“Saint Paraskevi, who is especially revered by devout Christians not only in Constantinople but also in Romania, along with Saint Paraskevi from Epivates, became a link between the Mother Church of Constantinople and the Romanian faithful,” said the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, in his speech, after the Divine Liturgy, in which he presided over on Monday, July 26, 2021, at the celebrating Church of Saint Paraskevi in Pikridi, which has been granted by the Patriarchate to serve the Romanian community of Constantinople.
“The canonical tradition of the Orthodox Church stipulates that in every city there must be only one sovereign Bishop, who is the spiritual father of all the faithful, of all the Orthodox living in this city, regardless of ethnic origin,” the Ecumenical Patriarch said.
Patriarch Bartholomew continued: “Consistent adherents of the orthodox canon and ecclesiology, all of us Orthodox Christians of Constantinople, we are a family, which is under the Archbishop of Constantinople, the Archbishop of the Greeks in Constantinople, Romanians, Russians, Bulgarians, Georgians. You are all beloved children of your Ecumenical Patriarch.”
Patriarch Bartholomew referred to the feast of Saint Paraskevi, which, as he said, is added to the celebration of the memory of about twenty Holy Women, who are honored in the month of July and are an example for modern Christians.
The Patriarch then referred to the life of Saint Paraskevi.
“The life of Saint Paraskevi, however, is not a shining example only for women, but for all of us. In the New Testament, expressions are often found, which characterize our life as a stage and a struggle, and remind us of the duty of struggle, of rivalry.
If the athletes who take part in the Olympics, such as these days in Tokyo, fight with such zeal to win a gold medal, you realize, children of many, how much greater should be our zeal and how much greater our racing mood, in order to gain the praise of God himself.
Previously, Metropolitan Stefanos of Kallioupolis and Madytos noted:
“When, more than twenty years ago, the Romanian parish grew, here in Constantinople, then there was an insurmountable need of the spiritual service of our brothers, who came from their birthplace. This temple was the most suitable for the occasion, due to its historical connection with the Danube countries, as evidenced by the burial monuments, which are in its precinct. Constantinople was and remains the loving Mother Church of the modern Autocephalous Churches”.