The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew presided over the Feast of the Finding of the Precious Head of the Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist John, at the Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts on Clean Tuesday, 24 February 2026.
At the conclusion of the sacred service, he offered a Trisagion prayer for the repose of the souls of the victims of the war in Ukraine, marking four years since the Russian invasion of that sovereign nation.
In attendance were the Consul of Greece in Constantinople, Mr Theophilos Georgakis, representing the Consul General; the Consul General of Ukraine, Mr Roman Nedilskyi, accompanied by members of his staff; the Consuls General of Austria, Argentina, Belgium, Moldova, and the Netherlands; as well as representatives of the Consuls General of the United Kingdom, Canada, the Federal Republic of Germany, Poland, Slovakia, France, and Sweden.
Also present were more than two hundred women, mothers, sisters, wives, and daughters of fallen, captive, and missing Ukrainian soldiers, who had travelled from Ukraine to join in prayer at the Patriarchal Church, steadfastly holding in their hands photographs of their beloved family members.
In his address, delivered in English, the Ecumenical Patriarch referred to the completion of four years since the Russian assault against the sovereign state of Ukraine, a war that has shattered the lives of countless families.
“Each victim is not a statistic, but a sacred life, bearing the unique imprint of God,” the Ecumenical Patriarch emphasized, urging all not to permit hardened indifference to prevail within our hearts.
Elsewhere in his address, he underscored the remarkable resilience of the Ukrainian people, who have preserved their faith, language, and cultural heritage amid pressures to disappear into the shadows of greater empires. “Attempts to suppress the spirit of a people may inflict deep wounds, yet they cannot extinguish the life within it. The longing for freedom and the capacity to live in accordance with one’s conscience are God-given realities that cannot be erased by violence,” he declared, once again expressing the unwavering concern of the Mother Church of Constantinople for Ukraine.
“We raise our prayers today for those whose lives have been lost, not as collateral casualties in strategies of power, but as beloved persons whose absence leaves a void that no geopolitical arrangement can fill,” the Ecumenical Patriarch affirmed. He added that on this day we pray for all who suffer, for families torn asunder, and for those enduring captivity. We also pray for all who strive in defense of their homeland, “not from a desire for conflict, but from profound love for their kindred and for a future not yet written.”
As the Ecumenical Patriarch further observed, our common pursuit must not be limited to a mere cessation of hostilities, but must aspire to a genuine, just, and enduring peace.
“A battlefield without gunfire is not always peace. It may be a restless silence, a fatigue mistaken for tranquillity, or a submission disguised as calm. True concord requires the restoration of what has been violated and the recognition of a nation’s right to determine its own destiny. It is a moral imperative that the future of a people cannot be made the subject of secret negotiation or decided without its full and equal participation. Anything less is not peace; it is merely injustice accorded a diplomatic name.”
“The Church will not abandon you,” the Ecumenical Patriarch assured the Ukrainian people, emphasizing that the Mother Church remains steadfastly at their side until the final triumph of peace. [Read HERE the full text of the Patriarchal Address]
Earlier, the Patriarch was formally addressed by the Consul General of Ukraine, who stressed that Russian aggression “has brought to Ukrainian soil crimes which the world has no right to forget: destroyed homes, murdered and tortured civilians, abducted children, desecrated churches. The torture and abuse of Ukrainian prisoners of war constitute crimes that shock the conscience of humanity.”
He went on to describe the conflict as an unprovoked and violent war, recalling that the Ecumenical Patriarch had characterized it as “diabolical.”
“It is a sin before God and a crime against humanity. For this reason, the spiritual support we experience here, in the heart of Orthodoxy, is of inestimable value.
Your All-Holiness, allow me to express our profound gratitude to Your revered Person for your consistent and courageous support of Ukraine’s struggle for freedom. You have condemned this war as evil, as lawlessness, as an assault against a peaceful people.
Your voice is the voice of Christian love and solidarity. It so unsettles the aggressor that its secret services attempt to exert public pressure upon Your All-Holiness. Your voice is a light of hope for the Ukrainian people in the embrace of the Mother Church.”
Later in the afternoon, the Ecumenical Patriarch presided from the synthronon in the venerable Patriarchal Church during the Service of Great Compline for Clean Tuesday.
Translation: Ioanna Georgakopoulou
Photos: Nikos Papachristou
