The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew received the Archbishop of Milan, Mario Delpini, together with his auxiliary bishops, more than 110 clergy of his ecclesiastical province, and lay collaborators on Tuesday afternoon, February 18, 2025.
The Ecumenical Patriarch greeted the Archbishop and his accompanying pilgrims warmly in Italian and expressed his heartfelt fraternal wishes for the speedy recovery of Pope Francis of Rome.
In his address, he spoke of the long-standing spiritual ties between Constantinople and Mediolanum, today’s Milan. He welcomed the Archbishop and his entourage to the venerable Patriarchal Church and the seat of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. He recalled his two visits to Milan, in 1998 and 2013, on the occasion of the 1700th anniversary of the Edict of Milan. He also mentioned this year’s 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea and the planned visit of Pope Francis to Turkey to jointly commemorate this historic milestone.
Earlier, the Archbishop of Milan spoke about their pilgrimage to the city (Constantinople) and their upcoming visit to Nicaea the following day. He then introduced the Ecumenical Patriarch to the Hierarchs and other members of his delegation.
Photo: Nikos Papachristou
