Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew visited the Cathedral of Santa María la Real de la Almudena in Madrid on October 15, 2023.
It is recalled that on Saturday, 14 October 2023, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew arrived in the capital of Spain, Madrid, the headquarters of the Holy Metropolis of Spain and Portugal, where he began his four-day official visit.
On Sunday, he officiated at the Holy Cathedral of Saints Andrew the Apostle and Dimitrios the Great Martyr of Madrid, as part of his official visit to the headquarters of the Holy Metropolis of Spain and Portugal.
“What a delight to be able to live with our brothers and sisters united. It is an honor to welcome his holiness into our archdiocese. It is a gift from the Lord, a historic event that we feel blessed by,” said Cardinal José Cobo addressing the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in the meeting and joint prayer that took place in the Cathedral of Santa María la Real de la Almudena, as reported by cope.es.
“(The best way to be united” is to pray together because prayer introduces us to the mystery of God who makes us brothers and sisters”. This view “connects us in the chain of union in the Church,” he added.
“This is a historic visit, because it is the first time that a patriarch of Constantinople comes to Spain. And this union resonates much stronger considering the events that are taking place in the Holy Land,” the cardinal stressed, according to cope.es.
Afterwards, Ecumenical Patriarch spoke in his speech about the reasons he made this official visit: the 50th anniversary of the Cathedral of Saints Andrew the Apostle and Dimitrios the Great Martyr of Madrid, and the 20th anniversary of the creation of the Metropolis of Spain and Portugal.
In addition, as reported by cope.es, he thanked Cardinal Cobo for his kind words and asked that “we continue to walk together, with the Sister Catholic Church in Spain at such an important time.”
“Prayer is the greatest weapon we have in these difficult times. Therefore, let us make a plea: let us ask for the gift of peace. In Ukraine, Armenia, the Middle East… so many conflicts that need the peace of Christ.” “Peace can only be realized through a conversion that obligatorily passes through justice, respect, and reciprocal knowledge of all the peoples of the world,” the Ecumenical Patriarch added.
Photos: Nikos Papachristou