LAST UPDATE: 19:41
Sunday of Orthodoxy was celebrated today, March 21, 2021, in the Patriarchal Cathedral of Saint George in the Phanar, with all solemnity and according to the centuries-old tradition.
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew presided over the Divine Liturgy, accompanied by the Elder Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon, Metropolitan Georgios of Guinea (Patriarchate of Alexandria), Evstratiy Chernihiv and Nizhyn (Orthodox Church of Ukraine), Metropolitan Dimitrios of Metres and Athyra, Metropolitan Ambrosios Karpathos and Kasos, Metropolitan Joseph of Proconnesus, Metropolitan Cleopas of Sweden and Archbishop Makarios of Australia.
During the Divine Liturgy, the Ecumenical Patriarch ordained Metropolitan Andreas of Saranta Ekklisies (Forty Churches) to Bishop and Protosyncellus Theodoros to Presbyter. At the end of the Divine Liturgy, the Ecumenical Patriarch bestowed the offikion of the Great Protosyncellus of the Great Church of Christ upon Theodoros.
The Ecumenical Patriarch, addressing the Elected Metropolitan of Forty Churches, recalled his course when he came to Constantinople in 1999.
Elsewhere in his speech, the Ecumenical Patriarch pointed out:
“Church life is a relay race, which always requires accord, coordination, solidarity and militancy. Such is the tradition of the Church, which lives by the coherence and continuity of the struggles of the Fathers. Those who now hold the baton will hand it over to those who follow. They will also require vigilance and dynamism. No one wins alone or, otherwise, ‘unus Christianus, nullus Christianus’, that is, one Christian, no Christian. No generation is allowed to deviate from this common path to the End.
Then the Ecumenical Patriarch addressed the former Archdeacon Theodore, saying:
“The new presbyter assumes the highest office in the Patriarchal Court, with a lot of power and multiple responsibilities, which require vigilance, dynamism, honesty, sensitivity, responsibility and seriousness. All these responsibilities must go hand in hand with the ethos and identity of the presbyter and the spirit of the church minister.
Immediately afterwards, the new Metropolitan of Forty Churches, Andreas, addressed a word of gratitude and devotion to the Ecumenical Patriarch.
“The Phanar, the Great Church, this Great Monastery, small and large, humble and glorified, few and innumerable, finite and infinite. The Phanar and the Patriarch∙ the great Abbot and First Priest, the other Cyrenean… Our Patriarch and Father to Whom I owe everything !!!”.
At the end of the Divine Liturgy, after receiving the Episcopal Mitre and the crosier from the Ecumenical Patriarch, the newly ordained Metropolitan performed from the Patriarchal Throne the dismissal of the Divine Liturgy.
Immediately afterwards, the Ecumenical Patriarch bestowed the offikion of the Great Protosyncellus of the Great Church of Christ upon Theodoros.
In his speech, the new Grand Protosyncellus, Theodoros, referred to the longstanding and strong ties of the Phanar with Crete, his place of origin, the local Church of which has always offered the Mother Church many clergymen, many of whom served as Grand Protosyncellus.
The procession of the holy icons took place in the courtyard of the Patriarchate, during which the Ecumenical Patriarch blessed the faithful.