Upon his arrival in Thessaloniki on Wednesday evening, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew visited the PAOK Stadium in Toumba, accompanied by Metropolitan Philotheos of Thessaloniki. There, he laid seven white roses in memory of the seven young PAOK supporters who lost their lives in a tragic traffic accident in Romania the previous day.
Deeply moved, he offered his condolences and heartfelt support to the parents and relatives of the victims, as well as to the PAOK administration and supporters, on behalf of himself and the Mother Church of Constantinople. He announced that, on Friday, January 30, he will officiate a Trisagion service for the seven young men and five working women who lost their lives in the deadly factory fire in Trikala last Monday, after presiding over a service at the Church of the Three Hierarchs.
The Ecumenical Patriarch first arrived at Thessaloniki’s “Macedonia” International Airport, where he was welcomed by Metropolitan Nikodimos of Kassandreia; numerous Archbishops; Konstantinos Gioulekas, the deputy minister of interior affairs for Macedonia–Thrace; Stelios Angeloudis, the mayor of Thessaloniki; and representatives of the armed forces and security services.
Translated by Ioanna Georgakopoulou
Photos: Demosthenis Tsavdaridis
