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The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew visited the Holy Archdiocese of Athens, where he met with Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece.
During his official visit to Athens, the Ecumenical Patriarch will meet the President of the Republic, Konstantinos Tasoulas, and the Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis. He will also deliver a historic address to the Hellenic Parliament.
Upon arriving at the Archiepiscopal Mansion, the Ecumenical Patriarch and his entourage were warmly welcomed by the Protosyncellus, Fr Barnabas Theocharis. He then held a fraternal meeting with Archbishop Ieronymos.
Subsequently, accompanied by Archbishop Ieronymos, the Ecumenical Patriarch proceeded to the Ceremonial Hall of Athens City Hall, where a ceremony was held to confer upon him the honorary distinction “Protection of the Environmental Heritage”. (Read the Ecumenical Patriarch’s speech here.)
On Tuesday, 27 years after his first address to the Plenary of the Hellenic Parliament in 1999, the Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch will address a Special Session of Parliament at 13:00, following an invitation extended by Parliament President Nikitas Kaklamanis. The session will take place in the presence of the President of the Hellenic Republic, Constantine Tassoulas.
In a particularly sensitive international context due to the war in Ukraine and the crisis in the Middle East, the Patriarch’s speech is considered to have even greater significance. Following his address, Kaklamanis will award him the Gold Medal of the Hellenic Parliament, and an official luncheon will be held in his honor. It is noted that the Patriarch is marking 35 years of patriarchal service and 65 years of priestly ministry.
On Thursday, May 7, at 17:30, the Parliament President will deliver remarks at an event titled “ Continuity and Universality: The Patriarchate of Constantinople in the Modern World,” held at the Pallas Theatre.
On May 8, the Patriarch will visit the Arsakeio Schools of Psychiko for the 190th anniversary of the Philological Educational Society, where he will perform a memorial service, address students and educators, and bless the educational community, in the presence of the Society’s president, Georgios Babiniotis.
Later that same day, he will be honored by the Hellenic Red Cross for his humanitarian and charitable work, receiving its highest distinction, the Gold Cross with Laurels, at an event in Nea Ionia, concluding with a drone show dedicated to universal human values.
Photos: CHRISTOS BONIS/EUROKINISSI & GIORGOS KONTARINIS/EUROKINISSI
