Mr. Bartholomew invited more than 50 lonely Greeks of Constantinople to spend the holy day together
The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew invited more than 50 lonely Greeks of Constantinople to celebrate Christmas together with their spiritual father, in a family atmosphere.
Mr. Bartholomew blessed the festive meal he hosted at the Patriarchal Urban School Maraslis, which after its recent renovation serves the needs of the Patriarchate.
Earlier, he stood out, in a festive and joyous atmosphere, at the divine service, which was held in the patriarchal church of Agios Georgios, in the presence of a large number of believers from Constantinople and abroad.
Present were the ambassador of Greece to Turkey, Theodoros Bizakis, clergymen, saintly monks, representatives of the Christian communities of the City, lord officials of the Great Church of Christ under the General Secretary of their brotherhood “Panagia the Pammakaristos” Konstantinos Delikostanis, the consul general of Ukraine in Istanbul, Roman Nedilski and the consul of Greece Theofilos Georgakis.
Subsequently, the Ecumenical Patriarch received in the Patriarchal Office the ambassador of Greece with whom he exchanged warm wishes, the abbot of the Holy Monastery of Vatopedi on Mount Athos, Archimandrite Mr. Ephraim, mayors of the districts of Istanbul, where historically there is a presence of the Greek minority, Pera, Inan Gyunai, Sisli, Resoul Emrah Sahan and Sariger, Mustafa Oktai ‘Aksos, as well as the representative of the municipality of Diplokionion.
In his short speech, he thanked them for their presence, underlining that it demonstrates a spirit of unity and solidarity.
He also emphasized that his desire is for a similar spirit to prevail in the Middle East as well, where thousands of our fellow human beings, especially children, live in the shadow of war, and he once again called for peace to prevail.
“We pray to the Almighty God to stop the bloodshed,” the Patriarch said, expressing the hope that politicians, through dialogue, will put an end to the fighting. Particularly regarding the situation in Syria, he once again declared his support for the aging Patriarchate of Antioch and wished the new governors of the country to serve all citizens, regardless of religion, as they are all children of the same God.
Concluding his short speech, he expressed his joy for the Pope’s upcoming visit to Turkey, and wished a Merry Christmas to all Christians living in the country, and a Happy New Year to all citizens.
Source: Skai
I have worked as a journalist for over 10 years, and my work has been featured on many different news websites. I am also an author, and my work has been published in several books. I specialize in opinion writing, and I often write about current events and controversial topics. I am a very well-rounded writer, and I have a lot of experience in different areas of journalism. I am a very hard worker, and I am always willing to put in the extra effort to get the job done.
