Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew will attend in November the celebrations on the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Metropolis of Belgium and the Exarchate of the Netherlands and Luxembourg by the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
The festal program will begin on November 5, in the presence of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. On the first day of celebrations, the Ecological Symposium will be held and there will be visits to temples in the Netherlands. On November 9, the Vespers Service will be celebrated. On November 10, the Patriarchal Divine Liturgy at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Archangels Michael and Gabriel in Brussels. On November 10, a reception will be given and a luncheon will be hosted. On November 14, the festivities will end in Luxembourg.
To celebrate this historic event and the arrival of the Ecumenical Patriarch, small texts will be published regarding the history of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, its role in the Orthodox Church, its involvement in the dialogue, and the personality of our Ecumenical Patriarch.
There will also be a reference to the history of the Metropolis of Belgium and its seat, the Metropolitan Cathedral of Archangels Michael and Gabriel in Brussels, as well as to the actions of Orthodox youth. The text will conclude with a topical issue, that is the environmental protection, which has been the concern of the Ecumenical Patriarchate for the last thirty years. This issue will mark the beginning of the Patriarch’s presence in the Benelux.
SOURCE: Metropolis of Belgium
