On the afternoon of Wednesday, October 22, 2025, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew presided over the Vespers service at the Church of Saint George in Neochori, Bosporus — a Metochion of the Holy Sepulchre — on the occasion of the Thronal Feast of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, commemorating Saint James the Apostle, the Brother of the Lord and first Bishop of Jerusalem.
The sermon was delivered by the Grand Preacher, Panaretos.
In his address, the Ecumenical Patriarch, speaking to Archbishop Nektarios of Anthidona, Representative of the Holy Sepulchre in Constantinople, referred to the centuries-old bonds between the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, and particularly to the enduring support that the First-Throned Church of Orthodoxy has continuously offered to the Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulchre.
“The prayerful communion of our two Churches today adds yet another link to the long chain of our fraternal relations—both in times of glory and honor and in more difficult days. The attention and respect shown by the First-Throned Church of Orthodoxy toward the Holy Sepulchre Brotherhood, successor of the ‘Order of the Venerable Monks’ and vigilant guardian of the holy sites of our immaculate faith, have remained unwavering through the centuries.”
On the occasion of his presence at the Metochion of the Holy Sepulchre, the Ecumenical Patriarch reiterated his fraternal invitation to the Patriarch of Jerusalem to take part in the celebrations in Nicaea, Bithynia, marking the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council.
“We take this opportunity,” the Ecumenical Patriarch said, “to repeat our fraternal invitation, which we have already sent in writing to His Beatitude the Patriarch of Jerusalem, to celebrate together on the 28th of November in Nicaea the 1700th anniversary of the convocation of the First Ecumenical Council, along with His Holiness Pope Leo XIV of Rome and our most blessed and beloved brother Patriarchs Theodore of Alexandria and John of Antioch. We shall also honor on November 30, at the Phanar, the sacred memory of Saint Andrew the First-Called, the founder of the Church of Constantinople.
This historic event, a tangible manifestation of the unity of Eastern and Western Christianity—of the four Patriarchs of the East and the Patriarch of the West, the Pentarchy of the Patriarchates—cannot be imagined without the presence of the successor of Saint James, the Brother of the Lord. We pray and hope for the positive response of our beloved brother, His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos, in fulfillment of his sacred responsibility ‘for the unity of all.’”
The Ecumenical Patriarch also noted that the day coincided with the 34th anniversary of his election as the Primate of the First-Throned Church of Orthodoxy, which took place on October 22, 1991.
Concluding his address, His All-Holiness congratulated Archbishop Nektarios of Anthidona for “fulfilling his duties with zeal and self-sacrifice in defense of the rights of the three Metochia of the Holy Sepulchre in the City.”
Earlier, Archbishop Nektarios had warmly welcomed the Ecumenical Patriarch with heartfelt words.
Also present in prayer were Metropolitan Athenagoras of Kydonia, clergy, and faithful from Constantinople.
In the morning, His All-Holiness had attended the Divine Liturgy celebrated at the Patriarchal Church on the occasion of the 34th anniversary of his election as Ecumenical Patriarch. Later at noon, he received the heartfelt greetings of the venerable Hierarchs of the Throne in Turkey, and all attended a festive luncheon at the Patriarchal Residence.
Photos: Nikos Papachristou
