The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew had an official meeting on the afternoon of Tuesday, April 23, 2024, with the President of the French Senate, Gérard Larcher, who received him with all due honors at the entrance of the Presidential Palace of the Senate.
During the meeting, which took place in a particularly cordial atmosphere due to the longstanding acquaintance between the President and the Ecumenical Patriarch, Larcher expressed his satisfaction with the Patriarch’s new visit to France and asked to be informed in particular about the position of the Autocephalous Orthodox Churches on the thorny issues of the war in Ukraine and the crisis in the Middle East. Also discussed were the initiatives of the Ecumenical Throne for the protection of the natural environment, as well as its primary role in promoting inter-Christian and inter-religious dialogue in light of current events.
The meeting was attended on behalf of the French Senate by its Vice-Presidents, Loïc Hervé, Hervé Marseille, and Roger Karoutchi, and on behalf of the Ecumenical Patriarchate by members of the Patriarch’s entourage. After the meeting, the Patriarch signed the official visitors’ book and then, together with his entourage, was photographed with the President of the Senate, who ceremoniously escorted the Ecumenical Patriarch to his vehicle.
Earlier, in the afternoon, the Ecumenical Patriarch, accompanied by his honorable entourage, attended a luncheon hosted in his honor by the Ambassador of Greece, Dimitrios Zevelakis, at the Embassy Residence.
In the afternoon of the same day, the Patriarch presided over the official Doxology held at the Holy Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Stephen in Paris. Metropolitan Dimitrios officially welcomed the Ecumenical Patriarch to the seat of the Metropolis of France. In his response, the Ecumenical Patriarch expressed his joy for his renewed visit to this venerable province of the Throne.
“The gracious and highly honorable invitation of His Excellency the President of the French Republic, Mr. Emmanuel Macron, and the care of your Shepherd led us once again to this historic European capital of culture, free exchange of ideas, respect for human rights, and sometimes social upheaval, to the city which was illuminated first by the roads during the night and thus called ‘the city of light’. We come at a time of spiritual preparation to welcome and receive the uninterrupted Light of the Resurrection, the only true Light, in the Person of the Risen Christ, who assures: ‘I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life’ (John 8:12). The truly radiant and luminous night is the night of the Resurrection, during which ‘all things are filled with light, both heaven and earth and the netherworld’ (Ode III, Canon of Pascha).”
This life-giving light, we are confident, illuminates the journey of the Orthodox community in France, which has deep roots and a long history, centered around its sacred temples. The Church of St. Stephen, where we are now, was built thanks to the generous donation of the late brothers Dimitrios, Ioannis, and Pavlos Skilitis, great benefactors of the nation who, among other things, rebuilt our Holy Theological School of Halki from the ground up. The spiritual life here is enriched and strengthened by the presence of two Holy Monasteries and two Dependencies founded by the Athonite Holy Monastery of Simonos Petra.
The Holy Mother Church of Christ watches closely, beloved children in the Lord, and rejoices in your continued progress, encouraging you all to remain steadfast in the faith amid the critical international juncture, under the wings of the Church, which serves as the guardian of the treasures of the nation that constitute its identity. Without our faith, language, and spiritual heritage, we are cut off from our roots and cease to exist. Our humility assures us that all of you have already chosen life over decay, dedicating yourselves to the patrimony of your ancestors, so that we can proclaim: “I thank my God for you always, because of his grace given to you in Christ Jesus, for in him you have been enriched in every way, in all wisdom and all knowledge,” as the Apostle Paul writes to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 1:4).
He also congratulated Metropolitan Dimitrios of France, “who, continuing the work of Metropolitans Meletios, Ieremias, as well as his immediate predecessor, Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon, with the help of all the clergy and his lay collaborators, is watering the land allotted to him with the living streams of our Orthodox faith, yielding an abundant and fruitful harvest”.
Archpriests who are members of the Episcopal Assembly of France, members of the Assembly of Roman Catholic Bishops of France, representatives of other Christian denominations, many diplomats, and a multitude of faithful filled the temple.
In the evening, the Ecumenical Patriarch and his entourage attended a dinner hosted in his honor at the Embassy Residence by the Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey, Yunis Demirer.
Translated by Ioanna Georgakopoulou
