His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of approximately 300 million Eastern Orthodox Christians around the world, received the 2025 Templeton Prize at a September 24 ceremony held at the renowned Lincoln Center in New York City.
Over 300 guests attended the event in David Geffen Hall, including a contingent of clergy dressed in their traditional black cassocks, eager to honor one of their own. Several luminaries were also in attendance: previous Templeton Prize laureates Dr. Jane Goodall (2021) and Professor Paul Davies (1995), the former Vice President Al Gore, and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis of Greece.
In April, Bartholomew was named the 2025 Templeton Prize laureate for his pioneering efforts to bridge scientific and spiritual understandings of humanity’s relationship with the natural world, which has brought together people of different faiths to heed a call for stewardship of creation. The Templeton Prize, established in 1972 by Sir John Templeton, honors individuals whose exemplary achievements advance his philanthropic vision: harnessing the power of the sciences to explore the deepest questions of the universe and humankind’s place and purpose within it.
Leigh Cameron, Chair of the Board of the John Templeton Foundation and a Templeton family member, welcomed the audience. The ceremony then began with a procession to the Kontakion of the Annunciation, a Byzantine chant performed by vocal ensemble Cappella Romana. Heather Templeton Dill, former President of the John Templeton Foundation and granddaughter of Sir John Templeton, gave an introduction to the Templeton Prize.
“Templeton Prize laureates come from different fields of research, different areas of the world, different perspectives and different faith traditions,” said Dill. “But they share a curiosity about the natural world that knits together a deep spiritual understanding of humankind’s place and purpose in this world with insights from the sciences.”
She then explained the achievements of Bartholomew—known as the Green Patriarch—and his unwavering dedication to environmental causes.
“Bartholomew made care for the environment a primary concern of his tenure as one of the world’s most important and visible religious leaders.
He tapped the expertise of scientists, developed a theological framework for encouraging care for the environment, and communicated frequently about the problems of environmental degradation and humankind’s responsibility to address it.”
A video presentation played after Dill’s remarks. The seven-minute film, titled Stewards of Creation, highlighted Bartholomew’s life and his “ecumenical imperative” to care for creation.
“We human beings destroy the natural resources, the forests, the beauty, in order to gain more and more material income. We exploit nature,” Bartholomew says in the film. “Destroying earth, air, waters, is a sin.”
The audience was visibly delighted when the house lights came up and Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE, took to the podium.
“I first met the Green Patriarch on Halki Island. What a great idea it was of his to bring environmentalists together on that beautiful island to discuss ways of saving nature,” she remarked of the 2012 summit on the Greek island.
“We humans are part of this natural world. So often now we’re divorcing ourselves and our children from the natural world,” she said.
“If we don’t understand nature, we won’t want to protect it. And this is a huge mistake.”
Dr. Goodall ended by addressing Bartholomew: “I know very well that, Your Holiness, the way you use this prize will help to create a better world for the future. If we can work together, that will really increase the power of young people everywhere. Again, congratulations, and what an honor to be here in your presence, and the presence of all these other leaders of different faiths. I’m just glad that I wore black,” she quipped.
Father John I. Jenkins, president emeritus of the University of Notre Dame, gave the invocation, and Bartholomew offered a blessing in Greek.
After dinner, Dill introduced Al Gore, former Vice President of the United States, and Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Prime Minister of Greece.
Gore began: “I was reflecting on the opportunity that I had to honor His All-Holiness when I served as Vice President of the United States in 1997. We celebrated him for his work to remove the barriers that separate people from one another, from their God, and from the natural environment. He gives me the credit for naming him the Green Patriarch. I’m not certain that I fully deserve that credit, but I will claim it robustly,” he joked.
“Today, more than ever, we need more leaders to follow the example of His All-Holiness,” Gore continued. “We can take his advice and embrace the blessings of climate solutions, the blessings of clean air and clean water, a stable climate, and a sustainable future. I have hope for the future because I believe human nature ultimately strives for the blessings of life.”
Mitsotakis echoed Gore’s praise as he addressed Bartholomew: “You have been one of the first, if not the first, global spiritual leader to underline the need for a true environmental dimension in our thinking.”
“You have been a pioneer of environmental awareness and action,” Mitsotakis said. “You defined environmentalism not just as a practical, necessary solution, but also as a spiritual responsibility.
You have rightly earned the title of Green Patriarch.”
Following their remarks, Dill invited Bartholomew to the stage to receive the Templeton Prize. Cameron and Dill placed the Tree of Life medallion around his neck as the crowd enthusiastically shouted “Axios!” Dill also presented Bartholomew with a scroll decorated with symbols of his life and work: the island of Imbros from which he hails, the mountain from which he developed a love and appreciation for the natural world, and seals of his Patriarchate and of the Orthodox Church.
Bartholomew then approached the podium to deliver his 2025 Templeton Prize address: “Where Heaven Meets Earth: A Meditation on Faith, Science, and Our Planet.”
“My profound gratitude is extended to the John Templeton Foundation, the Templeton World Charity Foundation, and the Templeton Religion Trust for stewarding the administration of this remarkable award,” he began, “and daring to believe that the marriage of scientific rigor and spiritual vigor might yet save us from ourselves.”
“When I see a physicist measuring the acceleration of melting glaciers in the Arctic and a theologian contemplating the groans of creation (Romans 8.22–23), I see two people reading the same book—the book of nature and the book of scripture—in different languages,” he continued. “When I witness a climate scientist’s agony over dying forests and hear the prophet lament that ‘the earth is utterly torn and violently shaken’ (Isaiah 24.19), I recognize the same broken heart beating in both.
The disassociation between faith and science must end. They are both on the same page.”
“The future of our planet depends on our capacity to bring together the precision of scientific method with the perception of spiritual vision, the urgency of prophetic witness with the patience of contemplative practice,” he concluded, to thunderous applause and a standing ovation.
Cappella Romana returned to the stage for a moving performance of “Bless the Lord, O My Soul” (Ps. 103:1–6) from Heaven and Earth: A Song of Creation. Bishop Sean Rowe, Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church, offered a benediction: “We thank you Lord for the noble gift of your creation and we acknowledge with humility the stewardship you’ve entrusted to us. We give you special thanks for your servant His All-Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew, who by his wisdom and faith uplifts the care of creation.”
In her closing remarks to the audience, Dill said, “I hope you leave here with full hearts for a leader who has made such remarkable contributions to our world.”
The event concluded with a poignant performance of Bach’s “Sheep may safely graze” by renowned pianist Ignat Solzhenitsyn, son of 1983 Templeton Prize laureate Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. As over 300 guests sat hushed, the only sounds reverberating through the hall were the gentle tones of the Steinway—a reminder that the beautiful things in nature we often overlook, like a babbling brook, a chirping baby bird, or the creaking branches of a tree in the breeze, are worth listening to—and stewarding.
To learn more about the Templeton Prize, please visit https://www.templetonprize.org.
