Reflections — August at the Ecumenical Patriarchate

The greatest honour of my short time as Secretary for External Affairs at the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul were the candid and private audiences with His All-Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew, primus inter pares (first among equals) in the Orthodox Christian world. These audiences are mostly always confidential, and always an immense privilege. In them, one feels the weight of history stretching back to Saint Andrew through the Roman Empire, the Ottomans, and the Turks — that sense of awe is indescribable.

Reflecting on these audiences and my time serving the Ecumenical Patriarchate has afforded some perspective on key ideas and values essential for young people in or aspiring to be in positions of leadership and service.

It goes without saying that the below is purely an outline of my personal views, which I offer publicly with a sense of humility and in a candid manner.

True service is often unsung, but always valued.

At an institution or business where the wheels are always turning it is perhaps the highest compliment to have your contributions accepted with pleasure rather than applauded loudly. Pride from applause is the most malicious and catastrophic characteristic, and in the long term, renders one’s service null and untrue.

Above the politics, division, and theology of modern times, Christianity has much for us to learn from.

For many in this age, Christianity and Christian values may be controversial things to talk about and at times they have seemingly been forgotten. But the fundamental tenants of Christianity, the foundation and cornerstone of European society and culture, go far beyond controversy and are essential to building peace amongst people and nations of all backgrounds and beliefs.

Duty and service are not ‘old-fashioned’ ideas, they’re necessary now more than ever.

Despite what many high-flying modern companies and governments may have us believe, having a belief in and practice of these intangible ideas of duty and service is essential in times of chaos such as the ones the world is going through today. These ideas are not paralysing, they give people who wish to build a better future the necessary ethos to do so. They allow us to focus, rather than be carried away by the periphery. And, what’s more, they never excuse Quisling-esque behaviour in decision making.

Don’t judge those who have come before you in haste.

This is essentially another way of saying: ‘learn from history’. All too often, young people are ready to consign an idea to the dustbin if it doesn’t have the modern ‘edge’ or if it isn’t contemporary enough. This is a major mistake. History is the torch that illumines corridors that seem like dead ends, and can help us find heretofore unimagined solutions. But it’s also a danger, it can allow us to become pray to our passions and pursue vendetta to perceived historical injustice. At the end of the day, there is a reason why the greatest leaders of all mankind around the world had a deep appreciation and understanding of the philosophy of history, as well as the facts of it. Without it, we are lost.

Respect differences, detest division.

When a difference of opinion or position becomes so untenable that the two or more parties forget their common ground that is division, schism. This condition has led many peoples and nations to wars and deterioration. It should be detested and held in contempt, that should be the base of our political interactions. While we may disagree on issues we find as ‘red lines’ we should be united in the belief that complete division is politically not an option. Even so, full alignment is not a prerequisite for coexistence.

My reasoning can be deduced from an excerpt of the British statesman Robert Peel’s great four-hour speech: “A Moral Necessity” (5 March 1829). Addressing the Speaker of the House of Commons he said:

“Sir, the outline of my argument is this: we are placed in a position in which we cannot remain. We cannot continue stationary. There is an evil in divided cabinets and distracted councils which can be no longer tolerated”

Without straying too far into the annals of history, Sir Robert Peel, UK Home Secretary at the time and founder of Peelite policing principles, which is why UK police officers are not armed for the most part, had been a staunch opponent of Catholic emancipation in the UK. But, he made a major change in his principles and came in direct confrontation with King George IV and the Tory Party, and decided that it was a ‘moral necessity’ for equal rights for his “Roman Catholic fellow-subjects”. As indeed it was. There are so many examples in history of people taking a stand against division in a political context of differences, but I choose to highlight this one because it is so little known, especially outside the British Isles.

Both in times of crisis and calm, diplomacy is the door and effective diplomacy is the key.

No home is complete without a door. It keeps bad weather out, welcomes guests, and is a sight for sore eyes, usually, after a hard day’s work. But if you’ve forgotten your key in a fit of frustration when leaving the house in the morning, that door is an obstacle in the afternoon. The same goes for diplomacy. It’s necessary for nations and interpersonal relationships to function smoothly. But effective diplomacy, the practice of truly understanding your counterpart, where they come from and what they mean and then communicating in-kind where you come from and what you mean, is rare. In the blisteringly complicated world of telegrams, cables, ministerial briefings, and passport privileges, effective diplomacy can be forgotten on the kitchen countertop — and you, locked outside.

In a world of binary code, programming languages, and AI… don’t forget to be human, don’t forget beauty.

As a last point, when I arrived in Istanbul I was met with a world of beauty, not technicality. A technicolour landscape envisioned by the ancients, the Romans, Ottomans, Greeks, and Turks. In a sometimes grey world, when we forget the beauty of true art and culture we are easily lost to the ravages of the present and lose complete connection with that ancient idea, oft-misunderstood and deemed ‘snobbish’, described by Plato as “τὸ καλόν” — the beautiful. We should never stray from it, despite our surroundings.