Late in the evening of Friday, June 6, 2025, the Ecumenical Patriarch returned with his entourage from Munich, Germany, where he had traveled the previous day—as previously announced—to receive two awards jointly bestowed upon him by the Catholic Academy of Bavaria and the Benedictine Abbey of Niederaltaich, in recognition of his contribution to Ecumenical Dialogue.
Upon his arrival on Thursday afternoon, His All-Holiness was welcomed at the airport b Metropolitan Augustine of Germany along with his assistant bishops, Konstantinos Kodellas, Consul General of Greece in Munich, Murat Kemaloğlu, Consul of Turkey, and a representative of the local Bavarian government.
After settling in at the Bayerischer Hof Hotel, the Patriarch received Roman Catholic Bishop Bertram Meier of Augsburg, and later visited Cardinal Reinhard Marx, Archbishop of Munich and Freising. He then made a pilgrimage to the Church of the Savior (Salvatorkirche), where he once served during his university studies in Munich. There, he was welcomed by many Orthodox faithful, to whom he spoke after the greeting of the local Metropolitan.
That evening, the Holy Metropolis of Germany hosted an official dinner in honor of His All-Holiness, attended also by Alexandros Papaioannou, Ambassador of Greece to Germany, who came from Berlin.
On Friday morning, the Patriarch and his honored entourage traveled to the headquarters of the Catholic Academy for the award ceremony. Before the official program began, the Patriarch held a private meeting with Manfred Weber, President of the European People’s Party (EPP), who formally welcomed the Patriarch at the entrance of the Academy. His Eminence Metropolitan Augustine also attended the meeting.
During the impressive ceremony that followed, the heads of the two awarding institutions—Dr. Achim Budde, Director of the Academy, and Archimandrite Dr. Marianus Bieber, Abbot of Niederaltaich Abbey—delivered speeches. Also speaking were the Bavarian State Minister for Federal Affairs and Media, Dr. Florian Herrmann, and Evangelical Bishop Prof. Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, President of the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches, who gave the official Laudatio. All speakers warmly praised the Patriarch’s character and work.
His All-Holiness then delivered his keynote address in German and received a standing ovation. The ceremony, which concluded with a reception, was closed by Cardinal Marx, who also offered heartfelt remarks about the Ecumenical Patriarch.
That same evening, the Ecumenical Patriarch and his entourage flew back to Constantinople. The delegation included Grand Ecclesiarch Aetios, Director of the Patriarchal Office, Secretary Oikoumenios, and Professor Konstantinos Delikostantis, Director of the First Patriarchal Office.
