Lefkada warmly welcomed Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew with a grand ceremony on Sunday afternoon at the Holy Monastery of Faneromeni.
The Ecumenical Patriarch was welcomed at the Monastery by an honor guard, the local band, clergy of various ranks, young people in traditional costumes, and a large crowd of supporters.
As reported by the local media, Metropolitan Theophilos of Lefkada and the Abbot of the Monastery, Fr. Nikiforos, extended a warm welcome to the Patriarch upon his arrival on the island. At Aktion airport, the Patriarch was greeted by a government representative, Deputy Minister of Education and Religious Affairs Zetta Makri, along with MP Athanasios Kavvadas, Regional Governor Giannis Trepeklis, Mayor Xenofon Verginis, and Deputy Governor Antonios Duvitsas.
Following these welcomes, the Mayor of Lefkada delivered an address, to which the Patriarch responded from a specially arranged platform. The ceremony outside the monastery culminated in the unveiling of a plaque dedicating a square to “Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew,” commemorating his visit.
Afterwards, a Doxology was held in the Monastery’s Katholikon.
Photos: Nikos Paparchristou
