After his cordial meetings with the President of the Republic, the President of the Parliament (Saeima), the Prime Minister, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia on Friday, September 12, 2025, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew delivered a lecture later that afternoon at the University of Latvia before a large audience on the topic “The Church Faced with the Ecological Crisis Today: Science, Ethics, Common Action.”
The Patriarch was welcomed to the University by Rector Gundars Bērziņš and Dace Balode, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities.
That evening, the Ecumenical Patriarch and his entourage were guests of honor at a dinner hosted by the Ambassador of Greece to Latvia, Evangelos Tournakis. The Ambassador had also welcomed them upon their arrival at the airport the previous day, alongside the Counselor of the Turkish Embassy, Özlem Hersan, the Director of State Protocol, and the President’s Foreign Policy Advisor.
On Saturday morning, the Ecumenical Patriarch and his entourage attended an Ecumenical Service at the magnificent Cathedral, where they were welcomed by the new Archbishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia, Rinalds Grants.
During the service, the Ecumenical Patriarch delivered an address on the theme “The Timeless Demand for Unity, the Prayer of Christ, the Milestone of Nicaea.” A reception followed in honor of all the participating religious leaders, providing an opportunity for cordial and fraternal exchange.
At noon, the Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey in Riga, Şule Öztunç, hosted an official luncheon at the Ambassador’s Residence in honor of the Ecumenical Patriarch and his entourage, in an atmosphere of warm hospitality and constructive discussion.
Later that evening, as the Ecumenical Patriarch departed, he was bid farewell at the airport by the same group of officials who had welcomed him upon his arrival.
