On the day of his name day, on Friday, June 11, immediately after the Divine Liturgy, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew received the wishes of the Hierarchs of the Throne in Constantinople and, subsequently, of the Patriarchal Court, led by Protosyncellus Theodoros, in the presence of the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece, Konstantinos Vlasis, the Ambassador of Greece in Ankara, Michael-Christos Diamesis, the former Deputy Minister, Antonis Diamataris, the Consul General of Greece in Constantinople, Georgia Soultanopoulou, and many clergymen and laypeople.
Elder Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon offered to the Ecumenical Patriarch, on behalf of the Hierarchs of the Throne in Constantinople, a commemorative gift. In a short address, Protosyncellus Theodoros expressed the feelings of the Patriarchal Court, reaffirmed the commitment of his associates to continue fervently their ministry with diligence and self-sacrifice, in a spirit of fraternal unity and with absolute devotion to their Abbot, for the promotion of the affairs of the Sacred Center of Orthodoxy.
In his reply, among other things, the Ecumenical Patriarch pointed out:
“Times have changed today. However, the destiny and mission of the Church remain unchanged. Because its Founder and Leader and Finisher our Lord Jesus Christ remains unchanged and unchanging, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Heb. 13:8), who said: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (Matthew 24:35).
These are the words we urge you to always be inspired by in your church mission and ministry, and in your life, in general, that is, by the fighting spirit of today’s celebrated Holy Apostles, who were so willing to receive even this martyrdom of blood, rejoicing in the Lord, the One Who was crucified and resurrected.
After all, the clergy of the Great Church of Christ have always been notable for their free, unconquered and brave spirit, which is also a trait of our Nation. For this very reason, this spirit made so many martyrs and confessors of our faith and other ideals during the long centuries of its history.”
He then received the wishes for many and fruitful years from the delegation of the Holy Provincial Synod of the semi-autonomous Church in Crete, which officially submitted the request for the canonization of the late Archimandrite Eumenios Saridakis.
In his speech, Metropolitan Evgenios of Rethymnon and Avlopotamos referred to the personality and work of the Ecumenical Patriarch.
In his reply, the Ecumenical Patriarch said, among others:
“With great joy and affectionate joy, we welcome the much-respected delegation from the beloved island of Crete.”
The former President of the Hellenic Republic, Dr. Prokopis Pavlopoulos, expressed over the phone his heartfelt wishes to the Ecumenical Patriarch.