Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of Eastern Orthodox Christians, is making his first visit in four years to the United States, where he was scheduled to meet Monday afternoon with President Donald Trump and receive honors for his environmental advocacy.

Bartholomew arrived in Washington Sunday and is scheduled to make various U.S. appearances through Sept. 25.

Bartholomew is considered first among equals among Orthodox patriarchs because of his role as patriarch of Constantinople, the ancient capital city now known as Istanbul in Turkey. That role gives him prominence, but not the power of a pope, in a church with various self-governing jurisdictions. He oversees the small Orthodox population in mostly Muslim Turkey. He also oversees some communities abroad, such as

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