Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew on Sunday, July 25, 2021, presided over the Divine Liturgy at the Patriarchal Cathedral of Saint George in the Phanar.
Elder Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon, Meliton of Philadelphia, Barnabas of Neapolis and Stavroupolis, and Joachim of Prousa attended the service. During the Divine Liturgy, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew performed the ordination of the new Metropolitan of France, Dimitrios.
Many Hierarchs of the Ecumenical Throne, the relatives of the new Metropolitan and faithful from Constantinople and abroad, attended the service, observing the preventive measures against the pandemic.
Prior to the ordination of the elected Metropolitan of France, the Ecumenical Patriarch addressed to him paternal words for building and instructing him on the new mission of ministry entrusted to him by the Mother Church.
“You are called as a Hierarch now, to embody the message of His Gospel to the whole world, and in fact, in Europe, which has the high culture and the highest level of education and ideas, is largely due to Christianity, faith, and identity. At the base of the European spirit are traces of the Apostolic steps, which changed the course of this world and divided History into two parts.
As an Orthodox Hierarch, you have the inviolable obligation to serve the one and most inalienable Truth of Christ. There is only one Truth and that is our Lord Jesus Christ!
There are no parts of Truth that we wish to unite through Dialogue in a new faith, but we try, even intentionally or unknowingly, to bring the Truth of Christ as they lived it, taught it, and handed it down to us by our fathers, and to our brethren.
The Truth of the Church, therefore, should be for you the highest concern of your future ministry. The Gospel of Grace, that is, the proclamation to the four worlds that “Christ is Risen” is the main mission of the clergy. And there is no greater proclamation of this miracle than Divine Worship.
Afterwards, the Patriarch stressed to the new Metropolitan that he is taking over one of the provinces of the Phanar in Europe. “Behold the field of glory shining in ministry, offering, and works of social benevolence!”
Shortly after, Elected Metropolitan Dimitrios of France, obviously excited, addressed a word of gratitude and devotion to the Ecumenical Patriarch.
At the end of the Divine Liturgy, the newly ordained Metropolitan, after receiving the Episcopal Mitre and the crosier from the Ecumenical Patriarch, ascended the Throne, performed the dismissal, and accepted the congratulations and wishes of the congregation.
