On Sunday, May 4, 2025—the Sunday of the Myrrh-Bearing Women—Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew presided over the Patriarchal and Concelebratory Divine Liturgy at the Patriarchal Church of St. George in the Phanar.
Concelebrating with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew were Metropolitans Meliton of Philadelphia, Irenaios of Myriophyton and Peristasis, Athenagoras of Kydoniai, Maximos of Selyvria, Andreas of Saranta Ekklisies, and Joachim of Bursa.
The homily was delivered by Metropolitan Apostolos of Miletos, Abbot of the Patriarchal and Stavropegial Monastery of Saint Anastasia the Pharmakolytria in Halkidiki.
Following the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, the Patriarch elevated Hieromonk Ieronymos Sotirelis to the ecclesiastical office of Grand Syncellus of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
Among the faithful in attendance were Metropolitan Apostolos of Derkoi (Elder), Archbishop Nektarios of Anthedon—representative of the Holy Sepulchre in Constantinople—Bishops Adrianos of Halicarnassus and Paisios of Xanthoupolis, Archons of the Ecumenical Throne, and Mr. Georgios-Spyridon Mamalos, Head of Public Diplomacy at the Greek Consulate General in Constantinople, representing the Consul General. Also present were relatives of the newly appointed Grand Syncellus and a large gathering of local faithful and pilgrims from abroad.
It is noted that, by long-standing tradition, the Patriarchal Liturgy for the Sunday of the Myrrhbearers is celebrated annually at the historic Monastery of the Life-Giving Spring (Zoodochos Pigi) in Baloukli. However, due to ongoing technical issues, the monastery’s main church remains closed, and the service could not be held there this year.
Later in the afternoon, the Patriarch and his entourage visited the Monastery and offered a Trisagion at the tomb of his late predecessor, Patriarch Demetrios, commemorating all the Patriarchs, Hierarchs, and Great Benefactors of the Greek Nation buried in the monastery’s courtyard. He also prayed at the nearby Second Cemetery of the Monastery for all the departed, “whose names the Lord knows.”
Photos: Nikos Papachristou / Translated by: Konstantinos Menyktas
