Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew described the statements made by a Metropolitan of the Ecumenical Throne on social media regarding Maria Karystianou, President of the relatives’ association for victims of the deadly 2023 train accident in Tempi and mother of a crash victim, as highly offensive, emphasizing that he could never identify with such views.
Two years ago, a train accident cost the lives of 57 people, mostly students, and since then, reactions in Greek society have been intense, demanding accountability and justice.
As Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew stressed, “No one has the right to offend a bereaved mother, any mother, any father, who wants to know what happened that night in Tempi and to seek justice for the unjust death of their child, relative, friend, or fellow student.”
The Ecumenical Patriarch did not name the hierarch responsible for these offensive statements, but he is most likely referring to Metropolitan Theoleptos of Iconium.
On Friday morning, the Metropolitan of Iconium made a post on social media from his personal account, which was particularly critical of Maria Karystianou.
Although the post was later deleted from the Metropolitan’s profile, it had already been widely circulated on social media, attracting negative reactions toward the Hierarch.
In his statement, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew emphasized that “if indeed the alleged High Priest of the Mother Church expressed these thoughts, which are attributed to him, then he must correct himself as soon as possible and publicly apologize to all those whom he offended and embittered.”
Furthermore, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew made it clear that both he and the Ecumenical Patriarchate will continue to stand by the families of the victims and every person affected by the tragedy of Tempi.
Read the statement of the Ecumenical Patriarch
Dear children,
In just a few days, two years will have passed since the dreadful day of the tragic accident in Tempi, where 57 people, including many young children like you, tragically lost their lives, and many others were injured.
I will never forget that morning—the moment the tragic news shocked me, as it did everyone. My thoughts immediately turned to the parents, the victims’ relatives, and to all those who waited to see their children, their parents, their loved ones step off the train—but they never arrived. They never called to say they had arrived. Silence. Lament. Unspeakable tragedy.
On that morning, during the Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, which I presided over at the Patriarchal Church, I prayed to the Lord for the repose of the souls of the victims, for the strength and comfort—as much as possible—of their relatives, and for the swift recovery of the many injured. I also contacted the President of the Hellenic Republic, Mrs. Sakellaropoulou, and expressed both my shock and the condolences and sympathy of the Mother Church, our Ecumenical Patriarchate.
A few months later, on my way to Volos, where I was to visit the Metropolis of Demetrias and Almyros, I stopped at the site of the tragic accident, where I chanted a Trisagion for the victims and personally offered my condolences to some of their relatives. I was accompanied by the Metropolitan of Larissa, in whose jurisdiction the site of the accident is located.
Since then, I have always kept in my prayers the 57 victims, their relatives, and all those who, in any way, continue to be affected by this unspeakable tragedy, which still deeply shakes Hellenism everywhere. We all eagerly await the officials of Justice, who—acting impartially—are entrusted with shedding light on every aspect of this case.
Therefore, the Mother Church and I personally could never identify with the highly offensive views that surfaced on the Internet yesterday and today, allegedly expressed by a Hierarch of the Ecumenical Throne with superficiality and distraction. No one has the right to offend a bereaved mother, any mother, any father, who wants to know what happened that night in Tempi and to seek justice for the unjust death of their child, relative, friend, or fellow student.
If, by any chance, the alleged High Priest of the Mother Church indeed expressed these thoughts, which are attributed to him, then he must correct himself as soon as possible and publicly apologize to all those whom he offended and embittered.
The Mother Church and the Patriarch will continue to stand spiritually by the families of the victims and every person affected by this tragedy. They will also stand by the families of the victims of other tragic accidents that occurred in previous years in Tempi, where students and very young people lost their lives.
Memory eternal. And you, as well as all of us, should remember them, honor their memory, and pray for their eternal rest, and for God to give strength and comfort to their relatives.”
Metropolitan of Iconium: I humbly apologize
Following the strong reaction of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Metropolitan Theoleptos of Iconium was obliged to issue a public statement of “apology” for his previous remarks on the tragedy of Tempi.
In his post, the Metropolitan of Iconium stressed, “I expressly and unequivocally state that the statements published on the internet and attributed to me do not represent my personal views, and for this reason, I humbly apologize for the confusion caused.
As a Hierarch of the Orthodox Church, from the very first moment of this tragic incident, which shocked all of Greece and me personally, I have been praying daily for the souls of these children and sympathizing with the families of both the deceased and the survivors of this terrible tragedy.”
