The feast of Orthodoxy was celebrated with the customary Pan-Orthodox Concelebration at the Holy Metropolitan Church of the Archangels in Brussels on Sunday, March 1, 2026.
It has been a tradition since 1983, on the first Sunday of Lent, for Orthodox Christians of all origins and traditions living in Belgium to gather at the seat of the head of the Orthodox Church, to concelebrate, and to commemorate this great day as a visible testimony of unity.
This year, as in previous years, the Pan-Orthodox Concelebration was presided over by Metropolitan Athenagoras of Belgium and Exarch of the Netherlands and Luxembourg, with co-celebrants including Bishop Dositheos, hierarch of the Patriarchate of Georgia, and Bishop Apostolos of Tanagra, Director of the Church of Greece Office to the European Union, as well as clergy from the other Orthodox communities in Belgium. Towards the end of the Divine Liturgy, Bishop Markos, Auxiliary Bishop of the Metropolitan of the Patriarchate of Romania in Western Europe, also joined the service.
An eminent guest this year was His Excellency Luc Terlinden, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels, head of the Roman Catholic Church in Belgium and President of its Assembly of Catholic Bishops, who graciously accepted the fraternal invitation of his Orthodox counterpart.
The homily was delivered by Archpriest Cyprian Popescu, who spoke about the historical event of the restoration of the holy icons and, beyond geopolitical circumstances and occasional political influences, the struggles of the Church of Christ to preserve “piety”, what we today call the doctrinal tradition of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, which has been handed down to us by our Fathers and continues to spiritually unite the members of the Mystical Body of Christ throughout time.
During the Divine Liturgy, hymns were sung in various languages and liturgical traditions by choirs performing in Greek, Flemish, Polish, Romanian, Georgian, and Arabic.
Members of the Diplomatic Corps were also present: the Ambassadors of Greece and Romania to Belgium, the Permanent Greek Representative and representatives of the Cypriot Mission to the European Union, officials of the Greek Embassy in Belgium, military representatives of Greece to NATO, Archons of the Holy Great Church of Christ, as well as heads of Greek organizations and public figures in Brussels, along with a large number of faithful.
At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, a procession of the holy icons took place within the Church, followed by the reading of the Synodikon of Orthodoxy and a special prayer for the unity of Christians and for world peace. At the conclusion, the presiding Metropolitan of Belgium expressed his joy at the continued observance of the long-standing tradition of celebrating the Sunday of Orthodoxy. He thanked the co-celebrating hierarchs and clergy, as well as the Roman Catholic Archbishop, who attended the Orthodox Metropolitan Church for the first time since assuming his office two years ago. He also mentioned the joint pilgrimage of Orthodox and Roman Catholic bishops of Belgium to the sacred center of the Phanar, the Ecumenical Patriarchate, presenting the Archbishop with a pectoral cross of the Metropolis as a commemorative gift.
He subsequently thanked the members of the Diplomatic Corps and representatives of the various organizations, the choirs, the clerical head of the Metropolitan Church, and his collaborators for their care in organizing the event, as well as the large congregation that attended the celebration. He concluded by praying for unity in the Church of Christ and peace in the troubled world, which is more necessary today than ever.
A reception followed at the parish center adjacent to the Church.
To view the photos, click the link HERE
Translated by Ioanna Georgakopoulou
