Thassos: Messages of unity and common fellowship from Bartholomew, Hieronymus and Epiphanius

With a solemn doxology held in the surrounding and historic church of the Dormition of the Virgin, in the community of Panagia, built in 1831, the island of Thassos welcomed the Ecumenical Patriarch Mr. Bartholomew, the Archbishop of Athens and all Greece Mr. Ieronymos and the Metropolitan of Kiev Mr. Superficial.

The three hierarchs are visiting the island at the invitation of the local metropolitan, Philippi of Neapolis and Thassos (FNT), Mr. Stefanos, as well as the mayor of the island, in order to brighten up with their presence the first celebration of the “Syntax of the Saints in Thassos” and to receive their holy image that was painted for this purpose.

The Primate of Orthodoxy and the two Beatitudes arrived at noon in the island’s capital, Limenas, and were received with honors by the local authorities and a crowd of people. The government was represented at the festive and religious events by the Minister of National Defense Nikos Panagiotopoulos.

Message of unity from the Ecumenical Patriarch

The Ecumenical Patriarch, after the end of the Doxology and contradicting the warm words of welcome of both the Metropolitan of FNT and the mayor of the island Lefteris Kyriakidis, underlined among other things that the common mission of all three hierarchs sends to everyone in the most characteristic and indisputable way the message of unity and fellowship within the church.

At another point in his speech, Mr. Bartholomew referred to the contribution of the saints to the life of the Orthodox Church and the faithful, noting that in the forty years of his patriarchy, many saints and saints were proclaimed, informing everyone that the Spirit is constantly present and “sanctifies the members of the church and the whole world”.

Also, Panagiotatos referred to the contribution of the Apostle of the Gentiles Paul to the spread of the Gospel in the world starting from the city of Philippi together with his collaborators Luke, Timothy and Silas. He congratulated and praised the Metropolitan of Philippi for his initiative to invite him and the two Beatitudes to participate in the liturgical events to celebrate the six local values ​​of the island.

Archbishop of Athens and all Greece: We welcome the Patriarch of the nation

Archbishop Hieronymos, in his own opposition, referred with warm words to the person of the Ecumenical Patriarch but also to the presence of the Metropolitan of Kiev, noting then meaningfully “who would not envy in the world such a gathering where the patriarch of the nation, the lords and the faithful people of God”.

The Archbishop also underlined that the times that our country and the Greeks are going through are difficult and for this reason more than ever we need a mindset “and a mindset is not bought, it is not sold but it is born within us, within each person”. He referred to the message of unity sent to the entire Orthodox world by the joint presence in Thassos of the Ecumenical Patriarch and the Metropolitan of Kyiv.

Touching words from the Metropolitan of Kyiv

With words of emotion and in fluent Greek, the Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine Mr. Epifanios objected, who expressed his joy at being in Greece and his gratitude to Metropolitan Mr. Stefanos for the invitation he addressed to him.

Makariotatos meaningfully emphasized addressing Metropolitan Mr. Stephanos: “Your official invitation came to our hands at the beginning of March in difficult and dark days, when the Russian tyrant was sending his troops to destroy our country and conquer the Kyiv. The days I was reading your invitation the sirens blaring reminded us to protect ourselves from the Russian bombs. I was reading your invitation not knowing what could happen to us the next moment, the next day.”

The Metropolitan of Kyiv, addressing the Archbishop of Athens, expressed his gratitude to him and the members of the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece “for their love and support for the autocephalous Church of Ukraine. He even added that the Church of Greece as an older brother bears the burdens and offers its help to a younger brother”.

Mr. Epifanios also addressed words of gratitude to the person of the Ecumenical Patriarch for the invitation he addressed to him to co-operate on the island of Thassos but also for the continuous and uninterrupted help and support he offers to the Church of Ukraine after the volume of autocephaly he granted them .

Many hierarchs at the reception

Addressing the three distinguished guests, the Venerable Metropolitan of the Greek Orthodox Church Mr. Stefanos expressed the heartfelt joy of the crew of the local church for their presence on the island, while he made special reference to the Christianization of the Russians at the end of the 9th century AD. when the patriarch Photios sent the first apostles to Kyiv to preach the Gospel and baptize the first Christians there.

The reception of the Ecumenical Patriarch and the two Beatitudes was attended by many metropolitans both from northern Greece and from other metropolitans.

In the afternoon, during a special ceremony, the Municipality of Thassos will declare the Ecumenical Patriarch and the Archbishop of Athens honorary citizens of the island. Tomorrow morning, the Primate of Orthodoxy will concelebrate together with the Archbishop of Athens and Metropolitan Epiphanios at the Holy Church of the Dormition, in the particularly picturesque village of Panagia with its traditional stone-built houses.

RES-EMP

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