The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew departed today, Tuesday, May 2, 2023, for an official visit to Florence and Salerno, responding to relevant invitations from the Catholic Church Authorities, while on the last day of his trip to Italy, on Sunday, May 7, he will visit Neapolis, where he will officiate at the Greek Orthodox Church of Saints Peter and Paul and bless the Orthodox believers who live in this historic city.
As part of his visit to Florence, the Ecumenical Patriarch will have a special meeting with the Archbishop of the city Cardinal Giuseppe Betori, and representatives of the local Authorities. In a special ceremony, he will be awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the Theological School of Central Italy, while he will deliver a speech during the Ecumenical prayer that will take place in the Basilica of Saint Lawrence. During his stay in Florence, he will meet and bless the Orthodox believers, who live in the capital of Tuscany, in the Greek Orthodox Church of St. James the Brother of God.
At the second stop of his visit to Italy, in Salerno, the Patriarch will have meetings with the Archbishop of Salerno, Campagna and Acerno Andrea Bellandi, and the local State Authorities while he will make a speech to the clergy and the students of the Theological Seminary of the city. He will also deliver a speech during an event organized by the University and the Prefecture of Salerno, while he will also have a meeting with the Bishops of the Metropolitan Region of Salerno.
The Patriarchal Entourage consists of Geron Metropolitan Apostolos of Derkoi and Metropolitan Polykarpos of Italy, Deacon Varnavas Grigoriadis, and Nikolaos Papaioannou, Secretary to the Patriarchate.
As the Patriarch’s locum tenens was appointed Geron Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon.
