On Monday, November 10, 2025, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew presided over the Great Vespers at the celebrating Church of Saint Menas in Ypsomatheia, marking the feast of the Holy Martyrs Menas, Victor, and Vincent.
The Patriarchal Deacon Photios Poulopoulos delivered the homily, offering reflections on the life and witness of the Saints.
Following the service, the Ecumenical Patriarch addressed the congregation, expressing his deep pastoral affection for the faithful of the City. “Each time I visit the churches and communities of Constantinople as Archbishop and Shepherd of this City,” he said, “I feel like a true pilgrim—not merely to the buildings of the churches, but to the living temple, which is you, the people of God, who partake in the royal priesthood of Christ.”
The Patriarch emphasized that even when the ancient Greek Orthodox communities of Constantinople appear smaller or less vibrant than in previous generations, they still reflect the fullness of life in Christ, a life that is “eternal, unbroken, and unaffected by time or decay.”
“For the Christian,” he said, “life ultimately has a sacred meaning. Every action must be a service to God—the Creator and Savior—and also to one’s fellow human being, the beloved of God. When this is our vision of life, there is no room for pessimism or despair. Beyond the temporary and visible, we see the eternal and invisible realities for which we were created and toward which we strive.”
The Ecumenical Patriarch also commemorated St. Theodore the Studite, Abbot of the nearby Monastery, whose feast is celebrated on the same day. He praised St. Theodore’s defense of holy icons during the iconoclastic controversy and his unwavering stand for the freedom and synergy between the Church and the State, resisting any subordination of the Church to secular power.
“For his steadfastness and courage,” the Patriarch noted, “St. Theodore suffered repeated exiles but remained unshaken—an example of the true soldier and struggler of Christ. This message of faithfulness, perseverance, and spiritual courage,” he added, “is what we hear from nearby Stoudios and from the martyrdom of St. Menas of Egypt. It is this spirit that we pass on tonight to all of you for strength and inspiration.”
Turning to contemporary issues, Patriarch Bartholomew sharply condemned the misuse of Christian language and symbols to justify war, referring explicitly to the Russian Federation’s invasion of Ukraine:
“The personal spiritual struggle against the passions has nothing in common with the tragedy unfolding in Ukraine. As we have said many times, this war is not ‘holy’—it is diabolical. It is blasphemy to call ‘soldiers of Christ’ and ‘heroes of the faith’ those who are ordered to take human lives in the name of the Giver of Life.”
In closing, he expressed his patriarchal appreciation to Metropolitan Maximos of Sylivria for his dedicated service both in this historic and demanding region of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and in his own diocese. The Patriarch also commended Fr. Stylianos Zografidis, parish priest of St. Menas, along with the Church Committee and collaborators, for their faithful and fruitful ministry.
Metropolitan Maximos of Sylivria had earlier welcomed the Patriarch with words of respect and devotion, while special mention was made of his recent presiding at the Divine Liturgy for St. Nektarios’s feast, which drew more than a thousand pilgrims from Greece and Constantinople.
Photos by Nikos Papachristou
