The Vespers Service of the Resurrection was solemnly celebrated on Easter Sunday morning, May 5, 2024.
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, accompanied by Hierarchs Athenagoras of Vizi, Meliton of Philadelphia, Eirinaios of Myriofyton and Peristasis, Theoliptos of Iconium, Theodore of Seleucia, and Tikhon of Tiberiopolis, from the Church of Bulgaria, along with the clergy of the Patriarchal Court, led the Vespers service at the Patriarchal Cathedral.
The Ecumenical Patriarch read the Gospel in Greek, followed by readings from the hierarchs and clergy of the Ecumenical Throne. Representatives from other Christian communities of Constantinople also participated, reading the Gospel in various languages.
The Ambassadors of Greece and Ukraine in Ankara, Theodoros Bizakis and Vasyl Bodnar, respectively, the Consuls General of these two countries in Constantinople, Ambassador Konstantinos Koutras, and Roman Nedilskyi, with their families and associates, as well as representatives of the Consulates General of Bulgaria, Georgia, Sweden, and Australia, Archons of the Ecumenical Throne, and many believers from Constantinople and abroad, attended the service.
Following the Divine Liturgy, the Ecumenical Patriarch distributed Easter eggs to the large congregation.
At the reception that followed in the Throne Room, a delegation of the Turkish Opposition Party (CHP), headed by the President of the Constantinople Provincial Chairman, as well as Mayors İnan Güney (Beyoğlu), Resul Emrah Şahan (Şişli), and Rıza Akpolat (Beşiktaş), with their associates, also attended the reception.
Photos: Nikos Papachristou / Translated by Thanos Chrysanthopoulos
