Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew presided over the Divine Liturgy for the feast of the Circumcision of Jesus and the feast of Saint Basil the Great at the Patriarchal Church in the Phanar on the morning of January 1, 2021.
The Ecumenical Patriarch then received the wishes of the hierarchs and the Consul General of Ukraine in the Hearing Hall of the Eugenides Palace.
On the eve of the feast, Thursday, December 31, 2020, the Ecumenical Patriarch officiated the Great Vespers.
“The Great Church of Christ welcomes the new year with gratitude and hope,” said the Ecumenical Patriarch, among other things, in his homily, referring to the year 2020.
“The past year was full of urgent and unexpected events for the Church, as well as for the whole world, due to the deadly pandemic that put us in various ordeals. However, there was no lack of hope in God, Who does not deny the trust of His children in Him and keeps His will with us.
With the certainty, then, that ‘God is faithful’ and that ‘Jesus Christ in the ages,’ we pass to the year that is rising. On this occasion, we want to express our heartfelt gratitude to you, brothers in Christ, who understand our heavy work, the responsibility and the compassion with which we try to manage the church affairs for the best outcome each time in the name of the Lord and for further consolidation of the Ecumenical Throne.”
As he clarified, he referred not only to the Synod members but also to the whole hierarchy, with which he collaborated efficiently in 2020, and to the laity, especially to the Archons for the management of the Greek community.
Referring to everyone’s hopes on the occasion of the new year, the Ecumenical Patriarch pointed out that these, “do not only concern the vaccine, the distribution of which has begun and promises to reduce and end the deadly disease; nor rely only on ourselves or our abilities us, but to the living and true God, Who is the secure support of life and hope that is never denied.”
He also stressed, “May God always protect us so that we may continue to serve the Great Church in His name, to keep it high in the eyes of the people, who see the Phanar as a sacred symbol, an expression values of eternity, a Church with a long and glorious tradition.”