At the final stage of his visit to Thessaloniki, and with the blessing of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Patriarch Daniel of Bulgaria visited the Holy Patriarchal and Stavropegial Monastery of Saint Dionysius of Olympus.
At the monastery, the Primate of the Patriarchate of Bulgaria and his delegation were welcomed with a festive bell-ringing ceremony by Metropolitan George of Kitros, Katerini, and Platamon, the Abbot of the Monastery, Archimandrite Maximos, the brotherhood, and pilgrims.
In his address, the Patriarch emphasized that he personally considers it a great blessing to venerate the holy relics of Saint Dionysius, as well as those of many other saints who rest in this sacred monastery.
“We realize that the struggle of repentance, which is the primary vocation of the monastic life, truly points out to every human being the path to the Kingdom of Heaven. We rejoice that we had the opportunity to venerate and to pray that the Lord may strengthen us all in the work of salvation. Monastic life makes clear what it means to strive daily not to fall into sin and to repent for our transgressions. May God support the work of salvation and lead more people who desire to be saved, so that they too may become a light to the world,” said Patriarch Daniel.
In his reply, Metropolitan George of Katerini expressed his joy at Patriarch Daniel’s first visit to this important monastery of the region. The acquaintance between the Patriarch of Bulgaria and Abbot Archimandrite Maximos goes back many years and is connected with the late Metropolitan Nathaniel of Nevrokop, a close spiritual friend of the monastery’s brotherhood. The church delegation also had the opportunity to visit the monastery’s museum and venerate numerous holy relics, among them those of Saint Dionysius of Olympus, Saint Lazarus the Four-Days-Dead, Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, Saint George the Trophy-Bearer, Saint Matrona of Chios, and others. As a sign of particular honor and love for the Primate of the Bulgarian Church, Archimandrite Maximos presented him with a beautiful icon of Saint Dionysius of Olympus.
In turn, the Patriarch of Bulgaria offered the Abbot a pectoral cross and an icon of Saint Clement of Ohrid, asking the entire brotherhood of the monastery to pray fervently for the Bulgarian people and the Church of his homeland. With this pilgrimage to the holy stavropegial monastery, Patriarch Daniel’s visit to Greece, undertaken at the personal invitation of the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece, came to a close.
The visit was truly an occasion for fraternal fellowship in Christ and for deepening the bonds between the Primates and representatives of the Local Orthodox Churches, within the framework of the pan-Orthodox witness of unity, brotherly love, and pastoral sensitivity that is so necessary in the face of the great challenges of our time.
