. “We all agree on the necessity to protect the planet’s natural resources … and we are all in this together.”

During the visit, which was hosted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, he also participated in an ecumenical prayer vigil for refugees.

Bartholomew, the Archbishop of Constantinople (above, left), also had a private discussion with Archbishop Welby that considered the urgent social and pastoral problems created by the massive migration from the Middle East.

This was the second meeting between Archbishop Welby and Patriarch Bartholomew. They met first in Istanbul last year.