A Hierarchical Divine Liturgy was celebrated on Sunday, September 6, at the newly built Church of the Three Hierarchs in Budapest, presided over by Elder Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon.
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and the visiting hierarchs prayerfully attended the service from within the Holy Altar.
In his homily, Metropolitan Emmanuel reflected on the Gospel parable of the wedding banquet, noting that the image of the table prepared by the host for his son reveals the mystery of God’s invitation to humanity. He stressed that this invitation is addressed to all, while the Church goes out into the world to encounter different peoples, cultures, traditions and religious communities.
Against this background, the Metropolitan highlighted the significance of the “Fanarion – Orthodox Christian Center for Dialogue,” describing it as a new place of Orthodox presence and witness in the heart of Budapest. He noted that the Phanar has historically represented both a place and a way through which Orthodoxy engages with the contemporary world while preserving its identity and tradition.
Metropolitan Emmanuel also reflected on the “wedding garment” of the Gospel parable, associating it with love. Presence within the Church, he said, reaches its fullness when accompanied by love, which transforms dialogue into genuine encounter and hospitality into communion between persons.
Referring to the church’s patrons — Saint Basil the Great, Saint Gregory the Theologian and Saint John Chrysostom — he emphasized their engagement with the education and culture of their time. Their ability to enter into dialogue with the world with both confidence and respect, he said, provides inspiration for the mission of the new Center for Dialogue.
The Metropolitan also expressed the Mother Church’s gratitude for the completion of the project, paying particular tribute to Metropolitan Arsenios of Austria, Exarch of Hungary and Central Europe, for his years of work, persistence and planning that brought the initiative to fruition.
He thanked Metropolitan Arsenios’ collaborators and the Hungarian authorities for their contribution and respect for the Orthodox faith. The building housing the new spiritual center was granted to the Ecumenical Patriarchate by Hungary, while its renovation was carried out with substantial financial support from the Hungarian government at the time.
Concluding his homily, Metropolitan Emmanuel prayed that, through the intercessions of the Three Hierarchs, the Eucharistic table of the new church would always remain full and that all who enter would bear the “wedding garment” of love that unites humanity with God and with one another.
The celebration marked another milestone in the presence of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Orthodox Church in Budapest, with the new Church of the Three Hierarchs and the Fanarion Center intended to serve as places of prayer, communion and dialogue.
Photos: Ficsor Márton
