“Obviously, ‘I do what I like’ is not genuine freedom, but a sign of spiritual and existential decay” – Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople

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Pic – Wiki

OCP News Service – 4/2/22

Constantinople-Turkey: In a recent speech on the feast day of the three Hierarchs, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople stated that “From the Great Fathers we learn how demanding the work of education, of the door and of Christianity, is for the teacher and the student. This is especially relevant today, when pervasive pedagogical humanism views educational intervention, guidance and discipline as the abolition of freedom and as an obstacle to children’s happiness. In the modern world, self-realization, autonomy, self, individual rights, success, satisfaction of needs dominate, while responsibility, offer, duty, common good, solidarity are absent. Valuable traditions and humanitarian achievements are being shaken. “

The Patriarch further stated that “Our ancestors already wisely emphasized that the primary purpose of education is not to enable the youth to acquire what they want, but to desire what they should, properly, and good. The Three Hierarchs are preachers of a committed freedom as a choice and deed of good. “Obviously, ‘I do what I like’ is not genuine freedom, but a sign of spiritual and existential decay.

“We are not politicians, economists or sociologists. The Church does not deal with politics in the narrow sense. But her testimony, her contribution to the protection of freedom and justice, her struggle for peace and solidarity and the protection of creation contribute to the humanization of political life. Obviously, there is no “end to politics” and the struggle for a better world. Therefore, the Church is called, at all times, to articulate its own philanthropic testimony, to promote the Christian due diligence of man, the moral and social responsibility of the actors of the economy and the need to combine in it efficiency with social justice. It is not possible to talk about progress, when the human face is falsified and the social cohesion and integrity of creation is threatened. “Advances in science, democratization and economic development must go hand in hand with respect for spiritual values.” The Patriarch concluded.

Source:
OCP News Service

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